“And all believed and were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing.” Acts 4:32
In this verse Luke gives us a picture of the early Christian church, and he reveals the source of its power to impact the world around it. Remember, the early Christians were 
not superhuman. They were human; they were frail; they were sinners; and just like us they needed God’s grace and power- especially if they were going to keep the gospel alive at a time of small numbers and great persecution.
It seems that the church finds its greatest growth in times of persecution. In some parts of the world today the church is growing at an unheard of rate. Yet, in the western nations, the church is experiencing decline. Difficulty seems to breed a togetherness of purpose. In places where people must work together, they do work together. In places where people can be individuals and survive, they work as individuals.
So, what were the keys to the ministry of the early church that changed the world forever? First, they are described as believers. Only those who have a common faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior can enjoy the unity of spirit and purpose that was seen in the early church. Our power to live for God, rely on God, and commune with God depends on our belief in God. That does not mean that if we have a day of doubt we lose our relationship with Him, but it does mean that we need the indwelling Holy Spirit to have the faith necessary to grow in Him, and consequently, to grow the church.
Secondly, because of their common faith in Jesus Christ, they were of one heart and soul; they were singular and focused in their objective. They knew the reason for their existence as a church was not to entertain or even to do good in the community. Their single intention was to exalt the name of Jesus Christ. They were unified, but not at the sake of truth. Today too many churches and Christians put unity above truth. They say we must get along at no matter what, but that cannot be. The early church put truth above unity and truth above tolerance. They would never have sacrificed truth for any temporary peace. They knew that unity gained at the cost of truth would only result in a false unity.
Jesus did not skirt the truth in His ministry. He would have gotten a D in most evangelism classes today. He said that we must die to ourselves, must leave mother, father, brother, sister, must prepare to be persecuted. He overturned cultural norms. He did not embrace cultural abnormalities just for popularity sake. He did not just overturn the money changers tables, he overturned the long-held (fallacious) beliefs of the church, culture, and communities. For all His efforts, He was killed. He placed truth above all. He presented the kingdom of God in its truest light, even at the detriment of popularity.
Finally, using Christ as their model, the early believers endeavored to glorify Christ in their actions. This resulted in practical implications for their daily lives. Although they had personal possessions, they did not see these things as their own. They saw a need to freely give and saw all they had as gifts from God. They knew that part of the key of spreading the gospel was to live out the gospel. To present the gospel of the great Giver of peace, they needed to be givers themselves. Believing, unifying, and sharing were the prerequisites of presenting Christ to the world.
Believing, unifying, and sharing are still prerequisites of presenting Christ to the world. Without belief we will lack power, without power we will fail to work together, and without togetherness, our sharing will be more limited. The early believers modeled a growing church in the face of difficulties. You notice that the first letters of our devotional words form the word BUS- believe, unify, and share. The early church rode that “bus” because if they hadn’t, the early church would not have moved.
We, too, are called into oneness with fellow believers to be examples to the world of Christ’s love. We are called to allow that “BUS” to move our churches forward. We should strive with fellow believers to exalt the name of Jesus by our actions. If we believe, it is because of Christ; if we live in unity, it is because of Christ; if we consider all we have as God’s, it is because of Christ. If we do these things, others will see us and want to know what is different about us. It is then that we can say to them, “It is not what is different about us, but who is different within us.” Step aboard and allow God’s Bus to take us where He wants us to go.
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