All InSample

By now, you can see the early disciples lived lives others wanted to experience. Even with the persecution, pain, problems, prison, and even martyrdom, multitudes chose to follow Jesus. It’s crazy to think that an outlawed bunch could attract multitudes to their cause. Could it be that they lived lives attractive to outsiders? Better question: are we living lives attractive to those far from God? 

God’s design and desire is that we live lives that adorn, garnish, trim, put in order, and become ornaments of the Gospel. Like a faith fashion show, we should make the gospel attractive and our lives should be the trimming around the message of hope and salvation. 

It is still mind-blowing that so many people chose to follow Jesus when the cost was so high! The disciples lived publicly for Jesus, no matter what would happen to them— get thrown to the lions, imprisoned, beaten, and so many other horrible things, yet multitudes signed up for it. 

Why do we find ourselves begging for people to come to church when there are not even lions, prisons, or worse to overcome? When people far from God look at us, what do they see? Do they see excited, Spirit-filled, joyous disciples who are thrilled to serve the God of the universe? Do they see Christ followers who have not gotten over the grace that saved us? Do they see people blown away that Jesus walked out of the grave and is the ultimate Victor? Or do they see something else? 

Do they see people who act just like them? Do they see people not concerned about the Kingdom of God? Do they see people more concerned about sports, money, and a busy earthly schedule than adorning the doctrines of God? 

If the early believers were anything, they were all in witnesses of Jesus’ power to transform a life. In their first meeting, they went from just 120 people to 3,120 people. The next week, they added 5,000 more. Then, six months later, there were 60,000 followers of Jesus in Jerusalem. 

The religious leaders of the day thought killing Christ would stop His people, yet here we are two thousand years later with over two billion followers of Christ! If we recognize that the same power that raised Jesus from the grave lives in us, we will recognize that two billion people is only the beginning.