The Blueprint For Christ's Church (Part 2) Series

THE BLUEPRINT FOR CHRIST’S CHURCH

Part 2

Acts 2:41-47

Recently I began to look through all of the many resources in my personal library. A great number of those books are focused on church growth, organization and church health. One of the books that I found 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 of those 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 very chapter that we have been studying for the past several weeks. The second chapter of Acts chronicles the birth and initial growth of the Church. In these verses and the (chapters that follow) we find 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 give 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 pick up where we left off last time and continue to examine “The Blueprint For Christ’s Church”.

On the Day of Pentecost, some 3,000 souls repented and believed in Christ. After this they began to study, pray, worship and serve together as members of Christ’s Church. 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. Let’s quickly review what we saw in part 1 of this message.

- We began by considering the importance of:

CONVERSION: The church began with the conversion of a great multitude. (v41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.) One of the first 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. Furthermore, they were consistent in their new way of life.

- We also saw 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.”) These new converts had a desire to spend time with the other people of God. Though there were many different people from different backgrounds, they were joined together by the common bond of Jesus Christ.

- 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 sought the Lord in prayer.

- 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”;

- So far we have seen the importance of conversion, doctrine, fellowship, prayer and power in the church. As we move deeper into the text we will also see the importance of:

UNITY

v44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

The believers consistently spent time together, Luke says that “all who believed were together, and had all things in common”. Throughout the Book of Acts you will see the phrase “in one accord”. They were of the same mind, they were focused on the same mission and they were not consumed with their own selfish desires. The members of the early Church were so overwhelmed by the love of God and their new life in Christ that they were not focused on the things of this world; they had no concern for material possessions or earthly wealth. There was a beautiful attitude of self-sacrifice that was prevalent in the early church.