There is a sense in which duplicating any church is impossible. People have tried for years to recapture some church-experience which they had at an earlier age, yet have found it to be impossible. It is interesting in our day to see clones of certain well-known churches. Rather than developing its own personality, the leadership of these churches try to duplicate another 'success story' in hopes of doing the same thing themselves.
I believe that when you come to the early church you see a freshness in everything they were doing. They were led by the Holy Spirit to establish certain practices which lay the foundation for churches throughout the centuries. We cannot duplicate the Jerusalem church, but we can seek to pattern our practices after the example they set.
The practice of the early church lays the groundwork for the right kind of foundation for every church. Understanding and putting into practice the principles of this text are essential for us as a New Testament Church.
There is an interesting article in the latest issue of The Founders Journal which relates to the subject of our text. Referring to George Barna, "the data gathering guru of the information age," who has put together statistical information which affirms what some evangelicals have been saying for years: "the content and results of much that goes under the name of "evangelism" today are severely damaging our churches." Barna made the statement, "Christianity is so shallow there's not depth to build on." He pointed out that 58% of American adults cannot name even half the Ten Commandments. Barna "warned that in the next ten years Americans may well see 'massive moral anarchy take over our country'."
He goes on to point out what I have been observing for many years that "a majority of people who 'make decisions' to become Christians have dropped out of church participation within six to eight weeks. 'We lose them not temporarily but eternally. They think they got it already. We've given them the false impression that they've got it together spiritually'."
Dr. Tom Ascol, editor of The Founders Journal, adds this striking response to Barna's comments:
If this information is even considered by evangelicals, and if the response is true to form, then we may expect to hear much about the need to "do better follow-up" in order to rectify this problem. Somewhere, somehow, however, Christian leaders must begin to move beyond this standard, superficial prescription for dealing with our massive number of "converts" who do not persevere even two months. Could it be that the problem is not with follow-up but with the content and methodology of our evangelism? ["Pollster Calls Modern Christianity "Shallow"" FJ, Spring, 1996, p. 28]
I think that Peter and the disciples would have laughed if you suggested to them that they needed to put into operation a 'follow-up program'. Does this mean they were unconcerned about new converts? Absolutely not; but it means they were serious about what was involved in seeing people converted. They had a very natural spiritual incubator for nurturing these new believers. There was nothing artificial about it, nothing forced. It boiled down to three simple things: the preaching of the whole gospel, a dependence upon the Holy Spirit to convert sinners, and a daily delight in their new relationship to Christ and His people.
We saw in our last study that Peter's preaching involved the plan of God in predetermining the divine satisfaction necessary to save sinners, the path of the Redeemer that led to the cross and the resurrection, and the plea for sinners to repent. You would never find Peter doing one of the 20th century "felt-need" sermons that majored on feeling good, stroking the flesh, and appealing merely to the emotions. He preached the whole gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit, then depended upon the Spirit to do the converting. Too much of today's evangelism involves the preacher coaxing converts, which end up being no converts at all--just additions to Barna's statistics!
Notice the emphasis of Luke in verse 41. "So then [a word of summary or conclusion], those who had received his word were baptized [they were serious about the gospel]; and there were added that day about three thousand souls." They were "added" to what? The implication is that they were added to the church. Though the church does not in any way save a person, when someone is saved they are saved in relationship to the church! That is why these early believers did not have to do a conference on better follow-up. When someone was saved the Holy Spirit placed new desires within their hearts, they were folded into the flock, and found delight as new creatures in Christ to be spending time in those things that caused them to grow and honor the Lord.
What was the atmosphere and practice of the early church? It is clearly seen in our text.
I. An Attention to Learning
We must see the phrase of verse 42, "continually devoting themselves," as essential to our understanding of the whole text. The word shows a perseverance in something or adhering to something or busying oneself in something. It clearly demonstrates that such radical transformation had taken place in the lives of these Jews that the whole focus and attention of their lives had changed! They literally were not the same anymore! The new birth had really been a new birth!
Brethren, when you have to constantly coax a professing Christian to find delight in the Lord and His Word; and you have to berate him to join in fellowshipping with God's people; and you have to virtually harass him to worship the Lord; the problem is not poor follow-up. The problem is no new birth!
