The Likability Factor
A church’s attitude generates its likability factor. When the Acts 2 church was birthed, they loved being together — “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people,” Acts 2:46-47a. Don’t you get the feeling that they were having a great time being Christian?
Consider a few of these pieces:
- Learning and worshiping together was a regular way of doing life — “day by day”. Isolation was not part of the equation.
- Enjoying and sharing with one another breathed life into their bones. The gladness they exuded, along with a spirit of generosity, created an attractive hub of activity for the new believers.
- There were no fakes. A phrase that describes them is that they had “sincerity of heart”. This literally means “no stony ground of heart” — no pride, masks, bitterness, or self-made agendas.
- They were positive authentic worshipers who were contagious to others – “praising God and having favor with all the people.”
The Result? “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
I dream of seeing the church return to its true spiritual heritage of being so likable that the world can’t ignore us any longer. Maybe that can even happen in your little corner of the world…
A church’s attitude does generate its likability factor.
