Many times I have read the book of Acts and wondered what it would be like to live in community where God's Spirit was moving and the people had everything in common, and they sought and worshipped Him regularly.

Their experience was not relegated to Sunday mornings. What they lived was not contrived or orchestrated. They did not plan out services and hope the Holy Spirit showed up to fill them.

They lived and dwelled in the awe of God.

They hungered after Him. They celebrated the filling of the Holy Spirit. They saw Him move in power. They saw lives change directly as a result of obedient hearts beating as one...as His own.

I find myself wondering what it will take for the body of Christ today to come to the place where all pomp and circumstance are laid aside, where the borders and boundaries of denominational tags are dropped. Where pretense and expectation based on individual fulfillment will be displaced with the recognition and expectation that unity in Christ what is truly important.

Where recognizing that Christ alone is the way to Salvation. Nothing added, nothing subtracted.

One does not need to read far in the New Testament to realize how out of sync we are. When will unity come? What will be required to precipitate the kind of unity Christ prayed for in John 17? How it must have anguished His heart to recognize this day was coming when we would so separate ourselves from one another, and act as if only our way was the right way.

No wonder a lost world has little interest in our offerings. They seldom resemble Christ, and are most often empty of His power.

Yet, we are compelled in His Word to walk in His power, and to live as He lived.

It says "Anyone who claims to be in the light, yet hates his brother walks in darkness." 1 John 2:9 How dark is this darkness that we do not recognize who our brother is so that we can love him. We discard them verbally based on what church they attend. We stiffen up when they enter a room believing them to be the enemy...oh we may not say so, but our actions would certainly reflect it.

We live our lives as if there is no truth to the fact that in heaven we will all have to get along. That ethnicity won't matter, that denominations won't matter, styles of worship will be unimportant.

If we do not love them now, how on earth do we expect or believe that we are "walking in the light?" We are walking contrary to His word.

BJ recognized this and prayed and begged for unity. His experiences on the mission field showed him what Acts chapter 2 living was like. Everyone had everything in common. They lived together, ate together, worshipped together, studied together, encouraged and exhorted each other. They even rebuked one another (in love) when necessary.

We lived the same thing this summer and I am tremendously moved by it! It has become part of who I am. I long for it! I do not want to live without it.

I don't get that at church. I love my pastor. He cannot make this happen.

It will only come from a people...THE CHURCH...who are completely surrendered to Christ and willing to lay down selfishness to embrace the Jesus of the Bible. He is not a flannel board depiction that we can pull out when it is convenient for teaching. He is the way, the truth and the life, and no man comes to the Father, but by Him.

When will we begin to love like Him? What are we waiting for? Padded pews, air conditioning and designer coffee do not usher in His presence. Lives spent for Him do.

Lets go and empty ourselves for Him.

dad