As I begin this article, I have before me a recipe for French Strawberry Crepes, a delight that is loved around the world. Of course, having strawberries in a bowl alone is not enough to produce all the delicacy of a strawberry crepe.
According to the recipe before me, one needs to add ingredients like milk, eggs, flour, water, vanilla extract, salt, and sugar to get the flavor that strawberry crepes are famous for.
In fact, all these ingredients must be added in the right amounts to taste a delicious and unforgettable strawberry crepe.
Likewise, there are some characteristic ingredients that are needed for a church to truly glorify God.
Reading the Book of Acts 2:42-47, we see 7 characteristics (you can find more) that were visible in the first century church. These characteristics made the church of that day a powerhouse in its community.
We may just need to replicate these characteristics today in the Body of Christ, with everyone playing their part, so that we can continue to bring glory to God. Here are the 7 characteristics I see in the Acts 2:42-47 passage:
1. A church built on the Holy Word of God
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles” (Acts 2:42)
The believers dedicated themselves to the teaching of the holy Word of God. This means that they loved to listen, receive and obey the teachings of the Word as indicated by the Apostles.
I have a picture of them sitting down and ‘immersing themselves’ in the teaching of God’s Word and this helped them grow in their faith. The Word of God was one of the dominant guiding factors in what that church stood for.
Fortunately, the power of God’s Word is still good for us today.
I have been reading the Wilmington Guide to the Bible, and in the section titled ‘The Doctrine of the Bible’, the author refers to people from all walks of life and professions, whose lives have been profoundly impacted by the Scriptures.
It features quotes from presidents, prime ministers, scientists, historians, doctors, lawyers, educators, philosophers, writers, astronomers, and many others to show how lives can be transformed and impacted. Such is the power of the Word of God!
Let us continue to emphasize the teaching of God’s Word to our children, our youth, our young adults, our adults, and our families.
May we faithfully teach the Word of truth through our pulpits and our classrooms as directed by Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 so that God may be glorified through transformed lives.
May we encourage our people to spend more time in his Word than on Facebook, social media, politics, sports, and other activities. Because everything else except the Word of God will pass away one day (Matthew 24:35).
2. A friendly church
“They dedicated themselves… to communion” (Acts 2:42)
As I read this passage, I can’t help but feel that this church was a place where that was happening. It was an attractive place with a warm, family feeling where people felt they belonged.
This is probably why in Acts 2:46 it says that “Every day they continued to meet together. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.
The words ‘glad’ and ‘honest hearts’ show that they clearly enjoyed being a part of the community every day, and that there was a lot of godly love spreading far and wide.
Referring to this passage, the IVP Commentary on the New Testament by Craig S Keener says: “Fellowship at table denoted intimacy, and discussions or even conferences at meals were common.”
Much has been said about how impersonal and hostile many churches are today. Could we therefore strive to model what we read in Acts 2 and ask God to help us reach out in love and friendship to those around us?
In an article by Pastor Rick Warren that I read, he says, “Our churches should be zones of no shame, places for broken people to come when they are hurt.”
Let us also learn to appreciate all who worship and serve in the Body, especially those who are not publicly seen. Let us continue to encourage the regular gathering of God’s people in an atmosphere of love through small groups, Bible studies, and meaningful fellowship.
3. A church energized by prayer and worship
“They devoted themselves… to prayer” (Acts 2:42)
The believers were in constant prayer and worship, both individual and corporate, which in turn energized everything they did.
In fact, when the apostles were threatened in Acts 4:18, their response under threat was to “lift up their voices together in prayer to God” (Acts 4:24). Acts 2:47 tells us that they were “praising God (daily) and enjoying favor with all the people.”
As a child, when participating in a sporting event, my parents would give me glucose or a relevant drink to provide extra energy for the game. Today’s athletes drink energy drinks and vitamins, along with other supplements that are allowed, to give them added strength for their events. We are also constantly looking for ways to energize our thinking, our health, and our work.
