4 things the church did
Monday, June 21, 2010 at 9:16AM Acts 2:37-47
37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38And Peter said to them, "Repent 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.39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself." 40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying,"Save yourselves from this crooked generation." 41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Notice these 4 things the early church did daily according to Acts 2:42. They devoted themselves to…
1. Teaching
2. Fellowship
3. Breaking of bread
4. Prayer
By doing these 4 simple things, the early church became a powerful voice in their region. They had a powerful unity that could overcome anything. They even had favor with All People! (vs 47)
I believe the only way for the gospel to have survived the 1st decade is by this radical way of living! Everyday they were seeing one another, edifying and sharpening each other, and committing themselves to doing these 4 things together, and because they had such a conviction about the gospel message, God used them to turn their region upside down.
The church today is so far from this model because I believe we have no conviction of the gospel message anymore! We've lost that first love that we use to have and as a result we have lost our focus on what our real mission is on this earth... to save souls! But I believe as the end is coming closer, God is raising up people who have a heart for the gospel and the pure things of God. A group of people that are sick of man-made traditions and ways of thinking. As the days go on, we have to start thinking of becoming like the church in Acts. People who don’t care about the things of this world, but press on towards the heavenly call in God and follow Him.
In a lot of ways we are still too selfish when it comes to our lifestyles. We want to do what we want too much! We don't allow God to work on us and shape us into what He wants us to be. We see it even in the simple things like prayer. It should be a 2 way conversation, but too many times we come to God and ask Him to answer all these things that we are going through in our lives, and then when we are done we walk away and carry on with our lives instead of waiting to hear what God wants to say to us. We must hear the voice of the Lord in our lives. If we are truly here for building the Kingdom of God, it means that we must die to our desires everyday. We are not here just to receive all the time, but we're here to give what we have to others.
The word "Fellowship" in Acts 2:42 means to: contribute something or distribute something. So when we come together during the week to fellowship, have something to give to someone else who might need something. Just make sure that what you are giving is coming from a pure vessel and isn't tainted by the world. When we die to ourselves it produces life in someone else. Lets look at the bigger picture of God’s plan for this area. We don’t know when the last day is for us. There is such an urgency for us to get right with God right now.
Today, lets search our hearts and see where we stand with God and make sure we are on the path that He wants us on and not on a path that is just living for ourselves. Lets repent of the areas that we missed it with God, and keep striving after the goal that has been set before us!
-Chris Duncan
Reader Comments (4)
Good Word! Lets practice the four things and become a strong effective body!
Good insight Chris! Gathering around real men of God, with the Word of God...talking to God and others about God has always been THE Church plan. Lets do it...
Good work and a good word Chris. Let's be radical for Him in our lives and outcome.
So cute! I already like you on FB and also get your posts on Google Reader. :) kebjjj kebjjj - supra shoes.