Something so distinctive, so radical, so new happened to these people that they were constantly giving their attention to those things that would cause them to go on in their walks with Christ. What did they do? They began by giving constant attention to learning.
1. With Content
The saving work of the Holy Spirit in our lives is not anti-intellectual. The gospel first affects our minds. And it continues to work in our minds. The whole issue of truth and knowing truth demands that we engage our minds. Paul put it like this to the Ephesian believers, "But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus...(4:20-21)." Notice how he uses words that imply the use of the mental faculties in understanding Christian truth: 'learn', 'heard', 'taught', 'truth'.
We are taught by the Word of God through the revealing ministry of the Holy Spirit. Typically, the Holy Spirit uses preachers and teachers to teach us the Word. Such was the ministry of the apostles. Luke even calls the content of what they taught, "the apostles' teaching" or "doctrine."
The word he uses [didache] refers to the doctrine and principles of God's Word. The Jews had to re-learn what they had been taught in the same way that any new believer must re-learn what he has learned from the world. Then he must learn those truths that explain in detail what Christ has done for us.
There is a great aversion to doctrine in our day. People are afraid of doctrine. I can recall being afraid of it myself! But understanding Christian doctrine is essential to knowing God, delighting in Him, and obeying Him. You cannot get anywhere in the Christian life without knowing doctrine. You cannot grow without growing in your doctrinal understanding of the Word.
The responsibility of those who are preachers and teachers in the church is to dig deeply themselves into the riches of God's Word, then break open the Word to those under their charge. They are to concern themselves chiefly with the exposition of God's Word, which will in turn unfold the manifold doctrines and principles of the Word. We are not to just teach facts as if we are in an ongoing history class. We are to teach the life-giving, pulsating doctrines and principles of the Word of God!
Those who are being taught must do everything they can to be good learners. You must realize that the Holy Spirit is the One who ultimately gives us understanding of the Word. Therefore, you are not to be a 'teacher-follower' or 'preacher-follower', but dependent upon the Spirit of God. You must discipline yourselves to be learners. Learning best takes place when you are doing some digging into the Word on your own. A big part of learning the Word involves a right attitude toward the Word, a willingness to obey the Word, a submission to the Spirit of God as He applies the Word.
2. With Consistency
Attention to learning demands consistency. That's what marked off these new believers, "they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' doctrine." A hit or miss attendance at church will not do. A casual attitude with sitting under the Word will not do. A neglect of reading and studying the Word on your own will not do.
John MacArthur writes, "A believer should count it a wasted day when he does not learn something new from, or is not more deeply enriched, by the truth of God's Word....Scripture is food for the believer's growth and power--and there is no other." [MacArthur's NT Commentary, p. 83]
I believe that one of the reasons we have so little impact on our world for the gospel's sake is that we are too inconsistent in our spiritual growth. After pastoring for 18 years, most people I have seen grow rather sporadically, rather than consistently. They will have some new experience or some situation arise in their lives and then they really seek to learn the Word...for a while. Then they get into a lull and need something to prop them up again.
The best antidote to this kind of inconsistency is first, making sure that you are born again. Many people are inconsistent because they have never come to saving faith in Christ. Second, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. The Christian life, when lived rightly, is a disciplined life. No wonder that the early Christians were called 'disciples'. They were constant learners, followers of Jesus Christ, who gave themselves unreservedly to knowing Him and following Him. May we go and do likewise!
II. An Attention to Relationships
Christianity is relational. We begin by having a relationship to the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Then we are immediately brought into relationship with other believers, which is known as the church. The word used to describe this action of relationship is 'fellowship'. It comes from a Greek word that means 'to have in common'. John Stott points out that fellowship "expresses what we share together," and "what we share out together, what we give as well as what we receive" [The Spirit, The Church, and The World, pp. 82-83].
1. By Sharing Together
There are some things we have in common as believers. We are different in terms of personalities, temperaments, likes and dislikes, but we have some essential matters in common. That is what binds us together.
John reminds us, "...indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ" (I John 1:3). Paul adds in his benediction in II Corinthians 13:14, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." We have a Trinitarian fellowship. Together, we can call God our Father and approach Him in prayer. We can praise and fellowship with our Lord Jesus who has redeemed us by His blood. We can enjoy the constant communion of the Holy Spirit who bears witness to us that we are children of God.
