The early church was disenfranchised. It didn’t get government support or exemption from Roman taxes. Yet somehow, it was able to grow and thrive. Being a Christian wasn’t the popular or culturally acceptable thing, but it seems that many held Christian disciples in high regard for their character. Over time, many officials became openly hostile to the faith, but it still grew. Sometimes it seemed opposition helped the growth!
Today, we often hear that the church has more opportunities than ever. It has more money and facilities than many previous generations could have dreamed. But to many it seems that growth isn’t happening. God has allowed us to live in a time of great blessing – even in the midst of financially darkening times. But often we grumble about what we don’t have, rather than sharing what we do have. And the culture seems to have cast Christians aside as lacking moral character – more likely to be found judgmental, critical and divided than unified and loving, hopeful and sincere.
I mention this to ask, what is different about the way the early Church saw its mission, and the way we see our mission? And is that in any way responsible for our success or failure?
Evangelism is absolutely essential. The good news is the call of every believer. But it isn’t just a story to be told, an experience to be related or a three-step plan to happiness. It is a message that makes sense of radical change. People touched by the early church experienced the Church – a collection of individuals changed abruptly by the power of God. Christians didn’t just speak about the good news – they lived a life that begged people to ask what was going on. They had declared allegiance to Jesus and the Father, and were not about to be found unfaithful. They didn’t have to go door to door, or be taught why they should share their faith. They simply lived a life that proved they believed God was sovereign in their lives, more important than the temporary things around them. And that opened doors for them to meet needs and share the message.
James 4 has a scathing criticism that we need to consider seriously. You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with this world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again, that if your aim is to enjoy this world, you can’t be a friend of God. [James 4:4James 4:4
English: Contemporary English Version (1999) - CEV
4 You people aren't faithful to God! Don't you know that if you love the world, you are God's enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
WP-Bible plugin] If we are not careful, we can live lives that blend into the world. We begin to seek what the world seeks at the expense of what God desires. And when that happens, we show that we are not allied with God at all. If our primary aim is to enjoy this brief time on earth, we can’t expect to be fruitful for God. It is faithfulness to Christ that makes people stop and stare. If you want your friends and family to respond to the gospel, then you must start by being a friend of God, rather than the world.
So back to the early church. The early church – that collection of people who had committed themselves to those strange teachings about a man who had died and risen again – had its allegiance set right. Jesus was to worshiped. The kind of adoration offered to Caesar or some local governor was not tolerated. Even when punished for failure to do the culturally acceptable thing, the legally required thing, Christians proved their allegiance to God. When standing for our beliefs is costly, people begin to ask questions. And the world around the early church began to ask questions. Who were these people that could stand up to the pressure to be well adjusted members of the empire? Who were these Christians who claimed to belong to different Kingdom?
Sadly, we often don’t display this level of allegiance. We see Jesus as a good friend or a wise guide, not our King and Lord. It was the experience of Jesus as King that changed the hearts and minds of the early church. It is the lack of experience of Jesus as King that interferes with our devotion. If we want to see the world changed, we must worship Jesus daily as Lord. We must seek him before our own comfort and security. That means finding value in what he finds value in – and it isn’t what the world values.
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