A Word for the New Year - Pt 3

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 ESV).

I hope you are both enjoying and being challenged in these devotionals to choose a specific word for your New Year. Today I want us to look at another word that Luke uses to describe the early Jerusalem church. He says, “And awe came upon every soul” (v. 43). The best description of this “awe” is “affection.” It was heartfelt affection for the Lord, the community of faith, and those that were a part of their community. It was no bored formality which is so often present in today’s church. What happened as they devoted themselves to the Bible and to one another was a sense of awe. Their evangelism was not an academic lecture or marketing pitch, trying desperately to persuade a nonbeliever to surrender and agree with them. Something different was happening in this tiny and fragile church: awe. Awe overwhelms the mind to get to the heart. It must take the mind first. No feeling or emotion leads to real life or joy if it is not based on the truth about you and about God (cf. Romans 10:2). Christianity, though, is not simply about getting the truth right, but about having the truth capture our hearts. If we are not fascinated with this Christ, we can hardly claim to know him. Too many of us in too many of our churches settle for rehearsing the same truths over and over again in singing and preaching and discussing without expecting to be moved by God again. But awe is not only the experience of conversion, but of day-in, day-out faith in community. As we watch God move over and over for one another and in one another our hearts awaken in wonder again. We could use a lot less “sparkle” in some of our churches. I rather doubt that the apostles held a weekly staff meeting to make sure the plan for the weekly service was designed in such a way as to both attract and retain more people. Some modern churches run their worship like a newscast with each “spot” timed to the second. By the way, quiet in worship is not always a bad thing. In your personal life perhaps your word for the year should be “affection”; a genuine awe in view of the presence and purpose of God in your life.