Over the years, I’ve observed–and advocated–a sentiment in the Church: we should get back to being the ‘Acts Church.’ We pine to be the Church the church that is imaged in Chapter 2:
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 (NIV84)
However, this is a very narrow view of the Acts Church. Keep reading beyond chapter 2. I’ve never really heard a desire to be the ‘Acts Church’—as displayed in the rest of Acts—which involves things like righteous justice, real persecution (not a loss of luxurious comforts; actual significant harm), serious sacrifice, and extremely hard work.
