Copycat Acts? Part 3

Over the last couple of blog posts we’ve looked at aspects of the book of Acts that we could determine to be absolutes or non-absolutes. The real question is whether the details we see in the Acts of the Apostles would qualify as principle or pattern. Distinguishing between the two can bring freedom. Without this distinction, we may experience great loss. Assuming that Acts’ pattern is always binding may cause us to miss the prompting of God and miss out on a harvest within our own time and culture. This may also serve to make us miserable and feel like we are not measuring up. When we compare ourselves to highlights of passing out aprons and handkerchiefs that play a part in great miracles, we need to ask if we are called to duplicate this practice. Or, was this the manifestation of God’s power that they were led to do alone. Surely, we will have our own promptings and subsequent methods.

The principles we discover concerning the early New Testament church are absolutes. They are the basis for our reasoning and conduct as individual believers and how the corporate body of Christ should function in society. The pattern that naturally follows is very tempting to make as normative for the church of all time. This pattern changes throughout the book of Acts however. No one occasion of the Spirit falling upon the church is exactly the same as the next. No conversion story of a person passing from death to life, from sin to repentance, is the same within the narrative. No mission to the lost or scheduled trip is the same. Also, no sermon or dialog is word-for-word within the book of Acts. Nor is any pedigree of individual, wonderfully used by God, exactly the same either. If the pattern used by the early Christians differs upon occasion, we should take note that it must certainly change for us as well. The pattern we see in the book of Acts is a non-absolute.

I believe that Acts is the place to start; square one. We don’t start with a blank slate; we start with the church after it experiences Pentecost in the book of Acts. We then introduce to our study the culture around us and the specific call that God has on our own unique expression of His body. I believe there is no better place to build from than the book of Acts for God to speak and inspire us to be agents of change to the families, culture, and world around us. We can and should model our church life after the principles found within the book of Acts as well as the church epistles. The absolutes are non-negotiable. God has called us to be holy, Spirit filled, and Spirit led! However, the pattern we see, we must not make religion out of. God can be how He wants to be, doing whatever He wants to do, impact however He wants to impact, use the vehicle He chooses for His people to commit themselves to. The gospel will be advanced, growth will happen, and we will experience the supernatural. It may not look exactly like the book of Acts, but we will have a lot in common with it!

Merging Official Statement

This past Sunday morning (June 19th) we gave a ‘state of the union’ address (audio found here) concerning where we believe God is leading Engaging Life. We covet your prayers as we seek confirmation from the Holy Spirit that this in fact what He has in store for our church. The elders believe through a series of promptings and validation, with much prayer and fasting that He has purposed for us to pursue merging with Northpointe Fellowship to become one new expression of Christ’s local body.

I shared with the congregation the story of the convergence of our two churches up to this point and likened it to the biblical account of mighty leaders joining David at Hebron and Ziklag in 1 Chronicles 11 & 12. I’m struck with how this relates to a possible merger as far as many gifts and strengths being pulled together by God. The description of these men included ambidextrous men with bows and slings, men who could do great exploits (the same exploits that David himself did showing like-mindedness and commonalities) and faithful and loyal dudes who wanted to serve in the ranks. They were effective and great on their own, but God designed for their hearts to be knit together for a common purpose to do even greater things together! The common purpose is well stated in 1 Chronicles 12:38:

"All these were fighting men who volunteered to serve in the ranks. They came to Hebron fully determined to make David king over all Israel. All the rest of the Israelites were also of one mind to make David king."

Our desire ultimately (together or as two separate bodies) is to extend the Kingdom of God (to make Jesus king overall)! This potential combination of two congregations complementing each other in areas of strengths and weaknesses; we already clearly see God is orchestrating. We ask you to pray with us for confirmation, that this is indeed God; so that we can be fully determined and would be of one mind. Please pray with us!