Godly Men and Women, Godly Lives

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47, ESV)
The world needs real Christians and it needs them right now. We have had enough of the cults and the false prophets, the end-of-the-world doomsayers and the social gospel crowd. Real Christians, real men and women filled with the Holy Spirit are what this sick, war-torn, hatred-filled world needs.
I love to go back to the book of Acts when I hear all of the doom and gloom around us. If the right person isn’t elected president, if this bill isn’t passed, if someone doesn’t do this, and on and on it goes. While visiting the U.S. recently, I noticed that the news channels are filled with dire warnings and a sense of impending destruction, for mankind, for animals and for the world itself. But when I read the opening chapters of Acts, I am thrilled at what the first Christians experienced and what they did. They were men and women of action. Living under the Roman Empire with all of its paganism and vanity, and with a constant threat of annihilation from the Jewish community, these first Christians paid attention to the most important thing of all - their souls and Kingdom of God.
While these good people were praising God, they were considered attractive by those who were not yet Christians. They shared what they had with others. They shared what they had with each other. The things of this world, all destined to perish, were not considered important, but rather things to be used to the glory of God and to the help of the less blessed. Three thousand souls devoted themselves to learning more of God’s word and to working together in love and harmony. Three thousand souls devoted themselves to worship and prayer. They sold what they had and distributed the money to those in need. What a concept! They ate in each other’s homes and went to worship together. They received their food with glad and generous hearts. I wonder if we remember to thank God for all that we have, for the food that we eat. But do you get your food with a generous heart, a heart that wants to share with those who have less?
Faith is the victory. That is a wonderful song, but please remember the words: “Let tents of ease be left behind. . .” Let’s start living our lives with a desire to share the gospel, to learn more of His Word, to praise Him fully, to have generous hearts, to turn from selfishness to selflessness. That’s what Jesus did. He was so selfless that He willingly died on the cross for a world that looked very much like the world we live in now. Godly men and women, Spirit-filled Christians, chose to be filled with hope and to put selfishness behind, because they now knew the Risen Savior. They lived their lives incarnadine, many actually paying the price of their lives for Jesus. Can we do less?
Note: I am in the process of relocating to Japan and will be unable to write my blog for the next two months. Please come back and visit the blog after that time and thank you for your interest.