The story of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2 has long been regarded as the pinnacle of what God can do through a local church. On that day, the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, and they rushed out into the streets to proclaim the gospel with such power that 3,000 people embraced the gospel and were baptized. However, in the days and months following Pentecost, it became clear such events were not going to be normal operating procedure for the church.
Instead, Acts 2:47 says, “Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved,” and beginning in Acts 3, we learn how this slower, more manageable growth was achieved when Peter and John went to the temple and met and healed a man who could not walk. The gospel was shared and people followed Jesus because Christians deliberately went into the community, addressed needs they found there, and then invited interested people to join the Christian community.
This model for ministry was not new. In Jeremiah 29:4-7, the people of Israel were about to be taken into captivity and scattered among the nations. They would live next to people who did not know God, in communities full of people who did not know God, and they would be tempted to withdraw from those people into a sort of holy huddle. God, however, offered this instruction:
This is what the Lord of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles I deported from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Fnd wives for yourselves, and have sons and daughters. Find wives for your sons and give your daughters to men in marriage so that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”
In short, God instructed his people to engage with the community where they lived for its benefit and theirs. The expectation was that, as they do this, these neighbors who do not know God would see what he does in and through those who do know him, and they will want that same thing for themselves. 1 Peter 3:15 explains what happens next: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” That is, when the people of God are asked about what makes them different from everyone else, they will be able to explain that their hope comes from God, and here is how you can have it, too.
These people are then invited into the community of the church, which was described in Acts 2:42-47:
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.
And the whole process begins again.
Community is to be a crucial part of the church, and at New Foundation Church, we take that seriously. We are deliberate about engaging with the community around us so that they can see Christ working in and through us. Thus, we foster active relationships with neighbors, schools, and other community organizations and agencies.
And we are deliberate about building community within the church so that we can learn and grow and live and encourage together. At church and at home, we study, pray, eat, live, laugh, and cry together.
That is who we are.