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The Captivating Body

“…praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:47


          They were captivating because of the raw truth. They didn’t need any smoke and mirrors to sell the word (2 Cor. 4:1-6). With an open statement of truth they commended themselves to everyone. Christ was captivating (Luke 2:52). The apostles were tantalizing (Acts 3:11). The body of Christ was appealing (Acts 5:14). How were they so winning? What was so special about this growing group? They had the truth. They died to themselves for it (Col. 3:3; Gal. 2:20; 5:24; Rom. 6:1-4). They took glory in it (Gal. 6:14). They stayed steadfast in it (Acts 2:42). They preached it (Acts 2, 8:4). They gave all of what they had to any one in need (Acts 2:43-45; 4:32, 37). They didn’t tolerate anything else (Acts 5:1-11; 2 Thess. 3:6). They were united in love (Acts 4:32-33). They were zealous evangelists (Acts 8:1-4; 5:42).  Why where they like this? They were genuinely converted (Acts 2:37-47). The response we see from those who hear is always words of true desire to take action. [See “The Zealous Evangelists”].


        We can see clearly in Acts 2:37-47 that those who were converted lived on converted. They didn’t add in things of the world to be cool. They abstained from all the things of the world to remain pure. You didn’t have to guess if someone was a Christian (Acts 11:26). You knew if they were [See “Are You A Christian?”]. No one asked what denomination you belonged to. If someone asked who they were, they said “A disciple of Christ”. If someone asked, “To what church or faith do you belong to?” the answer would have been “The body of Christ”.  There was only one teaching. You could know that for sure (Eph. 4:4-6). That unity, zeal, steadfastness in the commands of Christ, and earnest desire to live faithfully is what was so captivating.


          People don’t care about all the bells and whistles; they want it to be true. If you preach love then everyone must love. If you preach acceptance everyone must be accepted etc.  They just want it be accurate with what God wants.  It’s easy to see what is not in the word and what man has added. Some buy into the teachings of man and think that exceptions to the word are acceptable. Depending on the person the exception varies and their exceptions are the only right ones. 

     Many have been taught to trust their religious leaders to tell them what they need to believe. They trust them to tell them what exceptions we can make and what we can do or not do.  Then man makes them close-minded to the word.  The exact opposite of what is supposed to happen. Some have just taken ridiculous steps to get your attention.  They have taught you to put God in “x” manmade box and don’t challenge it. All in the name of growth or success.  Read your bible and find out for yourself whether or not they are right. Be fair-minded and check everything with the scriptures (Acts 17:11). What would it hurt?


        The body of Christ we see in the New Testament did none of these ridiculous steps. That was the appeal. They didn’t hide anything. What you saw is what you got. What you are promised is what you get. The word is the word. An ace is an ace. Paul made that every clear on many occasions (Gal. 1:6-10; 2 Cor. 4:1-2; 2 Cor. 2:17). Not only that but they lived it too, as we see in Acts and the letters.  Even in the face of death and persecution they lived it and never let anyone prevent them from obeying God.

         The early church just simply did what Christ had commanded (Matt. 28:18-20). They didn’t need anything else. The call of the gospel is captivating enough. Your sins have been paid in full. You don’t have to face the wrath of God. You can have eternity in heaven. All you have to do is be repent and be immersed into Christ. Then live faithfully until the end of your days. Oh and by the way,  everything you need to know about living faithfully, the gospel, Christ, God and anything else spiritually related is in His word (John 1:1; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). They didn’t sacrifice the truth or surrender their convictions.They were winsome because of the beautifully obedient, joyful, and loving lives they were living (Matt. 5:13-16).  


Are you captivating? (Acts 2:47) The Early Christians were (Acts 11:26). Not at the sacrifice of the truth or the surrender of convictions. Not with bungee baptisms, strobe lights, strong instrumentals and culture pleasing doctrine. The world was drawn to them by what they saw and heard.
Are you captivating others in same way as a Christian?
If not what do you need to change?
What do you need to improve on?
What's stopping you?
What are you doing wrong?
“The Zealous Evangelists”
http://stevelynnjohnson.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-zealous-evangelists.html
“Are You A Christian?”
http://stevelynnjohnson.blogspot.com/2014/09/are-you-christian.html

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