The Blueprint For Christ's Church Series

THE BLUEPRINT FOR CHRIST’S CHURCH

Acts 2:41-47

(Antioch Baptist Church: Wednesday, June 11th, 2025)

If you look through the vast resources in my personal library you would notice that great number of those books are focused on church growth, organization and church health. One book is focused on churches that are dead; another describes how to bring a dead church back to life, then another is aimed at stopping a church from dying. I have some books that talk about starting a church, some tell how to “replant” a church and there are many that tell how to grow a church. There are several others that are centered on church revitalization and revival. Ironically, many books focused on “how to do it”, were written by people who have never done it.

I do not mean to be hypercritical about every book that is written with the intention of helping pastors and assisting churches, there are certainly some great resources that are available. However, I am of the opinion that everything we need to know about starting a church, revitalizing a church and growing a church is found on the pages of God’s Holy Word.

One of the most important passages concerning the Church is the second chapter of Acts. This portion of God’s Word chronicles the birth and initial growth of the Church. In the closing verses of this chapter and the chapters that follow we are given a blueprint for Christ’s Church. On the Day of Pentecost some 3,000 people responded to the Gospel by repenting and believing in Jesus Christ; they were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. The actions that follow show us how Christ’s church has operated throughout the ages and how it should operate today. I would like for us to walk through these verses together and examine “The Blueprint For Christ’s Church”.

After the mass conversion that occurred on the day of Pentecost, Christ’s people began to study, pray, worship and serve together. The Apostles and others followed the blueprint what was provided by Jesus Christ and the reason that the Church is still standing some two thousand years later is because it was built the right way. When examining the actions, attitudes, 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.

Peter ended his sermon at Pentecost 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, renounce their connection with rebellious Israel, and identify with Christ through Baptism.

Luke tells us that a multitude of Jews responded by repenting and believing in Christ. After this they began to study, pray, worship and serve together as members of Christ’s Church. Those early converts to Christianity 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. Verse 41 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 comprised 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.