The most well-known verse of the Bible is the one that says:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
It’s interesting that in another text by John, we have the complement to this story:
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16)
It’s true that we cannot give our lives for others in the same way Jesus did, dying for us in a vicarious and substitutionary death. However, there are certainly many other ways to give and share life: investing time, believing enough to go the extra mile, trusting, being available, being transparent, being accountable, praying, and even fasting for our brothers and sisters. All these actions are vital for us to be a church and have vibrant communities.
Perhaps you have never paid attention to this, but the cost of being genuinely a church is giving our lives for our brothers and sisters. Every time we preserve ourselves and remain indifferent, we are, in fact, being unloving, for we only demonstrate that we know love when we are willing to give our lives for others.
Being part of a local church is entering into a covenant with our brothers and sisters. It is having our soul united with theirs. Occasionally, I hear someone say that they are not connected to a local group but are members of the “invisible universal church,” the Body of Christ. In reality, what they are saying is that they don’t belong to anything and have no commitment or responsibility to anyone. Usually, such people may appear to be spiritual, but they are spiritually dry. If they have no covenant with anyone, they do not love anyone.
Most people understand the local church only as a place where they attend services. There is no sense of belonging to the group, and they fail to realize that the local church is a covenant made with other brothers and sisters.
Did you know that in some magical rituals, people drink blood together to make spiritual pacts? What if I told you that you do something similar every time you participate in communion? When you take communion, there is the body and blood of Jesus; and there, you are making a covenant with God and with those who partake in communion with you.
Honestly, I don’t understand how some can spend so many years in ministry without a covenant relationship with others! It saddens me to see brothers and sisters alone, making mistakes and ruining things time after time, simply because they don’t have someone with whom they can share in the House of the Lord. Some enter our huge buildings, with their elevated pulpits, comfortable seats accommodating thousands of people. The crowd comes every Sunday, but some are there alone. When you live in a covenant relationship with another brother or sister at your level of ministry and maturity, you don’t have to carry the burdens alone. You share the burdens because two are better than one. There is a better reward for your work. If one falls, the other will lift them up. If one is cold, the other will warm them up (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
The Christian life is not just a story of sacrifice and suffering, my brother! You don’t have to grit your teeth, clench your fists, buy a cross, and drag it through the main street of the city! We can enjoy joy and delight in a covenant relationship.
In Acts 2:42-47, we have a description of the early life of the Church. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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.”
In verse 41, we read that almost three thousand people were added to the life of the Church, and from verse 42, we discover how they related to one another. The Church in Acts was not perfect, but I believe it is presented to us as a model and pattern of what our church should be today.
I know that many are seeking a perfect church. They say, “Well, you know, I don’t go to church because there are many hypocrites there.” What are you looking for? A perfect place filled with perfect people? Are you shocked when you find a church with people just like you? People who fail and, believe it or not, commit sins? The other day, I met someone who said they had lost faith in the church. Since when were we exhorted to have faith in the church? Our faith is in Christ. I know your desire is to find a perfect church, but if you ever find one, don’t become a member because you’ll ruin it.
What are the characteristics of a church that can shake the world? To answer this question, we must look not at current churches, but at the early Church. I’m not saying that these early Christians were perfect, but they left us a standard of what the life of the Church should be like. They possessed some characteristics that I want to share with you.
1. They persevered in the teaching of the Apostles.
Never assume that the early Christians did not have doctrine or teaching. The teaching of the Apostles is the foundation of our teaching. This is one of the bases of the unity of the Church: believing in the teaching of the Apostles. Any other teaching should be rejected.
I know that in the pursuit of growth, many churches have yielded to the temptations of other teachings.
But we have set some principles among us:
We will not do something just because it attracts people, but we will do what is God’s will even if it is not popular.
We will not set aside any part of the apostolic teaching just because it is confrontational.
We will not feed the church with what it desires to eat, but only with biblical apostolic teaching.
We will not limit our preaching to just one group of people. We will fill the whole city with the preaching of the gospel.
These resolutions are how we persevere in the teaching of the Apostles. We live in a time where the mindset is to have a “light” church free from controversies. No profound messages and heavy food. The problem is that people develop an appetite for what they are used to eating. A church with a diet of short and pleasant sermons instead of solid teaching of the Word of God will grow as a caricature of Christians; they will be weak and religious.
In our church, we have strived to teach the whole counsel of God. We simply persevere in this. Although men may say many things and have many opinions, you need to be anchored on the rock of the Word of God. Be one of those who remain silent in the face of the response: “it is written.”
2. They persevered in fellowship.
Those who believed were together, but fellowship is much more than being together; it is being in unity of spirit, having the same heart and mind.
“All the believers were one in heart and mind” (Acts 4:32).
We have been inserted into a body and need to be accountable to one another. We no longer need to be alone.
