Running To the Church

February 16

(Acts 3:11 NIV) "While the beggar held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade.”

(Mark 3:7-10 NIV) "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. {8} When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. {9} Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. {10} For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him."

In a day when people are leaving the church in droves, it’s good to see some running to the church in the third chapter of Acts. The same happened to Jesus. The common denominator is the miraculous transformation of lives, and that those who witnessed the deliverance and healing talked it up. This caused many to be astonished and come running to the church. They didn’t all stay, but they could never say they had not seen and heard the truth. The same thing can happen today. When people hear about miraculous transformations, they tend to come running. The miracle of a changed life, whether that change is spiritual or physical, can bring glory to God and draw people to the church. When the church does amazing things, people will come running to see what’s up. But we have to talk it up out in the world where it really counts. We have to get the word out. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day