THE BLUEPRINT FOR CHRIST’S CHURCH
Part 1
Acts 2:41-47
In February of 1979 Stockdale’s previous sanctuary burned to the ground; within just a few months this current sanctuary was erected. The men of the church in those days didn’t just go purchase thousands of dollars’ worth of materials and come back to this property and start nailing boards together. In fact, I have been told that serval of them went and toured other buildings to find inspiration and ideas for a new sanctuary. After deciding on a design plans were made, blueprints were drawn up, materials were gathered and then the work began. Several years later another church a few miles from here took those very same blueprints and built a sanctuary that is almost identical to this one. This building is still standing some 43 years later because the blueprints were followed and it was built the right way.
In the second chapter of Acts, we find a blueprint for Christ’s Church. The actions of those early converts to Christianity show us exactly how God intended for His Church to operate. The reason that the Church is still standing some 2,000 years later is because it was built the right way. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and indwelt the Believers who were gathered. They began to speak in other tongues and praise God. Many Jews came to where they were gathered and witnessed this mighty work of God. They were confused as to what they were witnessing and Peter took the opportunity to address that multitude and share with them the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some 3,000 of those Jews responded to the Gospel by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ; they were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.
The following verses show us the great change that God brought into the lives of these people. Luke goes on to tell us how they spent their days after coming to faith in Christ. In doing so, he gives us a blueprint for how Christ’s church has operated throughout the ages and how it should operate today. I would like for us to examine certain attributes that are seen among the first century Church and to examine “The Blueprint For Christ’s Church”.
Peter ended his sermon with a final call and an invitation to those in attendance to "Be saved from this perverse generation." The proper response to the message that Peter had shared was for those Jews to repent of their sins, acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, trust Him as Savior, surrender to Him as Lord and then renounce their connection with rebellious Israel and identify with Christ through Baptism.
We do not know how many were gathered at Pentecost, but we do know that some 3,000 of them responded by repenting and believing in Christ. After this they began to study, pray, worship and serve together as members of Christ’s Church. When examining the actions and the attributes of those in the first century Church, we see the things that God would have His people to be involved in today. As I previously mentioned, we have a “blueprint” for the Church.
The first century church exhibited and experienced Conversion, Doctrine, Fellowship, Prayer, Power, Unity, Compassion, Steadfastness, Worship, Influence and Growth. Each of these attributes should be evident within Christ’s Church today.
- Let’s begin by considering the importance of:
CONVERSION
Christ’s church began with the conversion of a great multitude of people. v41 says “Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.” These “three thousand souls” were added to the Apostles and the rest of the 120 believers who had received the Holy Spirit. When these people arrived they were cynical and confused by what they saw, but when they left they were converted and part of the Church.
Christ’s Church is made up of born again followers of Jesus Christ. If you have not been converted, you are not part of the Church. You may be a “member” of a local assembly, but you are not part of the true Church.
Pentecost was the beginning of a new life for these converts. Unlike many today, they did not make a profession of faith, follow up with believer’s baptism and then isolate themselves from the rest of the church. (Such actions are cause for concern about the authenticity of the professed conversion).
- One of the first (and most important) things that these new coverts became involved in was learning more about Jesus. This shows us the importance of:
DOCTRINE
v42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
The people “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine”; this means that they: listened, learned and obeyed the teaching of the Apostles. The “Apostles doctrine” was Christ’s doctrine; Jesus chose these men and spent several years teaching, training and preparing them to teach others. The doctrine that they taught included what Jesus had taught them during His earthly ministry; and it included the things He taught them between His resurrection and ascension.
Just before He ascended, Jesus instructed the Apostles to “make disciples of all nations”, this work began at Pentecost and this is the work that these men were involved in for the remainder of their lives. The Apostles doctrine was delivered verbally to those in the early church and it has been recorded for us in the New Testament.
- Like those first Christians, we should “continue steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine.” Moving on, we will see that another important aspect of the early church was:
FELLOWSHIP
v42 “they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
The Greek word translated “fellowship” speaks of sharing in the lives of other believers. These new converts had a desire to spend time with the other people of God. They were joined together by the common bond of Jesus Christ. They learned together, prayed together, worshipped together and served together. Their fellowship serves as a model for how the church should operate in our day.
