{"id":308,"date":"2014-05-18T20:56:48","date_gmt":"2014-05-18T19:56:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=308"},"modified":"2014-05-18T20:56:48","modified_gmt":"2014-05-18T19:56:48","slug":"six-features-of-the-early-church-acts-242-47","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pbthomas.com\/blog\/?p=308","title":{"rendered":"Six features of the Early Church Acts 2:42-47"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 2: 38 Peter replied, \u201cRepent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off\u2014for all whom the Lord our God will call.\u201d
\n40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, \u201cSave yourselves from this corrupt generation.\u201d 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
\nThat is how the church began. The apostles and their companions were filled with the Holy Spirit and three THOUSAND new Christians were baptised in one day! But what happened next? Luke intends us to see the shared life of those first Christians as a pattern for church life everywhere and at all times, if it is at all possible. At very least in these six verses we find six features of the Early Church which show us what it means to be the church of Jesus Christ. We read about two things which God was doing in their lives and in the community through the Holy Spirit. But first we read four things which the first Christians were doing, which are all found in just one verse.
\nActs 242 They devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
\nThey devoted themselves to
\nTHE APOSTLES\u2019 TEACHING
\nEach of us should always be growing as Christians. Growing towards maturity. Growing in our relationship with God. Growing in knowledge and understanding. Growing in witness and service. Growing in the image of Christ. Growing in love and in holiness. Growing in victory and spirituality. Growing in passion.
\nAnd growing and learning and teaching are intertwined. We grow by learning and to learn we need teaching. We should all be continuing to learn – the very word disciple literally means \u201clearner,\u201d a person who is taught. In teaching all these new Christians, the apostles were only doing what the Risen Jesus had commanded them to do in what we call the Great Commission.
\nMatthew 28 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.\u201d
\nAnd that command is for all Christians in every age. We are all sent out to make disciples and to teach them everything that Jesus taught.
\nJohn 8:31 31 To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, \u201cIf you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.\u201d
\nOnly Jesus has the words of eternal life. We should obey Him, and we should share His saving truth with others.
\nJohn 14 23 Jesus replied, \u201cIf anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me will not obey my teaching.
\nJesus\u2019s teaching was at the heart of the life of the Early Churches.
\nEphesians 4 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
\nYou were \u201ctaught in Christ,\u201d Paul says. Christ is the school. Christ is the subject. Christ is the teacher. But teaching and learning are not just for new Christians. We all need to keep on learning all our lives, through sermons, through Bible Studies and listening to God as we pray. We can all benefit from books, dvds and radio and TV programmes and from events like the Men\u2019s Conference a few weeks ago and the Keswick Convention or Spring Harvest. What do YOU want to learn more about in your Christian faith? We are truly privileged in this country and in our generation to have such good Bible teaching so freely available, not only in our churches but through books and media and events. We should not waste this privilege! The first Christians devoted themselves to the apostle\u2019s teaching.
\nThey devoted themselves to
\nTHE FELLOWSHIP
\nSome people think fellowship just means having a cup of tea together after the service. The word for \u201cfellowship\u201d actually means \u201csharing something together\u201d and it is clear throughout the Book of Acts that the first Christians shared much more than just the occasional beverage together.
\n44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
\nEverything in common. Giving generously to those who were in need. Meeting together in the temple. Eating together in each other\u2019s homes. Sharing a common life together. Paul Simon sang, \u201cI am a rock, I am an island.\u201d But there are no rocks and no islands in the body of Christ, the church. We belong together.
\nIn one simple word, they loved one another. They obeyed the new commandment Jesus had given them. John 13 34 \u201cA new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.\u201d
\nOne word from that description of the Early Church in Acts 2:44 struck us as we gathered for prayer on Tuesday evening. ALL the believers were together. EVERYBODY was included in their common life. Nobody was left out of the fellowship the Early Church shared together.
\nThis topic of fellowship is so important that I am going to unwrap it again next week. For now let\u2019s just remember that in our country in these days we still have complete freedom to meet together wherever and whenever we want. Millions of Christians across the world do not have that kind of freedom. Indeed some are still imprisoned and even martyred for their faith. Let us not waste the freedom we have to share in fellowship together.
