“Headed home. My stomach is queasy,” read Lynne’s text. My first thought was that I’m in trouble! Two days earlier I woke up shortly after midnight with a queasy stomach, followed by vomiting and diarrhea. I initially thought it was food poisoning. Lynne wanted to throw out some ribs that were left over from the previous week, but I pressed her to eat them the next evening, something I was regretting by the next morning. But then Lynne didn’t get sick — until two days later, with the same symptoms. Turned out I had an intestinal bug, not food poisoning (never argue with a nurse about symptoms). Lynne was just starting to feel better from the cold I brought back from a conference earlier in the month. Bottom line: I was contagious!

If I don’t want to infect anyone, I need to self-isolate — which, in my defense, I offered (Lynne said it was a package deal). The flip side is that proximity provides an opportunity to infect people, which got me thinking (you didn’t know Marines did any serious thinking, did you?): What if I want to be a contagious Christian? Is there such a thing? There absolutely is, and I’ve met many over the years. Renowned author and pastor Brandon Guindon (full disclosure: he’s my pastor and friend) gives some practical guidance in his book, Disciple-Making Culture, devoting an entire section to this topic titled “Relational Environment.” I’m going to reduce that to two words: proximity and time (Marines are big on simplicity, preferring two-syllable words, but I’m stretching myself).

I’ve often heard that “Christianity is not taught but rather it is caught.” The early Church grew without the benefit of the Bible that we have available today. The growth was explosive! In Acts 2, we see 3,000 saved at one time. In Acts 4, we see 5,000 men saved (separate from any women or children). By Acts 17, we see a riot in Thessalonica, where the crowd stated, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also” (Acts 17:6, ESV).

What was it about the early Church that made Christianity so contagious? Let me offer some thoughts.

When you look at the functioning of the early Church, you see a pattern not typical of the Church in America.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” —Acts 2:42-47

Early believers lived in community — sharing, caring, loving, and learning. This was attractive to their neighbors, as evidenced by the fact they were “having favor with all the people.”

Christian community was the hallmark of the early Church. You didn’t see them going to the chariot races, concerts, or Isthmus Games playoffs. There isn’t anything wrong with these things, but we’ve let the world creep into our homes and our churches, changing our priorities to the point that we don’t look any different. You and I, men of God, have to be the ones who change the priorities in our homes, which will then impact our churches and our communities.

There is a reason King Jesus said to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The Jesus lifestyle is attractive — it was attractive to us, and it will be to our neighbors and friends when they begin to see it. It happens when churches focus on making disciples who make disciples. At a conference I attended last week, one of the speakers said, “We don’t want men in the seats; we want men in the streets!”

I’m seeing churches that embody these characteristics. The thing that will empower me to go into “the streets” is being a part of a disciple-making church, living out a New Testament Christian community lifestyle, involving my time and my proximity. That, my friend, is where it’s at (and I’m not there yet either). What say ye, Man of Valor?