Acts 4:20 - The state of current American Christianity is generally rather shaky. For generations, we have spent the capital of moral strength we had stored up from generations that preached and practiced the gospel of transformation. We have tried to maintain a moral society without the infusion of passion that comes only from believing in the resurrected and ascended Lord.

When we look at the model of New Testament believers in comparison to contemporary Western Christians, we are astounded. It causes us to wonder if we can expect to live the same way. Were they living in an easier time? Was the Spirit more available to them than to us?

The demeanor of the New Testament Christians is not an unreachable ideal. It is the norm for those whom God has given the ability to see his kingdom. The question we must ask is: What had happened to those disciples that so changed their lives and emboldened them to confront the powerful entities of evil in their day with remarkable confidence and effectiveness?