In our search for the ways to impart Christian identity in the midst of multiple cultures across the world the model of Early Christian community could be an inspiring example.

The disciples and followers of risen Christ formed themselves into a community and they tried as much as possible to get their life conformed to that of Christ. They rejected whatever was incoherent with the teachings of Jesus and followed Him ardently that others seeing their life might accept Christ. What brought Christians in stark difference with pagans of the time was the absence of any sort of discrimination within the movement of Christ. There was no longer Jew and Greek, male and female or slave and free (Gal 3:28; Eph 2:14-16) among them. The fact of having people from multiple origins, cultures and beliefs helped them to consider their life as a pilgrimage with others. In course of their journey they assimilated positive elements from those who joined them. They might have learned from experience that the unity of community cannot be kept by imposing unilaterally a fixed uniform code of practices but rather by prompting diverse forms of being Christian without however compromising the inner code of faith.

Another feature of this group was simplicity. They resisted against the spirit of greed which enthuses man to grab more than what is necessary for him. They knew that the extravagant life-style would incite the mindless search for wealth and pleasure. The political climate and the minimized structures also might have induced them to lead a simple life. Until the conversion of Constantine the Christians did not enjoy public recognition and hence they were forced to gather in private homes. In the epistles we read that the assembly of Christians gathered in the households (house of Aquila and Prisca in 1 Cor 16:19 and house of Nympha in Col 4:15). The house-structure made them less institutional and informal. There was fellowship, vitality, naturalness, spontaneity and dynamism in their home-churches.

The minimized institutional structure and the homely atmosphere gave them an image of people in movement. The faith was spread not through the professional missionaries but through door to door witness. The marginalized mainly the ignorant, the poor and the women took gospel to the neighbours around, and Christians grew like a minority movement. The driving force of the new community was not doctrines but the saving experience of the risen Christ. The attitudes of tolerance, simplicity, homeliness and conversation became the ingredients of Christian life.

In the Letter to Diognetus there is a striking testimony about the way of life of early Christians. Their insertion of the early Christians in the local culture was such that even an outsider could not distinguish them from the rest of population. They accepted the pagan names, which were even linked with the pagan gods. They did not live in separate regions nor did they use any distinctive language. They lived with the Greeks in the barbarian cities wearing the same cloth and eating the same food. At the same time, they did not compromise their faith. For example, they adopted Roman customs in marriage without following the convention of sharing the matrimonial bed with others. They refused to exercise such customs for the fear of idolatry.

The witness of Early Christians reiterates the fact that what makes Christian thoughts, activities and manners unique is nothing but the gospel-perspective. The key point is to realize Christ for the present world. Here what matters is not a doctrine but a life adhered to Christ.