I always wanted to be a fly on the wall of the early church. Okay, not really a fly on the wall, but rather a young woman who grew up experiencing and living out what Luke describes in Acts 2.
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Throughout my life, I have been blessed to experience this same spirit in a number of congregations. When I see this in action, I notice a few key elements, as we see described in the text, that are vital to reliving and reviving the spirit of the early church.
• Devoted to the apostles teaching: Without time in the Word, how can we achieve a spirit of unity? It is Christ that makes us one. And when we dig into the Bible together, we gain new depth of understanding and breadth of perspective.
• Devoted to fellowship: Can we be one without spending time together? Sounds simple, but in our busy, harried schedules, time together must become a priority.
• Devoted to the breaking of bread: Food! Whether this is in reference to the Lord’s Supper (which was more than a crumb of cracker and half-sip of juice), or to a shared meal, the importance of breaking bread together, eating together, fellowshipping at potlucks, learning what others do and don’t like to eat... it is all part of the design.
• Devoted to prayer: When we gather together, we cannot neglect the importance of communication with the Father, as one voice, in prayer. Praise, confession, requests, thanksgiving... each facet of prayer, important on our own, is enriched through our prayer time together.
• Believers were together: Did I mention that they spent time together? We aren’t talking about Facebook time, rather face-to-face time. And how much togetherness can we achieve if we are only sitting shoulder to shoulder on Sundays?
• Believers had everything in common: Spend that much time together and you get to know one another on a much deeper level—shared dreams, frustrations, and lives. We become one as Jesus and His Father were one.
• Needs were met: The priority was “everyone” and “one another.” My personal needs paled in comparison to everyone else’s.
• Every day! Did I mention how much time they spent together?
• Temple courts: Yes, it is important for us to gather for corporate times of worship, fellowship, and teaching.
• In each other’s homes: But we cannot ignore the importance of opening our homes to one another, breaking bread, and eating together.
• With glad and sincere hearts: What a joy to be with other Christians!
• Praising God: There are so many “God stories” to share—testimonies of how He is working and opportunities for us to give Him all the glory.
• Enjoying the favor of all the people: What a joyously infectious life.
• The Lord added to their number daily: God brings the growth, but there was seed planting and watering—evangelism at its finest—that facilitated that growth.
Let’s live it like the early church... together!