Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
Acts 9:31

---

I’ve never heard so much talk about the early church in Acts in my life, and I am loving it. I think most every church wishes to experience what the early church did. And while we are astounded by how rapidly the churches grew in those days, I am amazed by something a little different—the unity they experienced. 

Growing up, my nine siblings and I would travel locally to other churches to lead worship. Before each engagement, we’d meet together weekly to go over the details and rehearse. We’d chat about things like song selection, attire—including specific colors and how formal or casual we should be—so many questions and decisions to make. While this may sound fun, week after week the same conversations happened, and we hardly ever all agreed on the same thing. It was extremely difficult to get 10 people on the same page. 

Acts 1:15 tells us that the early church started with about 120 people. That’s 120 individuals with different backgrounds, different childhood experiences, and different upbringings in one accord—one in heart and in mind. How did they do this? 

The church experienced unity and thrived because they lived wisely with reverent respect for the Lord and received comfort and encouragement from the Holy Spirit. The balance of  God-honoring living (fear of the Lord and love for one another), dedication to teaching and prayer (Acts 2:42), and deep relationship with the Spirit are the key ingredients for healthy churches and individuals. That was true for the early church and it is true for us today. 

It is the Holy Spirit that unites us with each other and to Jesus and the Father, but only if we allow Him to. We have to yield to the Holy Spirit. We must lay down our backgrounds, childhood experiences, political views, and actively and consistently fill ourselves with God’s Word. If the early church could do it, I think we can, too. 

Next Steps

Don’t forget, this summer, we are committing to a goal of 50,000 Acts of Service! As we continue on in our Unleashed series, we want to be the hands and feet of Jesus to our neighbors in our communities. You can log your act of service here. Let’s be bold, commit to acts of kindness, and witness God move powerfully through our communities!