The clear biblical teaching is that we need to be together with other believers. We live in difficult times, and many have already apostatized from the faith and followed the teachings of deceitful spirits. Fellowship protects us and also strengthens us when facing difficulties, challenges, and temptations. It’s being able to gather and say, “Brother, pray for me. Help me.”
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts. A sincere heart is a loving heart. Paul says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8)
Love endures everything because it is no longer just an isolated life but a life in community. When you are alone, you suffer once, but when you have a brother, you suffer twice. We suffer our pain, but we also suffer our brother’s pain. Everything that hurts him to a certain extent also hurts us. His illness is as if it were ours too.
Furthermore, love believes everything. Love believes when the other says, “I will never do it again.” It is capable of forgiving because it believes in the other’s repentance. Love believes in potential, hidden abilities, the capacity to achieve, and therefore invests in brothers, believing they can lead, preach, and help in every way. Love believes when everyone else does not.
Paul also says that love hopes for everything. Love always hopes for the best. Hope is the language of dreams. When we dream, we manifest certain characteristics:
We value the little things.
We have good expectations about tomorrow.
We have plans and projects.
Love always hopes for the best and never premeditates evil or downfall. Because it believes, love is kind, meaning it always assumes the best about the other. If he missed the appointment, he assumes that something happened that prevented him. If he spoke ill, it’s because he didn’t express himself well. Those who believe see what others don’t see and therefore never give up.
Hence, we say that love endures everything. It endures psychological differences, wounds, and soul’s needs, complexes, and traumas.
Love endures differences in behavior. I am extroverted, but the other is introverted and closed like a shell. I am able to endure the shy brother even though I am talkative.
Love endures differences in habits and customs. Some come from the countryside, while others are metropolitan. Some are educated, but others can barely sign their names.
Love is capable of enduring differences in tastes and preferences. I am capable of eating arugula just to have fellowship with a vegetarian brother.
3. They persevered in prayers.
They persevered unanimously in the temple and in prayers. The early Christians did not engage in debates with pagans; instead, they were willing to give their lives for them. It is interesting that Christianity did not try to destroy Judaism or wage a war of prayer against the resisting religion. Instead, they prayed and gave their lives for the unbelievers. They never campaigned to overthrow the emperor or promoted a revolution, yet the Roman Empire crumbled before them. The greatest empire in history fell before a group of Galilean fishermen and a bunch of converted slaves. They simply gave to those who wanted to take from them. They loved those who persecuted them. They blessed and never cursed. They humbled themselves before the so-called powerful and even gave their lives for them. When they prayed, the very place where they were gathered trembled (Acts 4:31). All of this was because they prayed in unity. It was their unity that led them to persevere in prayer.
If we have achieved any results in our ministry, it is due to the persevering prayers of thousands of brothers and sisters who unite with us with one heart to weep for the city. We believe in the promise: “Ask and it will be given to you” (Matthew 7:7). Therefore, we have received the city as our inheritance.
4. They had everything in common
That was a church of love. They had everything in common… Daily, they persevered from house to house… They had the sympathy of all the people. I know that the first thing that comes to some people’s minds when they read this is the thought that “now the Silva family will have to share their mansion with me.” But there is no kind of socialist project here. The fact is that everyone was committed to ensuring that there were no needy among them. Because of this, they had the sympathy of all the people around them. They walked in love and unity. In fact, these were the two ingredients of the explosion they experienced. The church in our generation has the opportunity to make a difference in this world. God has opened doors for us to change history. But we need to be a people who express unity and love to fulfill our purpose.
5. There were signs and wonders
A prevailing church has testimonies of power. When we read the book of Acts, we get the impression that miracles happened every day. But we need to keep in mind that the recorded history covers a period of approximately 25 years. There were many days when miracles didn’t happen, but the believers continued to persevere in prayer and teaching. They were not seeking after miracles, but miracles certainly followed them.
6. Praising God
Certainly, praise is one of the fundamental points of church life. The early church was built on praise and prayer. In fact, where so many signs and wonders happen, praise becomes a natural reaction. In today’s days, we often think of praise more as an event or a show, but in those days, it was a way of life. It was living in a revolutionary way. I love it when the Bible says that once when they gathered, the building where they were shook. Praise is a way to achieve unity. When we all move toward God, we automatically get closer to each other.
7. The Lord added to them day by day those who were being saved
A recurring criticism against us is that we care about numbers. But shouldn’t we care? Each number represents a life. Do I care about life, and do you? Angels rejoice in heaven when a sinner repents, but on earth, there are some grumpy believers complaining about our obsession with multiplication. It is true that excessive concern with numbers can become “numerolatry” – a veneration of results for carnal and selfish objectives. “Numerolatry” is a highly contagious disease. It can infect any movement or church. The most common causes of this malignant ailment are:
Marketing – Numbers are naturally an excellent promotion of the church and its pastor. The respect and credibility of a ministry depend, naturally, to a large extent on numerical results.
