Meditate: Acts 2:44
I read the other night that our English word “religion” comes from the same Latin word that gave us “ligament,” the tissue that holds the body together.
The author went on to say that the outward ways we express our faith, our religion, are the ligaments that hold the Body of Christ together. I thought that was kind of interesting and I vaguely remembered seeing the word “religion” a place or two in the Bible so I looked it up. In the NIV, it comes up five times. Twice it’s used as a label (their religion/our religion) but the other three times deal with behavior. Guess what kind of behavior?
Well, there are actually three different things covered. One is controlling your tongue. If you can’t do that your “religion is worthless.”
The second thing is personal purity. No surprise there.
But the third thing, and this comes up not just when the word “religion” is used but whenever the Bible describes what true religion should look like, is… (drum roll, please) That’s right-taking care of the helpless.
The Bible says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
Now, this is just one man’s opinion, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that if you got a bunch of believers together, freshly filled with the Spirit, and they were exposing themselves to the Bible and Bible teaching, and they were praying, and spending time with one another celebrating their faith… And on top of that they’re watching what they say, and keeping themselves pure, and taking care of the hopeless among them. Well, I just don’t see how they wouldn’t be together, sharing everything.
But here’s the point. I’ve often heard this Acts 2:44 passage read almost wistfully, wishing for a renewal of this kind of unity in the Church. And it’s often been tried. Entire communities of believers have moved off somewhere to be together and share everything. And they’ve always failed.
It’s like the WWJD fad. You know, each time you make a decision you just ask yourself “What would Jesus do?” That only works if you’re doing the things that Jesus did. Prayer, worship, time with God and so on.
And sharing and togetherness will only hold up if we’re doing the things this early Church did. Fellowship and prayer and teaching and worship while practicing personal purity, care for one another, and keeping a watch on our tongues. And none of that’s possible unless we continue being filled with the Spirit.
- Am I doing the things Jesus and these believers did?
Pray: Father, out of Your glorious riches strengthen me with power through Your Spirit, so that Christ may dwell in my heart through faith. Root and establish me in love, so that I may have power to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that I may be filled to the measure of all Your fullness.
Digging Deeper: James 1
No comments:
Post a Comment