This week’s reading from Acts 5:12-42 might seem a whole world away from the church in our time and place. Healings, a miraculous escape, persecution for following Christ. Yet this passage shows us a church that is on the right track. Note these important characteristics:

• Held in high regard by others – even though not everyone was willing to accept the message of Christ, they respected His followers (v. 13). No doubt this was due to the integrity, conviction and love of the early Christians.
• Conversion growth – the church grew numerically not by the transfer of Christians from one group to another, but by more people coming to believe the good news of Christ (v. 14).
• Emphasis on evangelism – the apostles had “filled Jerusalem with [their] teaching” (v. 28) and “never stopped proclaiming the good news…” (v. 42). The early church was known for actively spreading its message – almost as if it were important, or something! Would our local community say the same thing about us, or are they used to us keeping our faith in Christ to ourselves?
• Desire to please God, rather than people – when Peter and the other apostles were instructed to stop sharing the message of Christ, they replied: “we must obey God rather than human beings!” (v. 29). A healthy church is faithful to the Lord and His Word even if it risks being unpopular in the world.
• Suffering for the sake of Christ – Christians who are lukewarm in their faith will not get any pushback. But those who are on fire for the Lord will provoke strong responses either way: conversion, or rejection. Believers can rejoice when facing hostility/persecution, because we have a great reward in heaven (Matt. 5:11,12).

May God, by His Spirit, help us to ‘get on the right track’, being faithful to His Word and the message of eternal life in the Lord Jesus Christ.