Let's Dig A Hole, Shall We?

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. [Acts 2.44-47]

How in the world could these people think for one moment that they were contributing to a functioning society? They couldn't. 

Let's dig a hole, shall we?

Jesus never called one single follower to be an acceptable functioning member of society! Instead, Jesus' consistently called all to "forsake all."

Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. [Luke 9.23]

The early Church evidently saw value in accomplishing this by putting others first. And, boy did they put each other first!

Here's the deal... modern "Christianity" makes every attempt to view the scriptures noted here as a way to confirm its current 'way of doing things.' In other words, today's Church largely measures these scriptures by the way it (the Church) functions instead of measuring the Church's function by these scriptures. The standard set by these early believers is not very well reflected in the Church or Christianity today.

Do we really even need to question whether it's the modern Church or these early believers whose example sets the standard? The thing is, it's just easier to "leave it alone..." chalking up the way we do things today to modern culture and society. But do we really want to go there? If that were the case, then the Church should be promoting and funding abortions, embracing all the variations of current 'gender-speak' issues, and certainly not limiting heaven to Jesus-followers only. The idea of modern culture determining what the Church should look like is the classic proverbial condition of the tail wagging the dog!

The Church today simply does not practice Christianity the way Acts 2.44-47 describes it! So... what does a current Christ-follower do? To find the answer, we only need to back up a few verses in the Acts record of the early Church:

Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” [Acts 2.37-40]

Peter's answer to the question, "What do we do?" is nothing short of remarkable in its relevance to the modern Church and its need to be saved from its crooked generation! The answer was this: 1) repent, 2) turn to God, 3) be baptized into Christ - into His forgiveness and resurrection - into the power of the Holy Spirit.

The powerless Church today should understand that its lack of power is one and the same as the lack of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not present because people have not truly risen from baptism having genuinely been forgiven because they have not repented and not turned to God.

Harsh? Maybe. But should we not be absolutely alarmed that the Church today looks nothing like the early Church? Should we not be shaken to the core that the Church today speaks emotionally and even intimately of the Holy Spirit without as much as a single physical demonstration of His power? Should we not find it hard to breathe because we look and act nothing like Christ of the New Testament? This warning is not harsh! Hell is harsh!

Christ and His early Church set the standard regardless how culturally irrelevant we deem it today. Our powerless condition screams at us to examine and repair what's wrong while the world sings us a gentle lullaby that "all is well - you are being culturally relevant."

"Forsaking all" is radical and fanatical. It always has been and always will be. It will not be relevant. It will not be culturally sensitive or acceptable. "Forsaking all" will draw attention, but not like most would hope for!

If "believers" today were experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit (as defined in the New Testament - not by a "feeling"), these words would describe them as they described Christ:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]

"Forsaking all" puts others first always as the early Church demonstrated in Acts 2.44-47. Putting others first begins with being truthful with them about Jesus Christ the Messiah. It heals them, provides for them, and generally cares for them as the early Church demonstrated.

Yes, I have dug a hole here... Now what?

Well, for starters, holes are a great place to bury something! Since we have dug this hole, why not forsake and bury our ways so that we might truly follow God's ways? Let's die to our claims that we are okay because we are culturally relevant by repenting of such foolishness. Let's die to our dependence upon anything or anyone else and turn to God alone. Let's see the hole we have dug as "Christ" and let's dive in headlong so we might experience the life that only comes by our hope in the death of giving up on everything else to be raised to new life with Him. Let's be baptized to symbolize this as our new reality thus putting ourselves and everyone who witnesses it on notice to expect God's miraculous power to manifest upon us from that time forward as sharing this new life becomes our singular life mission.

And, what if the Holy Spirit does not manifest? Then let's die until He does!

Father, what a hole I have dug here for myself and anyone else who might read this. I have no regrets in digging this hole, but want You to see that I acknowledge that something needs to change in me (and functioning society) and only death to myself and my ways will accomplish it... I can only hold to You and Your Word. Death to me - life to Christ!