Sometimes we talk to God too much.  Sometimes we are so busy talking that we don’t take the time to listen.  Sometimes we talk so much we don’t hear His still small voice.  Sometimes we are so busy talking that we don’t notice all the work He is doing around us.

Sometimes we just need to be quiet.

Be silent before the Lord, all humanity, for he is springing into action from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:13 (NLT)

Lord, help me to speak to You less than I listen and watch for You.  Help me to see You springing into action all around me.  Remind me that You will fight for me if I will just let You (Exodus 14:13-14). 

God, quiet my heart and remove my fear and frustration.  Quiet my mind and remake my plans.  Quiet my eyes and help me only to see You.  Quiet my ears to hear only the heartbeat You gave me.

Help me to be silent before You.  Completely silent.

Ever feel like you’ve walked away from God one too many times?  Maybe you’ve avoided spending time with Him for far too long, and wonder if He’s disappointed in you, frustrated with you or just plain given up on you.

He might be disappointed.  He may be frustrated.  But He has not given up…He will NEVER give up on you!

Therefore, say to the people, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.’ Zechariah 1:3 (NLT)

What a promise God gives here!  He is saying, “You must come back to me!  Please come back to me!  If you do, I promise to come back to you as well.  I will again be your God and you will again be my people!  It isn’t too late.  I promise!”  This is so simple to read, but it is harder to believe, at least for me.  Sometimes it seems like He wouldn’t want to waste His time with me again, but Zechariah 1:7 says that He will do what He promises to do!

Lord, show me where I have strayed away from You, and help me to return.  When I wander down my own path, help me to find my way back to You!  When I stop reading your Word, help me to pick it back up and start over again.  Help me to live in such a way that I am constantly returning to You when I stray.  Thank You Father for promising that You will be right there waiting for me.

Thanks for seeking me out and welcoming me back!

Tucked neatly near the end of the Old Testament is the book of Zechariah.  Zechariah was a prophet during the time the temple was being rebuilt after the Israelites returned from their captivity in Babylon.  This little book has been a great challenge and comfort to me in my journey down the road of Unified Simplicity.  Perhaps it will be for you as well.

There are six verses in Acts 2:42-47.  In those six verses, two huge things stuck out to me:

Unified: There are seven references that reveal the great unity that existed in this church.  ‘Everyone’ was filled with awe.  ‘All’ the believers were together and had ‘everything’ in common.  They gave to ‘anyone’ as they had need.  ‘Every day’ they met together.  They enjoyed the favor of ‘all’ the people.  The Lord added to their number ‘every day’ those who were being saved.  These people were all on the same page, seeking the same thing at the same time.  Unified.

Simplicity: The word “devoted” in 2:42 means “attended constantly to”.  Attended constantly to what?  Four things:

1. The apostles teaching (Scripture).
2. Fellowship (with each other).
3. Breaking of bread (remembering).
4. Prayer (relationship with God).

This is what they did.  Though they had jobs and hardships just like we do, the essence of what they were devoted to was very, very simple.  They attended constantly to learning and living out Scripture, being with each other, remembering their savior, and deepening their relationship with God through prayer.  Simplicity.

The result?  Unified Simplicity.  An amazing, Christ-centered family that was learning about their faith, living out their faith and being transformed by their faith in radical and unthinkable ways!

And that, my friends, is what I want.  It is what I want for me, my family and my church.  Many, many people in our culture today are not interested in the Christian church.  But what if the church looked like this?  Many, many Christians today are not interested in the Christian church…but what if the church looked like this?

I believe the description of the 1st century church found in Acts 2:42-47 prescribes what the 21st century church should be like.  These verses from Acts can be summed up in 15 words, as shown in the graphic to the right.  Those 15 words paint a picture of the church God has firmly planted in my mind.

Imagine it with me for a moment.  Imagine a church family…

• that understands, lives and is fundamentally transformed by their faith.
• totally committed to the truths revealed in Scripture.
• overwhelmed with joy in serving a living and active God.
• known for prayer, unity, boldness, sacrifice and decisions for Christ.
• experiencing healthy marriages and thriving families.
• that is overwhelmingly welcoming and unapologetically challenging.
• that is only explainable by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.

