The First Church

Filled with wonder, a touch of awe.

The first church. The first believers who didn’t call themselves Christians but were called by everyone who saw them living a life that followed Christ. 

What if that could be us? You and me. 

What if everyone who looked at us called us Christians and we never even had to say a word to describe ourselves. Because our lives would be the description. 

If you ask most people what they think about church, the list of complaints is much longer than the list of things that they like. Gossip. Hypocrites. Backstabbers. The list goes on. We can all relate.  

I kind of used to do that. I could have given a long list of flaws in the church. Because it is a lot easier to put the blame on the church than it is to be the church. 

Then, I came to Peru. At first it was complete church culture shock. One thing that our Peruvian church lacks and that the United States has an abundance of is community. In the Estados Unidos (United States) we LOVE to hang out. We eat together, have Bible studies for all ages and interests, do lock-ins, parties, celebrations, you give us a reason to get together and we are there!! We sit around and share from our hearts. We talk about what Jesus is doing in our lives, what He is saying to us, what He is teaching us. And I miss this. 

Apart from the Friday night street ministry and the women’s shelter, we are working with New Life as a church and praying for God to bring revival. We know that God has called us to cultivate community and real relationship with Jesus Christ in the people there. We battle a lot of religion. I have written before about the South American culture and how the Spanish settled here and incorporated the pagan beliefs into Catholicism in order to get the native people to convert. What we are left with is a huge mix of paganism and Catholicism today. Even in the evangelical church, there are so many strongholds that come from this culture of paganism. 

At first, my heart longed for the community of home. I struggled because I looked for the Peruvian church to be like the American church- strong community, relationship building, discipleship. What I found was that this is the very area that is lacking here. And then, right in the midst of my despair, Jesus was like “Ellyn, this is why I called you to this church!”

Of courseeee. Chris and I were the community people at home. We like to hang out and we like to plan! So we are constantly inviting everyone, planning hang out times, doing Bible studies- It’s the best. And so of course Jesus would use us to do that here! It was such a huge revelation to me about our role at New Life Church and also such an obvious thing! 

Of course, Jesus. Of course you would use me to do what I love and bring about a culture of community here. 

The early church was just a group of people who were crazy about Jesus. They weren’t any different than you or I. I love to think about this. To think about our connection to the brothers and sisters who lived 2000 years ago. To think about how they completely changed the world and how we can also completely change the world with the love of Jesus Christ. With his grace. I love to feel the passion and purpose that Jesus gives me and to know that I can offer that to other people and that Jesus desires for everyone to feel that same passion and purpose. 

The kind that makes the heart beat fast and the soul hope. 

I like to think that the first church continues. It was started thousands of years ago by some radical people who were just crazy enough to say yes to Jesus and to follow Him. And those people continue on today. Every day, there are people saying yes. There are people giving it their all, living lives that shine with hope and promise and love. And so we continue the legacy, we continue the incredible miracle that was the first church, that is the first church. 

Just a bunch of ordinary people living extraordinary lives through Jesus Christ. Living to share His love. 

We are a family. You and I. You and the Peruvian people. Every single believer around the entire planet, family. We are a community. We lift each other up in prayer. We stay late and come early just to help each other out. We never leave anyone behind because Jesus cared enough to stop and help the very least of these. Family. 

So wherever you are in the world, be encouraged. Be strengthened by this hope, that even when we may feel alone, God has purpose in our lives and in our situation, just like He brought us to New Life with the purpose of creating a community. 

If you live abroad, know that God has placed you exactly where you are. Know that you have purpose and your purpose will be found in the very thing that your heart longs for. Don’t ever give up. 

If you live in the states, enjoy your community. Count your blessings. Go to that small group and share from the bottom of your heart and listen to the counsel of friends. Relish in it. Don’t forget how blessed you are to live in a country that stands for freedom and justice. Try to see beneath the surface of “church” and into the hearts of the people because they are the real church. Where you see gossip, know that there is a hidden wound or insecurity. Where you see hypocrites, know that each one of us have things that we need to work on in our lives. Put on the eyes of grace and mercy and see the church just like Jesus does, a group of imperfect people who are dearly beloved. 

And pray for the Hispanic church, the Peruvian church. Pray for those who are fighting to break the chains of religion. Pray for thousands of years of tradition and paganism to be completely changed and for revival to come. Pray for the people to be able to see past the traditions of men and into the eyes of Jesus Christ. And pray for us and all of the believers who are living abroad as missionaries and working with cultures that are so different from our own. 

But most of all, pray that we would all be like the first church, recognized and called followers of Christ because of the radical nature of our lives and our incredible dedication to the One who gave us life.