**Again, another one of the "philosophy-of-ministry"-related posts.
Going back to preconceived ideas and notions, is it any wonder why the book of Acts seems so foreign/radical to our current practice of church? Read the majority of books written on how to conduct church and you get more secular and corporate influence and reason then common sense. Did you notice that the Apostles were uneducated rednecks, yet they turned the world upside down with their ministry and preaching? How did they do this?
Now, some will point to Paul and his impeccable schooling and secular religious life. Well, this is true and noteworthy, but the ministry philosophy of Paul was nothing like the church today or the Sanhedrin's policy of his day. Paul and the apostles simply loved Jesus and loved others in the only way they knew how: like a family.
Read Acts 2:42-47. When you complete this assignment, take a minute and wrote down all that this passage describes concerning the behavior and practices of the early church. When you have created this list, ask yourself HOW they accomplished such? Does their ministry philosophy look more like an intimate family or a formal, hourly, program-driven institution? It's a no-brainer, really.
Man, we don't ask the question! We simply assume, inherit, or steal from the works of others in the name of achieving success and then wonder why our works don't look much like the biblical account.
Please hear me, I am not saying that big churches or programs are inherently evil. Programs can and do serve an invaluable service to the Kingdom, but they cannot be the chief solution. Programs and slick presentations are man-based and dependent, not Spirit-inspired and dependent. (For most churches, their success depends on the power company, not the presence of the Holy Spirit.)
Perhaps the Early Church's behavior as a Spirit-dependent family, expressing selfless love one for another while being centered on the teachings of Scripture and the worship of God, was the cause of its success. Church history seems to lead to the conclusion that the more formal and institutional the church becomes the less effective and supernatural its efforts.
Stop assuming, church leaders, and start asking the very simple question: how is this possible? Stop looking to the secular and human and start looking to the Spirit. The wisdom of God is often found in the foolishness of this world (I Cor. 1).