\nThey devoted themselves to
\nTHE BREAKING OF BREAD
\nJesus did not leave His disciples with all kinds of complicated rituals like those you can find in other religions, and even in Judaism. He just broke bread and gave it to them saying, \u201cDo this to remember me.\u201d And He gave them a cup to drink saying, \u201cDo this to remember me.\u201d So the first Christians obeyed that command and broke bread and shared the cup to remember Jesus.
\n46 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,
\nCommunion and believers\u2019 baptism are the only \u201cordinances\u201d, the only acts of worship which Jesus commanded from his followers. We think it likely that they also followed the patterns of worship in Jewish synagogues and so the first Christians would also have included hymns, scripture readings, teaching and prayers in their gatherings together. But the most important part of worship in the Early Church was the \u201cbreaking of bread.\u201d Gathering together frequesntly for worship and communion was a central element of living the Christian life for those first believers. And gathering together for worship has rightly been at the heart of church life for Christians in every age in every place since.
\nThey devoted themselves to
\nPRAYER
\nWe have considered prayer on many occasions before. For this morning I just want to underline that praying TOGETHER was another central feature of the life of the Early Church. Paul exhorted the Ephesians
\nEphesians 6 18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
\nColossians 4 2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.
\nIndividual prayer is important \u2013 in our Quiet Times of personal devotion. But joining in prayer with other Christians is equally important. Together in church worship. Together in Home Groups and in our time of listening prayer on Tuesday evenings, \u201cDraw near to God.\u201d Together in twos and threes. Jesus encourages all his followers to meet together and to pray together.
\nMatthew 18 19 \u201cAgain, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.\u201d
\nMeeting together to pray together. One church I served as minister had a principle that every member would be involved in at least one prayer gathering each week, or if circumstances meant they were not able to do so then they would promise to spend at least an hour in individual prayer each week praying specifically for the church and its life and witness. We have the enormous privilege of gathering together in the presence of Almighty God and bringing our prayers for the church and the world to His throne of grace \u2013 let\u2019s not waste that privilege!!
\nThe first Christians devoted themselves to the apostles\u2019 teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Some Christians see these aspects of church life as hard work, as duties or even as burdens. But the opposite is the case. These are means of grace. These are ways for us all to get closer to God. God gives us these things to BLESS us, not to burden us.
\nTeaching, fellowship, worship, prayer. The Early church continually devoted themselves to these things. And precisely BECAUSE the first Christians devoted themselves to these things, God the Holy Spirit was also at work in at least two dramatic ways.
\nSIGNS and WONDERS
\n43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
\nWe will see throughout Act that miracles of healing and deliverance were a vital part of the ministry of the first Christians. And the Holy Spirit was also visible in other ways, in the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues and in other gifts of prophecy and words of knowledge and words of wisdom, in dreams and visions and gifts of discernment. No wonder everybody was filled with awe and amazement! All those activities of the Holy Spirit caused everybody around to sit up and take notice of those first Christians and listen to their message. And in writing the Book of Acts, Luke is not just recording what happened in those days but he is also saying that these kinds of dramatic and supernatural events will continue to happen whenever the church is following Jesus wholeheartedly and preaching the gospel with boldness. And so with God at work there was another inevitable consequence.
\nMORE NEW CHRISTIANS
\nActs 2:47 \u2026 And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
\nDay by day, more people were becoming Christians. Day by day, new Christians were being baptised and joining in this brand new movement, the Church of Jesus Christ. People were being saved!
\nAnd this also will be a feature of the church of Jesus Christ in every age. Whenever Christians truly devote themselves to God, whenever Christians devote themselves to fellowship together, whenever Christians devote themselves to worship, whenever Christians devote themselves to prayer. When these things happen God will honour this faith and obedience and devotion. The Holy Spirit WILL move in signs and wonders. Disciples WILL experience God\u2019s gift of power from on high, power to be witnesses for Jesus. God will be glorified. And people WILL be saved!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 2: 38 Peter replied, \u201cRepent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your…<\/span><\/p>\n

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