An Acts 2 Believer

You do not change the community around you by showing up at church each week. You, as a member of His body, are getting personally challenged to change in a weekly service so you can change those in the community around you.

There are three types of churches:

1. Don’t Change- Same ole’, same ole’. Same music, same styles. Typically elderly congregations that see no need to change and keep fresh vitality.
2. Change with the world- This church accommodates the culture and becomes more worldly. Churches that create an environment of worldliness to accommodate them.
3. Change the world- These are the churches that are truly counter-cultural.

Here are some stats to chew on. Let me build a case for a minute. In 1991 the adult population doubled. The population of the anti-churched also doubled. The percentage of church goers (those who attend Sundays) in America drops 1% each year. It has done so for the last twenty years. At this rate in 30-40 years church as we attend will not exist. Churches will become monuments that people get tickets to tour. “Going to church” will not happen. America is the third largest mission field in the English speaking world. Only 6% of Americans over 18 years of age find faith in Christ.

Only 25% of America attends church. With a continued 1% drop each year, church attendance will be gone in 2040. This is hard for some of us to comprehend because we are churches that are growing. If we continue at the rate we are now, we will be where Europe is today. Northern Europe – 7 % are Christians – middle Europe – 7 % – southern (Spain) – 1 % Christians.

We MUST move from going to church to becoming the Church. We must stop seeking to be served by the Church and start seeking to serve as the Church. When you look at the Book of Acts, the NT believers described for us the life of the early church that I feel is prescriptive for us today. Consider Acts 2:42-47:

^“42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶ 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, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

I felt it would be beneficial for me to lay out some characteristics of an Acts 2 Christian:

1. Intentional Spiritual Growth – You have your vacation all planned out, your schooling and your business, but many NEVER make a growth plan for the spiritual growth. Do you have your spiritual growth planned out? We all must set goals. If you ever do anything in life, you have to write down a personal growth plan and begin with spiritual growth.
2. Accountable Relationships – We all must move from independence to accountability structures. If I am ever going to be transformed, I can’t do it on my own. I need people. WE ALWAYS DO BETTER WHEN PEOPLE ARE WATCHING!
3. Intimate worship and prayer- Before corporate worship takes place, private worship must take place. Worship in your car, worship in your room. WE MUST BECOME HOUSES OF PRAYER.
4. Yield to the Supernatural- Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Don’t be close minded toward the spiritual realm. The spiritual realm is more real than the physical realm. WE MUST HUNGER AND THIRST FOR THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD!
5. Sacrificial with Resources- v. 45-and they sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. God owns it all – we are stewards only. Don’t forget this.
6. Took Christ to the Community- The lost aren’t going to wake up tomorrow morning and decide to come to church. We have to bring Christ to them.
7. Experienced Daily Conversions- v47….and the Lord added to their number daily. – This movement called the Church was sweeping the town. When they thought of church, they never even thought of a building or a location. They thought of it as a movement! It was in fact so dramatic that they changed the worship day from Saturday to Sunday – Resurrection Day!

Approximately 232,500 people die per month in USA – have you even won one to Christ this month? If only 25% attend church, less than that are born again. Could it be possible that 200,000 people enter hell every month from America? My God help us. 290,000 die per day worldwide. How many are we winning?

We can’t change and will not change unless our mentality changes from going to church to being the church!