Many people in the world have lost hope in Christianity because the structure and programs of church often obscure the heart and purpose of the Church: to proclaim the simple gospel message so people can be transformed from the inside out. There’s a story in the New Testament about Peter and John that gives a practical example of how the church should operate today.
In Acts 3-4, A lame man asked for alms from Peter and John as they were going to the temple. Rather than giving money, Peter prayed for him in the name of Jesus that he would walk. The Lord healed him on the spot. All the people were filled with amazement as they saw the man walking and praising God. Peter focused their attention on God and told them to repent and turn to Him.
However, the religious rulers were greatly disturbed by what Peter and John were saying, so they put them in jail for proclaiming Jesus’ resurrection from the dead (but that didn’t stop many people from believing the message).
The confidence of Peter and John, though uneducated, proved they had been with Jesus. The Council warned them to stop teaching in the name of Jesus, but they refused.
The two reported back to the other believers what the chief priests and elders. They all prayed together and the place where they were was shaken.
The story goes on to tells us that the believers were of one heart and soul, so all things were common property to them. The apostles were giving witness to the resurrection of Jesus with great power and grace. Owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds to the apostles to meet needs. As a result, no needy people were among them.
Important Lessons for the Church Today:
As we look in the book of Acts and see the boldness and tenacity of the early Church, we can see how God wants the Church of the present to act. Below are some takeaways from the above passage.
- The Church should be about meeting peoples’ needs by simply offering to pray for them. This opens the door for the gospel to be shared. The message of the death and resurrection of Christ urges people to turn from their sin and believe in Him so their sins can be wiped away and times of refreshing can come into their lives.
- We should expect persecution and people not understanding why we are doing what we are doing. They will question it, and question the message we are preaching, but that shouldn’t stop us. We need to be bold, as the early disciples were.
- We need to understand the importance of knowing Christ. The early disciples weren’t highly educated, but the religious leaders knew they had been with Jesus. In other words, they hadn’t all had a “seminary” level training, but that didn’t stop them from sharing the good news. They taught what Jesus taught them. In the same way, we need to teach others what Jesus proclaimed through the Gospels.
- As the early Church did, we should be willing to share things with other around us, give to meet each other’s needs.
What aspect of Peter and John’s example speaks most to you? Ask God to show you how to respond in your family, neighborhood and at work.
