Then fear came over everyone and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common.    Acts 2:43:44 HCSB

The greatest commandment is that we love the Lord with our whole heart, our whole soul and our whole mind and the second greatest is that we love our neighbors as we love ourselves (Mark 12:30-31).  Our scripture passage today comes from Acts 2. This is where Peter gave His sermon after Christ had ascended to heaven. Many were filled with the Holy Spirit. They came under deep conviction after hearing Peter’s sermon and asked what they must do? Peter told them to repent and be baptized and they did. They were thirsting for the Holy Spirit. Once they received the Holy Spirit they all worked together. In Acts 2:41 we are told that they all worked together and that on that day about 3,000 were added to them (the Christians). In Acts 2:42 we are told that they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. Now this is where our scripture passage picks up and our passage tells us that fear came over everyone. Here fear is translated in some other versions as awe. They were awestruck at this experience. They were amazed at what God had done in their lives. They were so amazed that they sold their possessions and distributed the proceeds to all as everyone had a need. In verse 45 it says that every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex. The Holy Spirit was moving throughout the land like a raging fire through a land plagued by drought. How awesome must this have been?

So I must ask you where did we go wrong? These people went to church every day and I experienced a time in my life where I thought I was doing good if I made it twice a month. Nowhere in our scripture passage does it say that they were fighting amongst themselves and back biting. It says that they were all in one accord, they held all things in common. My friend, if we love the Lord with all we’ve got and we love our neighbors as we love ourselves we can experience this awe that they experienced.

The problem we have in our area is that there is literally a church on every corner. Sadly, they stand near empty with a few surviving members. People have no hunger for God’s word. When these churches bicker amongst themselves and fail to come together they prove the accusations of the naysayers to be true. They prove that the churches are filled with hypocrites. We live in an area that could easily be referred to as the bible belt. You could throw a rock in any given direction and hit a church. We have a large number of Baptist churches and Catholic churches. Sadly, at our conference the other night the statistics were given that less than one out of every two people were attending church. Our area is growing by leaps and bounds, but not our church attendance. There is something wrong here, people.

We live in a nation that is so hungry for Christ. Can Christ be found in your church or have you shut Him out? Are you willing to work with other churches to bring people in your community to Christ? Can you imagine adding 3,000 people to the church families?

Today I am asking you to search your heart. Are you hungry for Christ or have you become so busy “working” in your church that you have forgotten about those on the outside that are lost and starving to death for salvation? Have you become so busy counting membership roles and the money coming in that you have failed to reach out to those in your community that are lost? Are you so busy looking at all the other churches and accusing them of stealing members away from you that you are failing to appreciate any growth in your own church? Are you reaching out a helping hand to other churches and their members when you see them struggling?

We live in a nation that desperately needs Jesus. You can’t change the nation, but you can change you. In changing you, you may be able to affect a change in your family. In affecting a change in your family, you may be able to affect a change in your church. In affecting change in your church, you may be able to affect a change in your community. Your community may affect a change in your town, which may help bring change to your parish or county, which may help bring change to your state, which potentially could affect our country. What an awesome ripple effect that would be.

Can you imagine a world where all Christians came together in one accord and showed the world what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit and walking in love? It would be like heaven on earth. Can’t we at least give it a try?

Have a great day!