However, the church of Acts was energized by prayer and worship. When they prayed and worshipped, the rooms were literally shaken, as seen in Acts 4:31 and Acts 16:25-26.
As we too focus on more prayer and worship, individually and corporately, our churches will be energized to accomplish greater works for God.
Alfred Lord Tennyson famously said. “Prayer wrought more things than this world dreams of,” as Charles Spurgeon once said, “We shall never see much change for the better in our churches in general, until prayer-meeting takes a higher place in the esteem of men.” Christians.”
A praying and worshiping church brings glory to God.
4. A church powered by the Holy Spirit
“Everyone was amazed, and the apostles did many wonders and miraculous signs” (Acts 2:43)
We often see company websites saying they are ‘Powered by X’ or ‘Powered by Y’ to validate the strength of a brand. However, the church in Acts was driven by the Holy Spirit. As a result, signs, wonders, and miracles were a common occurrence and “everyone was amazed.”
According to the Dictionary, the meaning of the word ‘awe’ is defined as “A feeling of awe mingled with…wonder.” It indicates something that cannot be explained naturally. Therefore, we can conclude that the apostles were performing many supernatural acts.
This power at work through the Holy Spirit is further emphasized in Acts 4:33 where it says, “With great power the apostles continued to testify of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” and in Acts 5:12, it says, “The apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders among the people.”
When the church of Jesus Christ and Christian families are under severe attack by the forces of darkness, let us pray for a new infusion of the power of the Holy Spirit among his people. That we may experience that power every time congregations come together to worship the Savior.
Truly, the Lord will be glorified!
5. A church marked by generosity
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. By selling his possessions and goods, they gave it to anyone as he needed it ” (Acts 2:44-45)
What amazing generosity is revealed in these verses! As the church grew by leaps and bounds and the numbers increased rapidly, many urgent needs arose.
The believers responded magnificently by sharing everything they had to meet those needs. As a result, the Lord was glorified.
The church of our days must also be marked by an overflowing generosity.
6. A church that evangelizes daily
“And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved”( Acts 2:47 ).
People being saved daily indicated that believers shared the Gospel daily.
The Book of Acts shows us that regular evangelism was the clear pattern of his ministry. They refused to be detained, even when they were threatened, beaten or imprisoned.
As they continued to evangelize, Acts 5:14 shows that “more and more men and women believed in the Lord and added to their number.”
Even when the church was later scattered under Saul’s cruel persecution, the Bible says “Those…were scattered and preached the Word wherever they went” (Acts 8:4).
The soul-winning heart needs to be renewed within the Body of Christ today because every saved soul brings glory to God. As someone said: “We were not called to farm fish, but to fish!” Let us continue to share the Gospel when and where an opportunity arises.
I read the story in a devotional book by a Christian whose neighbor was an avid golfer. It just so happened that they both left their houses at about the same time on Sunday mornings, one to go to the golf course and the other to go to church.
The neighbor apparently invited the Christian to join him on the golf course many times, but the offer was always politely declined due to the fact that he had to be in church at the time.
One day after another invitation to play golf on a Sunday was politely declined, the neighbor said, “It’s strange, isn’t it?
Although I have invited you to play golf many times on Sundays, you have not invited me to your church once!
7. A church of extreme devotion
“They devoted themselves…” (Acts 2:42)
You could tell that the Christians were totally and extremely dedicated to everything that has been shared in this article.
They were committed to the Word of God, communion, prayer and worship, the work of the Holy Spirit, generosity and evangelism.
This devotion was very different from what was exemplified through the temple or synagogues and challenged the religious culture of the time.
Today, the word “extremist” has many negative connotations such as “illegal,” “violent,” “fanatic,” and “militant.” However, these believers displayed an extremism that had only one purpose and goal; that was to bring glory to God! Such was their lifestyle that they did it daily.
Let us too be extreme in our devotion to the living God so that we may glorify his name!
Palitha Jayasooriya it is…