Transformed Lives: The Essence of Christian Community

The Christian is a man who is born again. Now that's so patent in this story. These Jews, the people who cried out a few weeks back about our Lord, "Away with him, crucify him," they're now suddenly pricked in their hearts when they listen to Peter. They're pricked in their hearts, and they said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles, "Men and Brethren, what shall we do?" [00:06:25]

A Christian is a man who's undergone a profound change. You can't imagine a greater change than this. A Christian is not merely a man who's a little bit different from others. He's entirely different. He's altogether different. He's not just a man who's been improved a little bit. No, no, he's a new man. He's a new creation. He's a new creature. He's born again. He is regenerated. [00:07:23]

This new life immediately begins to express itself. Now, life always expresses itself. It's bound to do so. The moment a child is born, he expresses the fact that he's alive. He moves, he desires food, and so these are expressions of life. A dummy wouldn't do that. A live child does. Life always manifests itself, always shows itself in some shape or form. [00:08:06]

The first thing a man does when he has this new life is to separate himself from the world. Peter exhorted them to do that with many other words. Did he testify and exhort, saying, "Save yourselves from this untoward generation, this crooked generation, this malignant generation, this rebellious generation, this condemned generation." [00:10:05]

They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. Verse 44: All that believed were together and had all things common. Verse 45: Sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need. [00:12:28]

They came together constantly. They continued steadfastly, and they continued daily. They came together, all who believed these things, all who were Christians. They were to be found together constantly. Now here's my proposition: that is one of the first tests that you must apply to yourself or to anybody else in order to discover whether you or they are Christians. [00:14:23]

I argue from this definition that it is impossible for a man to be a Christian unless he does this. If you don't feel this desire to come together with other Christians, I say there's only one explanation: you are not a Christian. Now, you would have thought that it's unnecessary to say a thing like that, but it is, you know. [00:15:18]

The first Christians, I say, came together, and the first indication of new life, divine life, is a drawing together of people who have this in common. Now, you see what a contradiction this is to this modern idea that the preachers today are simply concerned with their own bread and cheese and trying somehow to get a congregation. [00:19:50]

This is something which is true of people of all types and of all kinds. That's the most important point. You know the modern idea that this is only true of a certain type, the religious type, people who have got the religious complex. You can recognize them, you can type them. The great psychologists have got them all tabulated. [00:28:54]

The Christian is a man who always knows he's a pilgrim, a stranger, a sojourner, a traveler. He's on the road to eternity, to reality, to life that is life indeed, to glory everlasting. He's got his eye fixed on that, and all who are looking in the same direction inevitably come together. They're traveling together. It's inevitable. [00:42:07]

They rejoice in the same Savior. This is the thing that ultimately brings them together and makes them one. They're still different in their temperaments and in many other respects, but there is one thing in which they're always one, and that is in their attitude and in their relationship to him. [00:52:33]

A Christian is a man who says, "I am nothing. I am a fool. I'm a sinner. I'm vile. I'm rotten. In me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing, and all the things I've got will all be soon rotting away to nothingness. I am nothing. I have nothing. So I am what I am by the grace of God in Jesus Christ." [00:55:11]