Let's Want to Want

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

This is the description of the Church immediately following Pentecost and it should be a guide for the church that is seeking the Face of God. One of the things I’m noticing in this passage is the daily repetition of these activities. The early Christian community understood they needed to live their lives differently because the Holy Spirit had descended on them.

During our times of prayer, I am being convinced that an essential part of the Christian life is the cultivation of desire. I am equally convinced that we no longer have any idea of what it means to cultivate our desires. We’ve given into the idea that desires are what they are. Certain people like certain things. Some people desire those things more, some less. It’s nothing that we can control, it’s just who we are.

Furthermore, we’ve given up the idea that desire can be good. In our modern Christian communities we are so used to hearing desires condemned. But we are not used to hearing about how to cultivate and grow in our desire for God.

We’ve got to retake the territory of cultivating desire. Contra the mantra that you are who you are, we know that God is in the business of transforming lives. But at a more basic level, anyone who has participated in any sport or music performance can tell you that “practice makes perfect.” Yes, repetitive practice can change the way you act. It can change the way you want; it can change what you want.

The early Church shows us how to get started cultivating desire for God.

1. They were DEVOTED. The early church understood that the journey into God’s heart and the heralding in of His kingdom was not for the faint of heart. It required a devotion or an enlistment in the ranks of Christ. It was more than a mental assent. It was a commitment to put money, time, and talent on the table to see the goal met.
2. They were COMMUNAL. They saw that the kingdom of God wasn’t something that was just going to change their lives. It wasn’t something they could do alone if they wanted it. It takes a church, a people of God.
3. They were CONSISTENT. The verse says they did these things daily. There is no break from Christianity. There is no break from seeking God. The kingdom of God doesn’t take days off. Prayer, the word, community, and shared meals/communion were happening daily.

If this seems a little crazy, it is because our modern American culture is so subversive to the Kingdom of God and we have bought in and even baptized many of the lies. It’s time for a church that puts its money, time, and efforts where its mouth is. It’s time to stop locking ourselves away physically, geographically, and emotionally. It’s time to get some regularity in our searching for God.

And, for those who are afraid that this will mean you are trying in the flesh, let me remind you that you are a poor, lame, blind, beggar and cannot accomplish any of these things apart from the Spirit of God. But where he has provided the ability to give, walk, and see, do not despise those blessings by doing nothing until his return.

Seek His Face Always