But there are also a multitude of areas which we can and must be involved in fellowshipping with one another. These are the so-called "one another" passages of the New Testament. We are to love one another...forgive each other...be kind to one another...accept one another...encourage one another...admonish one another...do good to one another...stimulate one another to love and good deeds...bear one another's burdens.
That tells me two things in particular: (1) everyone in the Body needs me and what I can do for them and (2) I need everyone in the Body for what they can do for me. We need each other. Fellowship is simply the meeting of one another's needs in the Body. It is our partnering together to help each other live out the demands of the Christian life. It is the relationship of rejoicing with one another, weeping with one another, lifting up the fallen, coming to one another's aid, giving to one another, and sharing with one another out of the abundance of what the Lord is teaching us. It is the crux of Christian communication--one brother sharing with another brother the things of God and vice versa.
2. By Giving
There is another dimension to fellowship that is found throughout the New Testament and is apparent in this text. This involves the whole matter of giving. Notice the word "common" in verse 44. That is the same root for the word "fellowship." These believers considered that what is mine is yours. They sold their possessions and shared with those in need (v. 45).
This word is used by Paul in Philippians to describe the financial involvement of churches in his missionary labors. First, he stated "in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now" [Phil. 1:5, koinonia], which referred to their financial and prayer support in the work. Second, he said that they were "partakers of grace with me," which is a word meaning "sharers or fellowshippers together with him in the grace of God" [Phil. 1:7, sugkoinonous]. Then he uses that same Greek word, koinonia--fellowship, when he writes, "no church shared [koinonia] with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone" [Phil. 4:15]. When Paul gave testimony to the Philippian believers to the church at Corinth, he wrote that they were "begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation [koinonia] in the support of the saints" [II Cor. 8:4].
Now, what do we make of all of this use of "fellowship" in relation to giving? Giving is a vital part of what we are to be involved in doing in the Body of Christ. The early Christians showed that they were not stingy nor tight-wads nor money-grubbers. They were liberal in their giving! Giving brought them into the sphere of relationships in Christ.
I would put it like this, until you have learned the grace of giving, you have not really learned to fellowship in the Body of Christ. Giving imitates the gracious activity of God toward us. Giving teaches us to be God-dependent. Giving liberates us from being enslaved by material possessions. Giving humbles us to see that we have a part in the work of God's kingdom. Giving actually creates a joyous spirit within the hearts of those who give with 'holy hilarity'.
III. An Attention to Worship
Central to our relationship to the Lord is our learning to worship Him consistently. In worship we are recognizing the sovereignty, graciousness, goodness, and holiness of God. We are focusing our attention upon Him specifically. We are reflecting upon all His character and attributes. We are remembering His good promises and His saving activity toward us as sinners. John Murray expressed it like this:
When we come together it is to worship God. Everything else really rests upon this. Whatever we may do, in worship, if it is not directed to the worship of God, no matter how decorous and embellished our exercises may be, then it is not worship. If we go to the house of God simply because it is custom or to fill up a quota of exercises, then we are not worshipping God. There are numberless ways in which in the exercises of instituted worship we may desecrate worship. All exercises must be directed by, and contribute to, the worship of God. [Collected Writings, vol. 1, p. 166]
This centrality of worship in the early church is seen by the practice of "breaking of bread and...prayer" or more literally, "prayers." While this does not encompass every facet of worship found in the Scripture, it does give us a substantial part of our regular exercise of worship in the church.
1. Through the Lord's Supper
The phrase, "to the breaking of bread," has a distinct reference to the Lord's Supper. This is apparent by the use of this statement in other portions of the New Testament that clearly refer to the Lord's Supper (e.g., I Cor. 10:16-17; Acts 20:11). Simon Kistemaker quotes Dean Alford who "remarks that the interpretation given 'as the celebration of the Lord's supper has been, both in ancient and modern times, the prevalent one'" (New Testament Commentary--Acts, 111]. The use of the definite article in the Greek before "breaking of bread" implies that it was not simply a meal but a distinct act of worship that had been set apart in the early church. It was "the" breaking of bread.
