Imagine being part of the early church. So much had changed for the people (and all humanity) in such a short period of time. Jesus’ ministry, crucifixion, and resurrection had caused quite a wave and dividing line in the area, separating those who believed and were empowered by the Holy Spirit and those who were not. One word comes to mind for me when I try to imagine what that early church would’ve been like: activated. Jesus had paved the way for the Holy Spirit to embody every believer, not only for personal transformation and freedom but to do the works that Jesus Himself had been doing and to “do even greater things.” (John 14:12)
I love that as a natural part of this “activation,” they were meeting together both collectively and in each other’s homes. Praising God, enjoying favor with each other, and growing in the number of people being activated by God and gathering with them. Have you ever walked or driven by somewhere that even from the outside, you can tell something important is going on in there? That’s what I picture as the early church! God would have so much more for them to do than gather together, and yet it still seems to have been an important part of the way that God was forming this diverse, inter-generational, on-fire body of believers; the way that He continues to form the Church today.