To me, this is a picture of the perfect church.  It is, after all, a snapshot of the church before mankind started messing with it.  In fact, you don’t have to read much farther in the book of Acts to see the first signs of stress.  Specifically, in chapter 5, starting with the word ‘But…’

But 15 words might even be too many.  As I studied and prayed over these verses again and again, 2 words in particular stuck out to me.  This church body was ‘unified’ in amazing ways and the content of their spiritual lives was remarkable in its ‘simplicity’.

Unified Simplicity.

Unparalleled unity.  Very intentional simplicity.  These two words sum up the picture for me.  These two words sum up what I desperately want for myself, my family, my Life Group and my church.

My last post described the journey I’ve been on for the past year.  It was a journey without a clear destination.  It was a journey with many, many ups and downs.  It was a journey through many books, a lot of Scripture, and tons of conversations with God and people.  It was a journey that eventually brought me to Acts 2:42-47.

Acts is an interesting book in many ways.  It is certainly an descriptive book, telling the story of the spread of the early church.  There is some debate, however, as to whether it is also a prescriptive book: does it prescribe the way in which churches are to be today?  I think the answer is “kind-of”.

The description of the 1^st century church family provides the prescription for the 21st century church.  Not what it should look like, but what it should be like!

Let me try to show you what I mean:

Until the next post, try to imagine a church like the one described here.  Try to imagine a small group like the one described here.  Try to imagine a family like the families described here.

As I mentioned in my last post, the last year or so has been an interesting one for me.  What started out hazy has become clear.  What started out as frustrating has become exciting.  Before I tell you about this clear, exciting picture, let me tell you a little about my journey.

• 9/2009 – I read Francis Chan’s “Crazy Love” in one sitting.  It was a powerful reminder of the relationship wants to have with us.  It is a relationship based on His almost unimaginable love for us.
• 11/2009 – The image of serving at a ‘different’ church entered my mind…and would not leave.  I honestly wasn’t sure what ‘different’ meant, and honestly I was a little unnerved by this.
• 1/2010 – Frustration set in. This ‘different’ church was still in my mind, and it wasn’t Grace Point.  The differences between this ‘different’ church began to make me frustrated with Grace Point, our leaders and our Life Groups.  That frustration then was focused on my family and finally settled on me.  His message to me?  “Stop worrying about Grace Point, her leaders and Life Groups.  Stop worrying about your family.  Start worrying about yourself.”
• 4/2010 – I went to a Church-Planters Conference with Pastor Terry, where the following quote stuck in my head:  “God forbid I lead my family to a place of safety and comfort”. Why? Because in this place there is no need for God…because I’ve got it covered!  In this place there is no evidence of God…because I can explain it!  Many, many parts of Francis Chan’s “Forgotten God” book reinforced this quote.  Many, many passages of Scripture reinforced it as well.
• 5/2010 – I somehow made my way to Acts 2:42-47, which I have read and studied out many, many times before.  But this time it was different.  This time it made clear the prior nine month journey.
• 6/2010 – God made it VERY clear to me that the ‘different’ church in my head WAS Grace Point.  I wasn’t supposed serve somewhere else…phew!

I’m planning on elaborating on the clear picture that is now in my head in my next post.  Before then, I would encourage you to read Acts 2:42-47 a few times and try to get a picture of what that first church was like.  Here it is:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he 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. Acts 2:42-47

This is the 275th post on Run in Such a Way.  That is hard to believe!  It will also be my last post for a while, as I’m taking a break from blogging until August 1st.  But yes, I’ll be back! 

When I come back, I’m going to start by blogging through the journey God has had me on for the past six months or so.  It has been challenging to wrestle through this time with Him, but I am very, very, VERY excited to pursue what He has laid out to me.

Until then, may God richly bless you as you pursue His glory, His purposes, and His kingdom!  May He continue to transform your minds, lives and hearts each day!

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. – Romans 12:2