The Lord's Supper represents the most hallowed time a church gathers. It is an act of worship and reflection which ought to be the best attended service of the church. We seem to have lost some of the majesty and mystery of the Lord's Supper in our day which is evident by the neglect of attendance upon it. It is a time of deep reflection upon the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It is a time to consider the greatness of our Lord, the mystery of the providence of God in calling us out of sin and into His grace. It is a time to consider the depth of our unworthiness and the solitary worthiness of our great God.
MacArthur rightly states, "Communion calls for self-examination and purging of sin, thus purifying the church. Nothing is more vital to the church's ongoing, regular confrontation of sins in the lives of its people than the thoughtful expression of devotion to the remembrance of the cross." [MacArthur's NT Commentary--Acts, vol. 1, 85]
It is quite likely that the Lord's Supper was often combined with the so-called "Agape Feast," which was a gathering of the brethren to enjoy fellowship with one another around a meal. They each shared what they could so that none would be lacking. The focal point of the meal was that time in which the Body observed the Lord's Supper. At its very core, it was a magnificent time of worship.
2. Through Prayers
The word "prayer" in our translation is actually a plural word in the Greek, so "prayers." There are numerous words for prayer in the Greek New Testament, but this is the most general one [proseuchais]. I believe the generic term for prayer was used because it is all-inclusive. Whether we are praising, confessing, giving thanks, interceding, petitioning--all are prayers and all are part of our worship as believers.
Such attention to "prayers" should cause us to re-think our own prayer lives. Do you limit your praying by failing to avail yourself of the breadth of prayer? Do you spend time regularly in praise and thanksgiving? I suggest that you notice the prayers in the Pauline epistles and see how they make use of praise and thanks. Check out the many prayers in the Psalms and see this same type of praying. Praise and thanksgiving directs attention away from ourselves and recognizes the Triune God for every provision, every act, every grace given to us. Such praying will eliminate complaining and whining from our vocabularies! Such praying with deliver us from being encumbered with worry and anxious thoughts. Such praying brings glory and honor to the Godhead where it belongs.
Another aspect of praying involves asking, whether interceding on behalf of others or petitioning for your own needs. Look at Paul's prayers on behalf of the Ephesian believers in Ephesians 1:15-23 and 3:14-21. In both of these prayers we find the apostle asking specifically on behalf of these believers concerning their knowledge of the Lord and their grasping the riches of Christ. In both of them he breaks forth in praise and worship. Prayer inevitably leads us to focus our attention and affections upon the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, recognizing our God's worth and glory and majesty. What is this, but worship?
While the early church cherished their times of prayer, it seems that the modern church does not have much time for praying. Any pastor knows that if you want to kill your attendance at a service, just announce that it will be a prayer time. No wonder there is so little revival in our land and so little spiritual power in our churches. We have trusted in the arm of the flesh instead of bearing our hearts before the Lord of glory! We have snubbed the prayer meeting as if it was a non-essential part of our church life.
My brethren, if we have any hope of being New Testament in our orientation and practice, we are going to have to intensify our attention to prayer! We had a wonderful time of prayer a couple of weeks ago on a Wednesday night as we announced that it would be strictly a prayer meeting. And we prayed specifically for many things related to our church ministry and the work of missions. Were you there? No, I'm not trying to put a guilt trip on anyone. I just want all of us to realize that prayer is something everyone of us can do and must do. And when the Body gathers to pray, the whole Body ought to be there unless providentially hindered. That is the New Testament spirit in worship!
IV. An Attention to Witness
I had originally intended to end at verse 42, but after studying this passage I realized that it would have neglected a fourth critical element to our foundation for spiritual growth. The whole subject of witnessing or evangelism shouts at us throughout the book of Acts. It was not simply the activity of the apostles or a select few. Witnessing was the constant activity of the entire church. Sometime it landed them in jail. Other times they were criticized. But there were those glorious times that the gospel presented to sinners broke forth in saving power upon their lives!
I think the pattern for evangelism as pointed out in our text is vital for us to see. Too much of today's evangelism is nothing more than marketing or salesmanship. We are not selling anything! We are declaring the good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on behalf of sinners!
1. By God-centered evangelism
Our evangelism is to be God-centered rather than man-centered. "And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved." Much of the evangelism in our day is man-centered and man-generated. It is one man trying to get another man to make a decision. Yet Luke states that it was the Lord who was doing the adding or saving, not the apostles or other Christians. Obviously, He used them and their witness, but He is the only one who has the right or authority to add anyone to His Body. He alone can save! We are just messengers for His sake.