Self-Promotion Methods – Those who emphasize numbers the most are also the ones who exaggerate or conveniently round them up. It is an old folklore among evangelistic pastors to claim to have so many members that they wouldn’t fit in the meeting building, even if one attended the service on the shoulders of another.
Competition – The competition among the largest churches in big cities is well-known. This carnal pride leads their leaders into a number war.
Political Power – Numbers translate into political power. In the last elections, the pastors in our city announced that we were 40% evangelicals. Naturally, that is not true. It was just a number that served their political interests.
“Numerolatry” can kill or produce devastating consequences in the life of churches that have been contaminated. Here are some of them:
Broadening the Door – With the need to continue growing rapidly, leaders tend to dilute the message of the Gospel and be more lenient on ethical issues to attract more people.
Disheartenment – “Numerolatry” is an obsession and can make leadership senseless. Overly ambitious goals, excessively expensive projects, and burdening the congregation can lead to discouragement.
Discredit – Both the church and its leadership can fall into disrepute because of exaggerations and triumphalism.
“Numerolatry” is a disease transmitted by the devil. The episode in which David took a census of Israel in 1 Chronicles 21:1 is well-known. “Then Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”
Emphasizing numbers can be a problem, but it can also be a great blessing in the work of God. We shouldn’t think that God is against numbers. God Himself commanded Moses to count the people of Israel in the book of Numbers (Numbers 1:1, 2).
Throughout the Old Testament, we see genealogies, which are a kind of membership roll of our churches. Jesus Himself used numbers on many occasions to teach important truths. He told the parable of the 100 sheep (Matthew 18:2); regarding harvests, He spoke of yields of 30, 60, and 100 times the number of seeds planted; and during the miraculous catch of fish, someone took the trouble to count the fish and found that there were 153 large fish (John 21:11).
God doesn’t have an aversion to numbers; He even knows how many hairs are on our heads. Furthermore, in the book of Acts, we have a suggestive description: in chapter one, there were 120 people gathered; in Acts 2:41, it is stated that 3,000 were added, and in chapter four, verse four, we learn that there were already 5,000 men added. The Holy Spirit Himself gave us this account; therefore, numbers themselves are not bad. This leads us to the following question: why do numbers bother so much? Perhaps it’s because of another serious illness: “numerophobia” – an exaggerated fear of numbers.
Those who suffer from “numerophobia” usually like to theologize in a way that goes like this: “If the door is narrow and only a few enter through it, how can we defend large churches?” They say that Jesus told us to take care of the sheep, not count them. Others even affirm that Jesus called only 12 and not the entire crowd because He is only interested in quality, not quantity.
I don’t want to diminish the seriousness of such questions, but in my view, they are just symptoms of a very serious disease – “numerophobia.” Like any disease, it has causes. Let’s see some of them:
Insecurity – Those who dislike numbers usually have no numbers to show (or if they do, they are small). In this case, it’s like a defense mechanism to avoid being confronted with the lack of results and being labeled as inefficient or incompetent. Ignoring statistics is an excuse not to evaluate one’s performance in ministry.
Unbelief – Behind all these theologizations we mentioned, there is a spirit of unbelief. The door may be narrow, but God’s will is for all men to be saved. Jesus started with 12, but John saw in Revelation a multitude that no one could count.
Comfort – Numbers confront us and force us to seek new strategies, review old structures, and reevaluate all our work. In short, they can be completely subversive – they can disturb our comfort.
If “numerolatry” is serious, “numerophobia” can be devastating. If the patient does not seek treatment, it may lead to death. However, most will not die, but may carry some sequels, such as:
Isolation – People who have an aversion to numbers tend to isolate themselves. Their churches isolate themselves as if they were an island of quality in a sea of worldliness. Every exclusive group always says about itself, “We are few, but of excellent quality.”
Stagnation – If we are not honest in evaluating our work, methods, and structures based on the expected results, the natural consequence is stagnation. A good growth crisis can be healthy for any church.
In conclusion, numbers can be used correctly. Numbers themselves are neither good nor bad; it all depends on how they are used. There are two basic diseases in the evangelical community when it comes to numbers. I would like to suggest some treatment for those who suffer from these ailments. For those who suffer from the disease of “numerolatry,” I suggest surgery to remove the ego and daily doses of the cross. Put all the desire for honor and glory on the cross and let Christ be seen and have preeminence. For those who suffer from “numerophobia,” I recommend a daily dose of the power of the Spirit. This remedy will have the side effect of a huge growth crisis and pressure, but don’t worry – the discomfort will pass, and the result will be seen in no time.
1- Where did you identify with this word?
2- How to apply it in the life of the church and in your personal life?
