“And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they continued daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God, and having favour with all people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved” (Acts 2:43-47).

Living On Earth As In Heaven

How are we to live as citizens of heaven while still on earth? What does Paul mean when he says that the believer “is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Co. 5:17b)? What does it mean to live in community? In a world in which sin has altered God’s original design, can we find the Beloved Community that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sought before he was assassinated?

According to King, the “most creative turn of events” in humanity’s long history occurred when humans gave up their stone axes and began to cooperate with their neighbors. He stated, “That seemingly elementary decision set in motion what we know now as civilization. At the heart of all that civilization has meant and developed is “community”—the mutually cooperative and voluntary venture of man to assume a semblance of responsibility for his brother.”

The church is God’s experiment on earth to show the world a taste of what heaven is really like. The people of God, the faith community, are to demonstrate that it is possible to live above our superficial differences. The church has been given the possibility to manifest God’s presence on earth. When Christ ascended into the heavens, He told his disciples they would become His body of flesh and blood in the world. Since that time God has chosen to work through the church, His bodily presence in the world, empowered by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God enables the church, the community of believers, to live on earth as in heaven.

In the text above, the author describes how the early church was a paradigm for how to live in the culture and yet be a transformer of the culture (Ro. 12:2). Author John MacArthur points out four features of an earth-bound, yet heavenly focused church.

First, it was an awe inspiring church (v43a). There was a sense of reverence and presence of God. When people come to church there should be an expectation that they will encounter the presence of God. Isaiah said, “when I went to the temple and removed by religious blinder, I saw the Lord high and lifted up” (Is. 6:1). Sadly, some churches should be called Ichabod, for God’s glory has departed (I Sam. 4:21).

Second, it was a miraculous church (v43b). In the early church miracles were wrought. The lame man came to the church, not the grocery store, not the social club, when he sought healing (Acts 3:2). Drug and alcohol addicts, liars, spouse abusers, those who engage in immoral sex acts and the like, should be able to be made whole by the church. The church should be able to ask those who come through its doors, “would thou be made whole?”

Third, it was a sharing church (vv44-46a). It does not appear that everyone sold all their goods and distributed them (5:4), but sharing was done according “as man had need.”

The world is selfish; the church should be compassionate to the needs of others. Jesus said, “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if you have love one to another” (John 13:35). The greatest witness the church can give to the world is to answer Cain’s question, “Am I my brother’s keeper?’’ With a resounding, yes! It has been said in the community, “Go to First Baptist they are always giving.” I said, “Praise the Lord —what a great reputation to have.”

Finally, it was a joyful church (vv46b-47a). Praising God produced joy. The hymn writer declared, “When I think about the goodness of Jesus and all He’s done for me, my soul cries out hallelujah, thank God for saving me.” God’s church should be a place of joy manifested by praise. The early church, with gladness and sincerity—and with singleness of heart—praised God. Praise should be the byproduct of our gratitude for what God has already done. If our church would follow the example of the early church—it is possible for us to start living on earth as in heaven! We are pilgrims on earth while citizens of heaven. Let us dare to live like who we are—Kingdom people!