Strategic Planning

Read Acts 2:37-47

Peter preached, but he didn't get a standing ovation. Instead, something happened to them. The Holy Spirit worked in their lives, and they were pained by their role in Jesus' death. They had one question: "What do we do?" Peter urged them to repent, get baptized, and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Getting baptized meant publicly honoring Jesus as their Lord and Messiah, immediately after their religious and political leaders had him executed as a heretic and traitor. They were publicly repudiating the authority of Caesar and their nation's religious leaders. When I was a campus minister, I once used this passage as a ministry growth plan. I explained to the students that if we would just boldly imitate this example, we could count on God to grow our ministry. I had the right idea but the wrong attitude. I was trying to turn a pattern for faithfulness into a blueprint for results. But I doubt that Peter thought that telling a crowd, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah" would lead to thousands of people getting baptized. The response to his message was orchestrated by the Spirit working. Luke gives all the credit to God: "the Lord added to their number" (2:47). We can't manufacture spiritual outcomes. If they were following the cultural playbook, they might have met once a month for a common meal, like many guilds and clubs. But the first Christians met every day at the temple for public prayer and in each other's homes for dinner. They needed to become family because after publicly aligning themselves with a crucified rebel, they lost relationships and jobs. But this was not merely a social club. From the apostles, they learned who Jesus was and how he lived, and they started to imitate his example together. Luke tells us they continued to remember Jesus' death and resurrection through what was likely an early form of communion. And they prayed together because they knew their lives depended on God. Over time, their love for one another grew to the point that some members sold their possessions and property to support their new family. The early church defied everyone in charge and broke social norms. It was costly to become a Christian because you had to get baptized. Then it was costly to stay because you had to rearrange your schedule and your finances. They taught an unprecedented message: a crucified man rose from the dead because he is God! They devoted themselves to following Jesus, loving one another, and proclaiming that Jesus was alive. But Luke is clear: God orchestrated the growth.