I was reading through the first coupleof chapters of the book of Acts this morning, and I was struck by Acts 2:44: "All the believers were together and had everything in common." I take this to mean that after the Holy Spirit came upon them, a closeness came into their community.
I was thinking about how many churches today really are together and have a lot in common, but that it isn't necessarily the same thing as found in Acts 2. I believe the type of solidarity described in Acts 2 was a motivating, encouraging community that called the community to action.
I'm afraid that here in the 21st century many churches have a close sense of community that is centered on comfort and self-preservation. It's challenging me to think differently about what it means to be the church.