Encouragement

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The Church to Emulate
By Henry Jaegers

“And all that be believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat there meet with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”(Acts 1:44-47)

If ever there was a church to pattern our church after the church mentioned in these verses would be the best to follow. If we are to attract people to our church we must be good role models to the people outside the church. One question that needs to be considered is: if you were to tell your friends that everyone in the church was like you would they want to come? This is a very important point. Notice at the end of these verses it tells us that the Lord added to the church daily those who would be saved. So a good starting point is to have a healthy church to begin with. We shall consider this. There are some things we don’t know about this church. First, how long after Pentecost did his church arrive at such a healthy state? From the context it seems like it was right away however, very often a church must experience some difficulty before they learn how to be kind. Then again, because of Pentecost, this is how they began. The Holy Spirit had an influence on the way they conducted themselves and their business and this would be the ideal explanation. They were under the influence the power of the Holy Spirit.

We have this verse in acts 2:41, 42, ”then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day they were added onto them about 3000 souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, and breaking of bread, and in prayers.

I. They were believers

They were not a group of various religionists with different beliefs and goals. They were followers of Jesus only and their devotion was to him alone. They were believers in the teaching that the apostles gave to them and the Holy Spirit was granted to them as evidence of their true faith. They were united as believers and committed followers of Jesus Christ and his teachings. They also receive the Holy Spirit on that day of Pentecost and they were unique because of the indwelling Holy Spirit. That is the starting point of a successful and growing church. Their belief with the head was amplified by their following him with their hearts and activated in daily living. We are also told that they gladly received his word; that means that following Jesus was not a burden? Why would to be free and forgiven of your sins be a burden for anyone? What a relief to experience the blessing of God by knowing that we are free from our sin and no longer its slaves. No wonder they were happy, the word they heard was a liberating word and they were experiencing the freedom that it promised. Jesus promises that same joy and gladness to those who willingly take up their cross and follow him.

II. The word was received with enthusiasm.

We cannot help but believe that the words spoken by the apostles were spoken enthusiastically, with faith, and inspiring hope. The type of message they preached produce the desired result in the people to whom they were speaking. There had to be a prayerful and careful presentation that was factually correct and doctrinally pure. There are preachers who produce more dread than hope. They present God has cruel and unjust and they declare a message to a people who are afraid. That is not the purpose of the gospel and that is not the kind of people that God prepares to do his service. I recall the church at Brea and in Acts17:11, saying ”and they received the word with all readiness of mind.” That means their hearts were ready for the message. They were hopeful in the desires and steadfast in their faith because that’s what the good news does. The gospel is good news and it alone produces good people. To the hearts of the Berean’s, it is like prepared fertile soil awaiting the planting of the seed. That’s what God wants our hearts to be like. That is a true work of the Holy Spirit.

III. They were Obedient

We are told that they were baptized. Now in those days that was no small matter. It identified them and marked them as followers of Jesus Christ in a society that was hostile to the Lord and to his followers. It was an open declaration of a choice that they had made and their willingness to suffer the consequences of being identified with Jesus. Today baptism is respectable. It does not have the stigma that it did in the days of the early church. When the child is baptized in the church today is a time for celebration amongst relatives and friends. And although baptism has become respectable, following Jesus is negatively received by the world. It means that you stand out as different and the world doesn’t want to be different, they want to stay where they are. Following Jesus involves being identified with truth and having a moral standard to live by. The world doesn’t want that they think they are free and they want to be left alone in their freedom. Just like in the time of Noah, he preached to them for 120 years and they laughed at him and mocked at him and one day the flood came and they were not laughing anymore. The world looks at the dedicated Christian as a fanatic, trying to ruin their fun but the truth is we are trying to deliver them from the fun that is going to ruin their souls. Our baptism today is a different baptism. It’s a baptism of a life and the light that shines in the darkness and the darkness is always trying to extinguish it. It takes courage to be a stand up Christian but what else can we do? A different life presented to the world is the only thing that will get their attention to help them see that something is missing from their life.


For the first 280 years, the followers of Jesus received nothing but persecution, first by the Jews and later by the oppressive emperors. Ironically during the reign of Constantine, Christianity gained respectability as people were baptized by force thus giving them a protection from oppressors. That is when the corruption of the church began and continued for thousands of years later.