God-centered evangelism begins with God, not with the sinner. It points the sinner to the fact that God is creator and sovereign, that by virtue of creation every man has a duty to obey the laws of God. Then it shows him that his failure to obey the laws of God has left him under the just judgment of God. Then he explains the gospel, i.e., the death and resurrection of Christ and its purpose and power for sinners. He calls upon sinners to repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone to save them. Then, in God-centered evangelism, he leaves a sinner to the mercy and grace of God. He does not have to cajole or twist his arm to make a decision. He instead prays for the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit who alone can convert the sinner.
Man-centered evangelism seeks to avoid boxing a man into a corner concerning his sin. It may mention sin, but without understanding the problem of sin, that of offending the creator, the sinner does not grasp the need for the gospel. Thus the man-centered evangelist spends his time trying to persuade a sinner to make a decision to become a Christian when there is no serious conviction of sin and terror of the judgment of God in his heart. It seems to be the right thing to do, so he repeats a prayer and the man-centered evangelist tells him that he is saved. There is no concern for the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. There is no concern for deep conviction of sin. There is no concern for repentance. Just 'pray the prayer' and everything will be okay.
I challenge anyone to deduce that kind of evangelism from Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost! You cannot find it there, nor can you find it anywhere in the New Testament nor the Old Testament. It is not biblical!
2. By Church-related evangelism
Note that the Lord was "adding to their number." What number? That is an unmistakable reference to the church! The Lord was saving sinners and simultaneously adding them to the church. He was not adding them to something other than the church; but to the church.
I like the way John Stott expressed this: "He did not add them to the church without saving them (no nominal Christianity at the beginning), nor did he save them without adding them to the church (no solitary Christianity either). Salvation and church membership belonged together; they still do" (p. 87). You cannot separate the church from biblical evangelism. It is within the scope of the church that the new spiritual life is nurtured and developed. To attempt to do so outside the church is simply not biblical.
Ernie Reisinger, in his book, Today's Evangelism, explains that Peter and the disciples did not have a follow up program for these new converts. That does not mean they did not teach and encourage them for they did. But they did not have to coax them into spiritual growth. Reisinger states:
Why no follow-up program? Because in God-centered evangelism, God does something inwardly to sinners. It is not so much what the sinner does, but what God does. What the sinner does is the result of what God does. And when God does what only God can do, the sinner always does what he must do--repent toward God, believe the gospel and follow Christ. Follow-up is not necessary--the sinner willingly becomes a follower. [p. 92]
3. By Daily-life evangelism
The Lord was doing this saving work 'day by day'. Make no mistake about it: the Lord did the saving, but He used human instruments to communicate the gospel to sinners. He has not changed that practice since that time! He still uses people as His instruments in the work of evangelism. And the interesting thing is that He desires to use them day-by-day.
Evangelism for the early church was not some special push they did every quarter or even every week. It was not something that had to berate the congregation over to get them to participate. Instead, just as they worshiped each day and fed on the Word each day and fellowshipped each day, they witnessed as part of their daily lives. It was something they did in a natural way, rather than a rigid way. "Praise and proclamation" are "both the natural overflow of hearts full of the Holy Spirit" (Stott, 87).
Conclusion
We may not be able to clone ourselves in the exact manner of the first century church, nor do we even need to try to do so. That was a first century church, not a church in the 20th century. They had no buildings, budgets, programs. There was a grand simplicity about what they were doing. Are we to long for that? I don't think that is necessarily a wise thing to do. They had a lot happening, but they also had their flaws, which the Bible brings out quite clearly.
What we must do, though, is to learn the same patterns and principles that gave a foundation to the early church, then diligently pursue those things. And we have it clearly in our text. The question is, will each of us do our part in patterning ourselves after the New Testament church? Will you give attention to learning the Word and its doctrinal content? Will you give attention to relationships by sharing together and giving as God directs you? Will you give attention to worship in a renewed way, including making prayer a priority in your life? Will you give attention to God-centered evangelism through the church in your daily life?
May we consider these things and by God's grace obey!
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