What Should the Church Be Like?
What should a church be like? That’s a great question, and I believe the answer is found in the story of the first followers of Jesus. After all, if there is a Christian church that today’s churches should emulate, shouldn’t it be the very first church?
So, what were the characteristics of the early Christians? What defined their church? We find the answers in Luke’s book, The Acts of the Apostles. Ultimately, he shares with us quite a few things that the early believers did, but let’s focus on his first description.
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47 NLT)
In this passage, we see that the early believers committed themselves to six things; truth, fellowship, giving, prayer, worshipping together, celebrating the Lord’s Supper.
TRUTH — “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”
What did they teach, when did they teach, and where did they teach?
The apostles had two things from which to teach; the Old Testament scriptures and the education they received from Jesus. From this, they taught that the Old Testament pointed to Jesus and He was the hope and the fulfillment of it all. Jesus was the one who gave value and meaning to every command and principle found in Scripture. Those first followers wholly committed themselves to the revelation of who Jesus is.
As to when and where they taught, from this text, we see that the apostles were daily meeting in the temple and in people’s homes. For them, teaching the truths of Jesus was an everyday experience.
If today’s Christians want to be like the first followers of Jesus, then we must also have an unwavering commitment to teaching the truth on a daily basis.
FRIENDSHIP – “They devoted themselveS… to fellowship.”
Relationships matter and they do because our relationships really help to shape who we are. This principle is taught in the Old Testament and it was exampled in the life of Jesus. The first Christians embraced this truth and were intentional in getting together to build friendships.
If today’s Christians want to experience Christ in the way that they early believers experienced Him, we must also be intentional about coming together to build spiritual friendships and community.
GIVING — “They devoted themselveS… to sharing.”
God is a generous giver and there is no greater example of this than, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” He didn’t have to give and we didn’t deserve what He gave. But it is who He is.
Likewise, the first church was committed to generosity. They gave of their time, their money, and their abilities. They made great sacrifices to help other Christians.
If today’s church is going to experience the same presence and power, then we too must become devoted to sharing our part of our day, some of our resources, and our skills with others.
PRAYER — “They devoted themselves… to prayer.”
It is mentioned quite a bit in Scripture that the early Christians met frequently for prayer. It was central to their lives. In Acts 3, we see that Peter and John were going to the Temple to gather with other believers for a designated hour of prayer.
What might happen if every Christian made prayer a top priority, if they committed to gathering with other believers for a time of prayer?
If today’s church wants to mirror and experience what the first Christian church experienced, then we must be a church that gathers for prayer.
WORSHIP — “They worshipped together at the Temple each day.”
The first believers lived in Jerusalem and their lives centered around the Temple. As Christianity spread, those who lived in other towns and villages would gather in other places to worship. From other accounts in Scripture, we know that these gatherings included singing, teaching, and praying. For them, church was not a one day a week occurrence, it was a lifestyle. Perhaps today’s churches cannot gather every day as they did, but we can devote ourselves to faithfully gathering to worship.
If today’s Christians want to experience God in the same way that the first believers experienced Him, then we must be devoted to gathering for worship.
THE LORD’S SUPPER — “They… met in homes for the Lord’s Supper.”
The purpose of celebrating communion is to remember that Jesus died for us. If ever there was a group who shouldn’t need a reminder that Jesus had died in their place, it would have been the first followers of Christ who were eyewitnesses. And yet, Luke says that they regularly met together in their homes to celebrate and remember that Jesus had died a horrific death so that we could live. Notice, they didn’t gather at church to celebrate The Lord’s Supper, they gathered in their homes.
If today’s Christians want to be all that God wants for them to be, we must be believers who regularly pause to celebrate and remember His death.
WHAT SHOULD TODAY’S CHURCH BE LIKE?
A lot has changed since the church was born in Acts 2. Technology, culture, and philosophy are all continuously reshaping society. And, as a result, there are many things about today’s churches that are different from the early church. Nevertheless, if today’s churches hope to experience the presence and power of God that those first believers experienced, we must be churches that commit ourselves to truth, fellowship, giving, prayer, worshipping together, and celebrating the Lord’s Supper.