An important part of the fellowship within the church was “the breaking of bread”. In the New Testament, breaking bread refers to the Lord’s Supper as well as sharing common meals together. Acts 20:7 reveals that was customary for the Christians in the early church to “break bread” on the first day of the week. It was also common in those early days for the Christians to observe what was called an “agape” (or love) feast prior to the observance of the Lord’s Supper. At this feast the Church would gather together for a fellowship meal and express their love for one another. However, over time this feast became corrupted by certain individuals. Paul referenced this in I Corinthians 11. While giving instructions for observing the Lord’s Supper he said:
“Now in giving these instructions I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse. For first of all, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it. For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you. Therefore when you come together in one place, it is not to eat the Lord's Supper. For in eating, each one takes his own supper ahead of others; and one is hungry and another is drunk. (1 Corinthians 11:17-21)
Over time (and likely due to the abuses that were prevalent) the Agape feast was discontinued. However, it is common in most local assemblies for God’s people to gather together from time to time and break bread during a fellowship meal. This is a very beneficial time for the local church. But more important than sharing a common meal together is the act of observing the Lord’s Supper as a body of believers. Fellowship meals are not an ordinance, but the Lord’s Supper is. The members of the early church made the Lord’s Supper a priority, they faithfully obeyed this ordinance and we should as well.
- Another vital element of the early church was:
PRAYER
Throughout Acts we see many occasions where the Church prayed together. The Believers gathered on a regular basis and cried out to the Lord in prayer. This was an act of dependence upon the Lord; the Church assembled and praised God for all that He had done and they sought His will for their lives and for the church as a whole. It is essential that today’s church spends ample time together in prayer. Individual prayer is vital in the life of a Christian and corporate prayer is vital to the health of the local church.
- Another important aspect of the early Church was:
POWER
v43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
The Holy Spirit had descended and indwelt the followers of the Lord. His presence was evident in the “wonders and signs” that He performed “through the Apostles”. As a result of this power “fear came upon every soul”; the witnesses of these signs and wonders were filled with reverential awe as a result of the power and presence of the Holy Spirit. I am not implying that we will speak in other languages, heal the sick or raise the dead, but when the people of Christ’s Church are fully surrendered to Him, we will possess power. Like those in the early church, we will see some amazing things when the Lord begins to move in and through His people!
The following verses show us that the first century Church possessed unity and compassion. They were a group of people who were steadfast and committed to the cause of Christ and the mission of the Church. They were also actively involved in the worship of the Lord and they had a tremendous impact on the world around them. The number of the believers increased exponentially on the Day of Pentecost and as these new converts began to live, worship and serve together, that number continued to increase. The first century church experienced the blessings of God and Luke declares that “the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
It seems that every time I go to a minister’s conference or a convention of some sort, I receive a free book that is aimed at church growth. Every few months there is a new program or method introduced that is centered on revival, revitalization and church growth. Without a doubt there are some great resources available to churches in our day. But if we really want to see the Church grow, then we do not need to look any farther than the Book of Acts; for there we will we find the blueprint for Christ’s Church. It begins with a group of people who are saved and radically transformed by Jesus Christ. Following this, those believers spend time in God’s Word and studying Christian doctrine. They also spend time fellowshipping, praying, and worshipping together. When these things happen those Christians will experience power and they will have an influence on the world around them. Furthermore, those within the church will possess unity, compassion and love for one another. Christ will be their focus, ministry will be there desire and God will provide the desired growth. Just as He did in the early Church, The Lord will add to the Church, He is the one who will bring the increase. Great things are possible for the Church when we follow the blueprint that He has given us in Acts Chapter 2.
I don’t know about you, but I want to be a part of a church that resembles the first century Church! While it is vital that we look to God’s Word for how the Church should operate, it is even more important for you to ensure that you are a part of Christ’s Church. Have you been born again? Have you repented and believed in Jesus Christ for salvation? If not, I implore you to surrender to Him today, and then you can experience the same things that those new converts experienced at Pentecost and beyond. For those who have been saved, let us look to the blueprint God has given us and become actively involved in Christ’s Church!
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