It is trendy for my college-aged, "educated" generation to be outspoken about how church should work. It's as if thousands of church experts are trapped in unassuming 19 year old bodies. Some are crying for home-churches and small numbers, all in the name of the book of Acts, as the only right way to do church. Now I don't think there is anything wrong with the home-church movement or people who prefer church in smaller numbers; I think that is a great thing and God certainly moves in that. But the way church works often isn't an either/or philosophy, rather commonly a both/and.
I have to say that I agree with these people. I want City Church to be an Acts church. Now I am no expert, but when I read the book of Acts, I come to different conclusions about how the church should look.
I believe one of the most telling descriptions of how church should really look like is in Acts 2:42-47. This passage has several familiar aspects of church life: listening to teaching, studying the Word, breaking the bread. It even has some not so common occurrences: sold their possessions and property, give freely to their community, having humble attitudes (let's be honest, most people deserve their money and food and this isn't common in Christendom). But what I think is the characteristic nature of the church, what this community fuels by its actions, is noted at the beginning and the end of the passage: people were brought from death to life. Thousands baptized because they believed. More added to their number day by day.
If the church is God's plan A, and it is, and if God is the God of life transformation, and He is, then as much as our church internally uplifts, it has external effect. Verse 47 of the previous passage tells us these Christians were in good favor with all people, not isolated, socially awkward jerks that didn't associate with the non-Christians. When you work from an overflow of the Spirit, all aspects of our life should look like Christ. Simply put, church people, Christians, should be in our communities with all types of people being the church.
While I won't go into it, Acts 11:19-26 is another example where I see the radical obedience of the apostles resulting in incredible salvation. All over, the book of Acts affirms that salvation belongs to the Lord. In the picture of the church, we see that instead of an either/or, where we try to compartmentalize the meeting of believers into either internal or external, Christian focused or non-Christian focused, for the saints or the sinners, these passages in Acts, and the Bible as a whole says the message of Christ, the Gospel, is for all people, Christian and non-Christian, Jews and Gentiles alike. The church must have the characteristic of both serving its community and taking part in powerful transforming of lives through salvation in the cross of Christ.
The only way to strike this balance perfectly is the Gospel. I encourage you to join with me in committing each morning to preach the Gospel to yourself; if you are still sinning, you don't have that down yet. When we preach the Gospel to ourselves, we can preach it to others. Not this "let your actions speak so loudly you don't have to" bull. Paul tells us in Romans 10 if we don't preach, then we are falling short of our part of sharing the Gospel. And be thankful we have a church that above its building, its highest givers, its personal agendas, or even its image, we have leadership that is committed to the Gospel.
Found people find people. And the churches in Acts did that. YOU are the church of Tallahassee. If you want the miracles of Acts, find people.
(Chris is the Assistant to the Band Director at City Church Tallahassee, and has been on staff at City Church for over 2 years. He is also a teacher and coach at Community Christian School. He drives a red scooter around town, and if you see him, punch your neighbor.)
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