“And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

I often find myself in awe with the book of Acts for both its grandiosity and its simplicity. What begins with a ragtag group of about 120 Jesus-followers leads to a continent-crossing movement that turned the world upside down (Acts 1:15; 17:6). The momentum, the compounding force, that it takes to accomplish such a thing is out of this world – literally! In fact, modern leadership gurus and marketing teams would be looking in envy, notepads out trying to find the secret to this “momentum.”

But they would not find mission statements or core values. There were no brands, campaigns, or demographic strategies. The momentum that the early church experienced was not manufactured or channeled. It was simply a genuine move of the Spirit of God on God’s people who were obediently along for the ride. That paradox – the explosiveness of God’s work paired with the simple obedience of God’s church – is the key to ministry momentum.

Spirit-Filled Community

Think for a moment: If you started a new church this week and 3,000 souls responded to the gospel, what would you do? How would you help them follow Jesus and join God in what He was doing in your community?

Well if the Apostle’s had an onboarding process, they didn’t share it. But we do get a picture in Acts 2:42-47 of what their community life looked life. The spiritual disciplines that we are familiar with today were present in the very beginning. Scripture, community, communion, prayer, and sacrificial service were all present as new Christians spent quality time with others in the temple and in their homes. They did life with one another! And because of this “awe came upon every soul…and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:43a; 47). This deep commitment to practicing those spiritual disciplines together led to a soul-winning, movement-making enthusiasm!

So the simple question is this: As a new season of ministry lies ahead of you, how are you leading or joining your team or group to devote yourselves to those spiritual disciplines together? Without them, you will not be in touch with what God is doing in and around you in this new season.

Spirit-Filled Boldness

The second striking attribute of the early church is their utter boldness and confidence to do what God said no matter the consequences. Boldness is really just doing what you’re supposed to do, even though something in you knows it might hurt. For us, an awkward moment, a snide remark, or an unkind word might be all we have to endure for the sake of the gospel. But in the face of beheadings (no pun intended), imprisonments, and persecution, the entire church stood their ground with joy.

So, where does this boldness come from? The gut reaction may be a deeply held courage or a martyr mentality. But Acts 4:23-31 shows us it comes directly from the Holy Spirit. When the early church was confronted with the first signs of persecution, they prayed, recognizing God’s sovereignty and glory, and then asked for boldness to continue to speak God’s word. “And when they prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” (Acts 2:31). When the Holy Spirit fills our hearts, only then do we gain the boldness and courage to reach our community with the gospel in the face of opposition.

My final question is this: As a new season of ministry lies ahead of you, how are you leading or joining your team or group to seek God’s boldness to proclaim God’s word to your community? Perhaps you need boldness to talk to that new student on Wednesday night or sit next to that couple on Sunday morning. Perhaps one of your group members needs the courage to serve a coworker in the name of Jesus. Follow Jesus into His mission with His Spirit as your courage.