Acts 2:47 contains the interesting phrase "and having favor with all the people." The Church was acting like the Church and that was the response from society. Of course the story continues to show that society did not always respond in such positive terms. In later chapters when the Church acted like the Church, adherents were thrown into prison, beaten, cast out of cities, killed, and often faced a less than satisfactory reception from the community.
Things don't seem to have changed much in the 21st century for the Church when it tries to act like the Church. Individuals that seek to be good neighbors often find their actions are reciprocated, this even in countries where Christianity is at least frowned upon if not openly persecuted. One on one, Christians who act like Christ followers often find acceptance when they are rejected by society in general.
Does this mean if you love your neighbor as yourself, life will be just wonderful? Hardly. If that were the case, Jesus would never have had to mention stuff like turning the other cheek. No, often good still gets evil as its reward. It will get its hand slapped for trying to help.
At the same time we cannot escape the lesson that the Church does the most good and has the greatest positive influence on its society when it simply carries out those earliest actions. We treat fellow believers with love, compassion, and respect. We are generous with all that we have believing that it already belongs to God. We focus on our relationship with God through prayer and constant reminders of what he left us in the testimony of those first witnesses. We give of ourselves for in so doing we believe we are giving to Christ.
When the Church acts like the Church, the Body of Christ, it reveals a pattern of life and a standard of relationships that are radically different than what the world exemplifies. When the Church acts like the Church, people take notice and cannot escape its influence on both individuals and society. When the Church acts like the Church, it will not be ignored and a response will come.
Does it make a difference what response the Church gets when it acts like the Church? No, it doesn't. The Church does not answer to the world. It answers only to its Lord, the One who died for it and gave it life. The Church must act like the Church without regard to cost or consequences. Human laws will never replace the power of the Church acting like the Church. Only as the Church acts like the Church will hearts be changed and transformation last longer than a visit from a law enforcement official.
