What was The New Testament Church Like? {Acts 1-2}

I’m honored to be given the opportunity to introduce you to the Book of Acts! I think a better title could be the Acts of the Holy Spirit! It's been perfectly placed in the Bible; just after the four Gospels, for here we get to compare Jesus’ disciples and followers before and after the Holy Spirit comes, and the differences are amazing!

I loved how Jim Cyjmbala describes the change in his book, Spirit Rising: Tapping Into the Power of the Holy Spirit:

“The early church…was made up of simple men and women. The leaders were former fishermen and tax collectors who fled in fear when Jesus was arrested and needed them most. They weren’t courageous and faithful. In fact, they lacked faith and courage. They were the least likely to be put in charge of any Christian enterprise. Yet, after the events in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit is poured out, those same nobodies were suddenly transformed. With courage and faith, they turned their community, and eventually the world, upside down (p27).

I wrote a post a few weeks ago about, The God of Small Beginnings and here once more The Lord is proving He doesn’t need great men and women to build His church, only ones who love Him and are willing to surrender to His leading.”

Jesus tells them as much in Act 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And throughout this book we will see God’s Spirit working in and among His followers!

Today and tomorrow we will be given a glimpse of just what God’s New Testament church looked like, and get to compare it to the churches today, or more specifically the church body you are part of today.

In Acts 2:41-47 we can find seven key elements of God’s new body of believers that all church bodies should possess still,

 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” 

Baptism: “Those who accepted Peter’s message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.”(v.2:41) The church was growing quickly! Imagine if your church gained 3000 members in one week! What would you do? Would you be ready to welcome them and help them start growing their newly found faith? The New Testament church didn’t worry about a building for they met in intimate groups in one another’s homes and in the outer courts of the temple. And together they...

Worshiped (vs. 2:46-47)

True worship was reflected in the priority they placed on who God was in their lives and where He was placed on their list of priorities. True worship was a matter of their heart, expressed through a lifestyle of holiness, and was evident through their devotion...

To the Apostles’ Teaching because it meant something to them personally they were constantly seeking to learn more of this new way of living, for it possessed the power to transform their lives and others.

To Prayer: corporate and individual prayers, for these were desperate times and the persecution was fierce. The needs went far beyond what they were able to do in their own strength, which drew them to depend on God for everything.

To Fellowship: “All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” They quickly became like family and their possessions stopped being looked at as mine and yours, but ours.

To the Lord's Supper: Everyone brought food and shared it.They broke bread together, following their Master's instructions to remember His death and resurrection (Luke 22:7-38).  We're not sure if they celebrated the Lord's Supper every time they met, but we do know it was very common.

To Evangelism: Because they

·        worship God with sincere hearts

·        lived in real community with each other

·        prioritized their own spiritual growth

·        and managed and shared their resources to minister to Body of Christ

They effectively reached the lost with the Gospel. Their love, joy, peace…(the fruits of God’s Spirit) were evident to others around them and it became contagious!

What amazes me is even though their lives were in danger, they didn’t hunker down in fear, but actually prayed for boldness to speak the Word of God (Acts 4:23-31), and that's truly the evidence of the Holy Spirit's power within them.