the pretense of community

They devoted themselves to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. (Acts 2:42-47)

Readers, if you have heard this passage glorified within a young adult service, a small group ministry, or a Donald Miller book club, raise your hand. [And all God's people said...]

This generation has made no reservations about its value of community. While families have fallen apart and churches have shown themselves to be corrupt, young people have flocked by the thousands to art districts in the inner cities: meeting as local assemblies at homes, bars, and community-sponsored events. This is the generation of the cause. No cause is too little to "like" on Facebook or send credit card information for a quick donation. We feel good about our involvement; we feel active within our society. And we are totally missing the point as His Church.

I am discovering more and more, with whatever message we "save" the lost, our fruit will produce itself accordingly.

Here's a question: did you notice that I removed portions from the above passage, or are you so inclined to seek this form of community that you became excited with my intro? The good quiz kids may have noticed -- the rest of us received the message as we typically hear it.

[Don't compare my version with the real passage yet -- we'll get there in time.]

Clearly, if our generation is so enamored with the idea of community, it is scratching a need. And don't think the established church hasn't picked up on our hunger: the essence of every alternative ministry and campus taps into our heart for something more personal. They've done the research. Like us, they've determined that community is the end all, be all.

I, for one, am not anti-community. I simply cannot find a place in scripture where we are asked to pursue it. I see plenty of passages asking us to honor Him with our lips, to consecrate our lives, to live in purity, and to seek Christ and His kingdom. None of the beatitudes begin, "Blessed are the community-gatherers." So why have we placed this responsibility upon the church? Because we want it, and we see it manifested in the early church.

"Manifested" is an important word. I choose it over "modeled," because the early church was not modeling anything. It was a new work. There were no seminars or Christian best-sellers to tell them how to devote themselves to fellowship, or why they should give to those in need. They were responding to God the best they knew how. They weren't trying to do something revolutionary; they were following the move of the Spirit, and He moved their hearts.

Why is this an important distinction? True spiritual community is an effect of a move of the Holy Spirit. Any other formation of community is something that man can provide. It does not require the Holy Spirit to call friends over for a meal. There is nothing supernatural about my giving to those in need. I can accept and herald a cause without a single move of God upon my heart. Thus, if the church reforms itself in this manner, we have traded one fleshly work for another.

Allow me to give some context for the passage we adore:

1) God had commissioned his people to be His witnesses.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The first thing God asks of the apostles is to wait. They did not begin forming cell groups and meeting to break bread and hand over their possessions. They had no reason to consider that God would ask this without His Spirit.

2) The Holy Spirit fell upon the people at Pentecost.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (2:1-4, emphasis added).

As the people were together for the day of Pentecost, we can assume that they were adhering to Jewish Law, as the people celebrated the 50th day after God's deliverance of the people from captivity. How characteristic of God to crash the party with the very sending that would remove our need for the Law! At this moment, the people were empowered and filled with His Spirit, allowing them to discern and manifest spiritual things. We're not given a lot of information as to what the people did before the Holy Spirit arrived, but Luke carefully notes that it was the receiving of the Spirit that allowed for His work to be done, and not man's activity or planning.

3) Peter preached a message of repentance.

When the people heard [the Gospel], they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"

Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call."

With many other words he warned them; and he pleased with them, "Save yourself from this corrupt generation." Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. (2:37-41, emphasis added)

[If you want to throw yourself for a theological loop, consider that these people received the Holy Spirit's baptism before they received the deposit of the Holy Spirit through repentance -- yet, as lost people, they were "cut to the heart" by the Spirit stirring through Peter's words. Good stuff -- He does what He wants.]

The Great Commission was first owned as the Spirit filled the people at Pentecost. As Peter was empowered, he preached Christ's death and resurrection. The people were moved by the Spirit, they accepted the Gospel, and were baptized as those set apart from a corrupt generation. They did not meet in homes and in community to bridge the gap between themselves and society or to evangelize through a modern teaching. They began learning what it meant to be a disciple of Christ.

Now for the payoff:

4) Their community was created by a move of the Spirit, and was sustained by the works of the Spirit.

Let's return to our passage as written.

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

You want community? Try accomplishing this full passage on your own. Spiritual community is a blessing and privilege that the Holy Spirit bestows among those that receive Him, and not a human pursuit. It is not constructed with human hands, nor is it motivated by human cause. It is the working manifestation of our Lord's Bride. We should be expecting miraculous demonstrations of His power. We should be expecting the Spirit-filled teaching of anointed apostles. We should be expecting the Lord to bring the lost to salvation through the gospel of repentance!

If you do not expect these things, then you have built a mighty fine thing in itself: you have administered a fantastic social club. Within that social club, you can meet people's needs and interact with humans of all sorts. You can tell people how you've founded God's true intent for community, and that they will be loved and supported within your walls -- zero repentance down, with no interest in this lifetime. Your generation loves this stuff. And you can do all these things without ever experiencing Pentecost!

Just don't call yourselves the Church. It's embarrassing.