They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. (Acts 2:46-47)
Following Pentecost and Peter's powerful sermon, the church began to grow. People felt genuinely connected to each other. Scripture tells us that, "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer." The bond was so strong that people began selling their possessions and contributing the proceeds to the work of the church. Today, this kind of communal living is rarely seen and when it is seen, it is probably a dangerous cult. So what made the early church different than a contemporary cult? Genuine Christian love and Truth.
Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35) Being loved is where we feel safe. Being loved is where we feel like we belong. God has created us as relational beings, social in nature, not isolationists. When the church demonstrates genuine Christian love, people on the outside respect that and long to become part. We gain a platform to tell them about the ultimate love; the love of Jesus Christ for all of mankind.
Dysfunction can be defined as not in accordance with social norms and bad. But it seems that dysfunction has become the new norm. Every family has a story and most of them seem bad, they seem out of the ordinary. Television shows used to reflect the idyllic family and people longed for that. Now they reflect complete discord and every sort of immoral and abnormal behavior as just part of the new norm. What hasn't changed from real people is the desire of individuals to be part of something better, to belong to a family where they feel loved and safe. They will go where it is offered. If not from the church, then from cults, gangs and other organizations. They shy away from the church because they don't see the love. They might even think, "If I wanted to experience that kind of coldness I could have just stayed home."
Expectations from the church should be high. People long to belong and if Jesus' bride--the church-- shows them genuine Christian love, they will want to belong. When Jesus said, "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another," it was more than an observation; it was a command.
Finally, by showing genuine Christian love within the walls of the church, the church offers something that other organizations cannot offer: A love that extends into eternity.
