By Jonathan Keller
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, ESV)
Operation: Reclamation. Peter, one of the top brass, just told the world that a dead man is now king of everything. Jesus, once crucified, is now resurrected and glorified as the king on heaven’s throne. This king left His agents on earth for a delicate mission: tell all the world, beginning at their backyard, that Jesus is Lord.
What stood in their way? The Romans wouldn’t take too kindly to a king above their emperor, much less a king who apparently doesn’t pay with gold. The Jewish authorities, ruling over the backwater Judean lands, found Jesus to be a false king and dangerous for their survival under the Romans. How dare these charlatans worship a man! God is no man. Facing these dangers, Christ-followers met together daily, sitting under Christ’s teaching and prayer during times of fellowship to keep their minds fixed on their mission.
Times are different now. We can govern our world without any need for a higher power. Who needs a God above human squabbles like gas wars and propaganda campaigns? Here in the West, we have all the creature comforts we could need. WiFi, food down the street, vehicles to take us wherever we wish, activities to keep us occupied, phones to endlessly scroll our lives away…
Wait a moment. Our political issues haven’t evaporated. Entertainment and convenience don’t answer real conflict. If we look away for a moment, we can see that the sands of our lives have fallen with little done for God’s world.
If the Romans are oppressing the church, the church needs to meet together. If Western society drains the church’s attention and energy, the church needs to meet together. In poverty or in abundance, the church needs to meet together, for this decaying world has many tools to make us ineffective for God’s reclamation mission. Prayer, word, and fellowship re-center our hearts no matter the circumstance to focus us on what ought to be at the forefront of our minds.
Seeing that our mission today is the same – to tell all the world that Jesus is Lord – we need the same means the apostles used to keep them focused! Let us avail ourselves daily of the simple means of talking to God about all our worries and hopes, of attending our ears to His Word for guidance and correction, and of meeting together to remind ourselves that we, as Christians, are Christ’s body together.
Let us pray. Heavenly Father, be glorified for how You have focused on your redemption plan from the beginning of time. Year by year, You never fail to pursue or execute it. Remind us that You have made us, Your people, but a small part of that redemption plan to reclaim what is rightfully Yours from the corruption of sin. Hear us when we pray, and draw us to pray in all seasons, especially when we are distracted. Draw us to Your Word in the same way. Draw us toward each other that we might be ready to go out into the world. In Jesus’ name, amen.