12Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. 13None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem. 14And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, 15so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cots and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. (ESV)

I remember reading, years ago it would be, about a church in India led by C.T. Studd. Someone observed, ‘That is not a church to attend unless a person means to be converted!’

I also think about Ronald Dunn’s wonderful book, ‘Don’t just stand there, pray something.’ He tells how when, as a young man, revival came to his home church, he stood on the steps outside, fearful to go in. The sense of God’s Holy presence was scary to him.

Both those stories came back to me as I read this ‘electric’ short section – alive with the power of God – and showing a central paradox of this church’s life (13,14), i.e. that people both deeply respected them and kept their distance. Following on from the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, it appears there was an intensification of the Holy Spirit’s work among them (”…more than ever…” v.14) Again, some of this feels very much like the gospels: the ministry of Jesus continues.

Notice two references to ”the people” (13,16). What was happening on the inside of the church was spilling over to touch the outside. There was community impact.

PRAYER: Lord help us to not settle for routine church. Give us a hunger and a thirst to see your living presence manifest among us