Before us we have the biblical standard of what being a true Christian is all about. “They loved not their lives unto the death”. Their faith and their convictions were so strong that they were willing to lay down their lives for the same.

IV. They continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine.

The apostles doctrine was a teaching that they received by those who were taught directly by Jesus himself. They were the closest to the truth because of the time that they lived and the teaching they received. It was the apostles doctrine that later gave them a standard to judge false teachings, which later began to creep into the church. For instance, when the heresies of Gnosticism and Montanism began to have a great influence over the believers, it was the Apostles Creed that was formed, that gave them a standard to counteract these false teachers.

However, having the apostle’s doctrine was just the beginning. We are told that they continued steadfastly in this teaching. That means that the will was determination to believe them and embrace them and persevere through them. The early followers of Jesus embrace these principles and it was reflected in their life and in their purpose. It would be nice today if Christians were able to persuade the world that they were sincere and truly believed what they claim that the Bible teaches. The world needs to know that we are serious about the truth we proclaim and they need to see it displayed in our conduct and in our reactions.

V. They provided Christian Fellowship.

How important it was, that at this time of great persecution and trouble, there were other Christians available to provide support, strength, and encouragement. I always appreciated the testimony of the apostle John on the island of Patmos when he referred to himself as “your brother and companion in tribulation”. The early Christians knew the importance of providing encouragement, for they also passed through the same tribulations. Their support was born out of their own struggles and they had sincere compassion for others who are hurting. There are many today who claim to be Christians who entertain the idea that they do not need Christian Fellowship. Of course all of this changes when they themselves face opposition and struggles that are beyond their own resources to overcome. At my place of employment, I am constantly amazed at the little church that exists at work. There are Christians with different beliefs yet they are there for one another to encourage and support their brothers and sisters in Christ.

In Hebrews chapter 10 we are giving these very important words in verses 24 and 25. “And let us consider one another to unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” When the times of the great tribulation are taking place, it’s going to be the comfort and the support of fellow Christians that will help us through that terrible time. While it is important for us to receive Fellowship, it is equally important that we provide it. In this early church, everyone recognize the importance of Fellowship and tragically it takes difficulty for us to recognize its importance.

VI. Sharing their material substance.(Breaking of bread)

Do not interpret this statement as meaning sharing the sacraments together. That is important but it doesn’t take care of those who were suffering hunger and poverty because of their faith. Later on in this chapter we have a detailed explanation of what breaking of bread really means. Consider this verse
“And all that be believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat there meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”(Acts 1:44-47), Imagine this happening today. We have before us a church that exhibited what the true church is supposed to be. Note also the results, “ that God added daily to the church those whom He chose to save.

VII. The importance of praying.

How shall we express this matter of the importance of praying? It is one thing that Satan tries to keep us from doing. Prayer is the hand that reaches up to God to bring down His power and blessing. Who of us is worthy of this matter? Perhaps we may look inwardly and think: who am I to venture into this great responsibility. I have been approached by people with great burdens on their heart asking me to say a prayer. Even unsaved people know the value even though they do not understand what it is. I must confess, that it has been a neglected area for a long time in my life and I really did not know how to pray effectively. Then one day I realized that prayer starts with God. It is He who places the need and the desire in my heart to pray for others. All I could do at times is pray “Lord I believe, help thou my unbelief.” It is often when I feel powerless myself that God moves and enables me to pray effectively.

Things have changed with me lately. I see people around me with great needs and have no resource for solution to their problems. I find these are the opportune moments to bring their needs before the throne of God and seek God’s hand to move in their lives. Praying is an opportunity. I am reminded of that verse in James that says, “the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous person availeth much” (James 5:16). As I engage in this matter of prayer, I am always forced to look inwardly to see if there is anything in my life that would hinder God from answering my prayer for another. So when I pray for others I am at the same time examining my heart and proving myself worthy of an answer (not that any of us is ever worthy.) Praying for others is one of the greatest evangelistic tools we have as they open many opportunities for us to share the love of God with others. Never under- estimate the importance of prayer. It was important for the early church and it is equally important for us today.

God has given to us in these scriptures a pattern for growing a successful church but that starts with successfully growing a Christian. It is God who adds to the church but it is the Christian’s responsibility and opportunity to provide these Christian virtues.

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