4 Foundations
Four things that the early church did that are necessary for the church to experience today
On the day of Pentecost, Peter stood up and preached the first evangelistic message of the early church. Scripture records that 3000 people were added to the church that very day and after this experience the early church formed a pretty remarkable community.
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47″
In our day we are totally disconnected with the idea of people coming into a church giving 90% of their paychecks to the pastor and asking him to distribute it to the poor within the congregation. But in a real sense, this is what was happening in the early days of the Christian church. But they were not only generous, they were passionately devoted. They devoted themselves to the Christian life. To grasp this idea of devotion, don’t think of mere participation or a casual church attendance. Think falling in love with the good news of Christ, and selling out to the cause of the gospel. The early church had no television, no iphone, no computers, but they did have Jesus Christ who they fully believed was the Messiah and the risen Son of God. They devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching, fellowship, sharing in meals, and prayer. Though you may not be able to give your home and car away next Sunday, there are four key elements here from the early church that I believe would benefit any church in our modern era.
1. The Apostles Teaching
They devoted themselves to knowing the apostles teaching concerning Christ. The New Testament scriptures which we have today were not yet made available to the early Christian community, but the apostles shared the full message of the gospel – Christ’s life, death, burial and resurrection. Today especially, in light of the predominant (biblically illiterate) culture we live in, we are in need of a passion and love for God’s word. The Scriptures are profitable in teaching, rebuking, correction, and instruction in righteousness (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). A heart surrendered to Christ + the illumination of the Scriptures = A changed life.
2. Fellowship
When we think of fellowship, we may think of going to Starbucks or maybe catching a movie with a friend. When you think of fellowship within the early church; what does that look like? They had no Starbucks, no movies, no places of entertainment as we know it today. Their fellowship truly was about enjoying the company of other Christians. They derived true joy from simply being together. Today, it’s hard enough to reach outside of our tight schedules much less enjoy Christian fellowship. But there is true spiritually nourishment when two or more believers come together and spend time encouraging one another in the faith.
3. Sharing of Meals (Including the Lord’s Supper)
Not only did they share their lives in fellowship, but they also shared their food. The sharing in meals was a crucial part of fellowship to the early church. It became of great importance to share meals with those in the Christian community who had little resources. They also shared in Communion to remember the significance of the Lord’s death. This “remembering of Christ” together brought the unity and oneness in heart that produced fruit which remained.
4. Prayer
For these believers who were formally involved in Pharisaic Judaism, prayer had usually consisted of the Jewish pattern of praying three times daily. These early believers had a fresh passion to call upon their God. Jesus had made the Father accessible; the Kingdom of God was now in reach. The early church now prayed for boldness to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ amongst fierce scrutiny from the leaders of the Jews. Today there are many alternatives to praying together with other Christians; busy schedules, entertainment, work, amongst other things. But the early church understood that prayer not just personally but corporately made a profound impact on the circumstances and obstacles to the gospel.
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September 9, 2010