ACTS CHAPTER 2:42-47, “Body
Life In The Early Church”
by
Jim Bomkamp
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In the last 3 weeks we have
looked at
1.1.1.
The disciples being told to
tarry in
1.1.2.
The outpouring of the Holy
Spirit on the day of Pentecost which came with incredible phenomena upon all of
the believers there present, and that this phenomena then set the stage for the
preaching of the gospel to the vast crowd which came together after hearing the
mighty rushing wind
1.1.3.
The first sermon preached by
the church, which Peter preached, and which ended with a huge ingathering of
new converts to Christianity, 3,000 being added to the church on that day
1.2.
We saw how that the book of
Acts is a book of ‘first things’, and that everything that happened so far was
something of a ‘first thing’
1.3.
We also have seen at every
step of our journey how that the early church is to be the model which the
church of all eras is to emulate, for it was the most successful and least
corrupted generation ever for the church
1.4.
Today, we are going to look
at life in the early church, or the first generation church
1.4.1.
We will see that the first
generation stuck to the basics of what was really important in their personal
and corporate life, and that as a result it grew in might and size. They stayed their course by continually keeping
to the essentials of
1.4.1.1.The apostles’ teaching
1.4.1.2.Fellowship
1.4.1.3.Breaking of bread (what we
call communion)
1.4.1.4.Prayer
2.
VS 2:42 - “42 And they were
continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to
the breaking of bread and to prayer” -
Luke tells us what the four staples of the early church consisted of
2.1.
In the early church’s body life we see that they were very simplistic and
sayed with the basics, which is unlike the church today. In the Calvary Chapels we try to stay away
from the idea of programs and having committees, etc. because we realize the
importance of keeping church life simple and staying with the basics
2.1.1. I got a friend’s news letter
from the denominational church which he pastors a couple of weeks ago, and in
the letter he said that he had finally gotten fed up with committees in his
church and so he had made a big effort to get rid of all of the committees, and
he was very blessed to say that the they had purged almost all of the
committees in the church, and now that only had 11 committees left. The amazing thing about it is that they don’t
even have 200 adults attending his church!
2.2.
It is sad in the mainstream church today though how that we have made the
church be so complicated with all of our philosophies and secular models which
we have introduced, for it seems that the church leaders today seem to believe
that what the Bible reveals that the church did when it was in its glory and
height is no longer relevant, but rather it is only the latest and greatest
church growth research which should be studied and followed
2.2.1. The problem with this is
that the church belongs to Christ, and as we saw in our first study, He said
that He will build His church (Matt. 16:18)
2.2.2. And, if the Lord does not
build the house those who build it do so in vain (Ps. 127:1)
2.3.
Well, we see here in this verse how the Lord blessed the church because
they stayed together and they met together before the Lord, and it was the
Lord’s presence in their midst that truly made their meetings glorious. The Lord’s presence in our assembling as a
church should always be the thing that makes our meetings glorious. Spurgeon once preached about how wherever the
church meets, she meets in a ‘palace’ for she comes before the King of Kings in
those times, “Consider then her
palaces. Where are the palaces, and what are they? Consider then, my brethren,
the place where the saints worship, for where the saints meet together for
prayer and praise, there are the palaces. Consider them and mark them
well, to love them and say, “How amiable are thy tabernacles, oh! Lord of Host,
my King and my God.” Consider the palaces of Christian fellowship, for if it be
in a barn, when Christians meet together, they make a palace of it. Consider
the palace of fellowship with Christ. Wherever we meet with him, we are at once
in a palace. Consider the palaces of the promises — that it is better than a
promise which is spoken of in that word, “He shall cover thee with his
feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.” These will be our
dwelling-places in all ages, and it is infinitely better than any earthly
palace can possibly be. “Consider her palaces””
2.4.
The four staples of the early church then were
2.4.1. The apostles’ teaching
2.4.1.1.The early church had the Old Testament scriptures as a
guide, and we see this demonstrated by the many many references to the Old
Testament in the New Testament writings, for the church did not put aside the
Old Testament because they were now in the new covenant, but rather they
realized that God’s wisdom is timeless and that there was much to be learned by
carefully studying the Old Testament
2.4.1.2.In Hebrews 10:17, it is recorded that Jesus said that
‘in the volume of the book it is written of Me’, and as the apostles
continually taught the people the Old Testament scriptures they were able to
bring out Jesus to them as He, and the laws of the new covenant are foretold in
the Old Testament
2.4.1.3.The New Testament had not yet been written as the
apostles did not initially sense the Lord leading them to begin writing
2.4.1.4.The apostles did however begin to teach the people the
things that Jesus had taught them, and some of these teachings involved
interpreting the Old Testament scriptures accurately
2.4.1.4.1.Since Peter was told by Jesus to ‘feed My sheep’, he
initially was both the spokesman for the early church as well as the primary
teacher, however that emphasis changed over time
2.4.1.4.2.We see later in the book of Acts a few incidents that
prove that James (probably the brother of Jesus) actually became the pastor of
the church in
2.4.1.5.In the New Testament it appears that there were some
teachings , etc. that were written down early in this first generation of the
church, and these writings served as tools for teaching instruction and
doctrine in the early church
2.4.1.6.We today have the Bible readily available to us, and
therefore in the church it is of utmost importance that we in the church teach
the ‘full counsel’ of God’s Word and thus equip the saints for the work of
service
2.4.1.6.1.This is not at all where the mainstream church in
America is going these days, for in many of the churches it is in vogue to not
bring your Bible to church, and church leaders are often following so closely
the ‘seeker sensitive’ trail that they don’t teach in-depth Bible studies nor
quote much from scripture so that they won’t offend a visitor to the church
2.4.1.6.2.We in the Calvary Chapels believe that church services
are primarily for the believers, not the lost whom we are to go outside of the
church to reach, and therefore we teach verse by verse expositionally
throughout the whole Bible, and this then provides the best edification of the
believers in Christ in the fellowship
2.4.1.6.2.1.Many years ago after graduating from a Bible school at
a major denomination’s university, I realized this and left that denomination
to attend a Bible teaching church because every single ministry in the churches
of that denomination involved evangelism, and yet the church members themselves
were not being built up and equipped in their faith in Christ
2.4.1.7.In John 8:31, Jesus told His disciples, “If you continue
in My Word, then are you indeed My disciples, and you shall know the truth and
the truth shall set you free”, therefore it is imperative that the church
continually teach God’s people from His Word
2.4.2. Fellowship
2.4.2.1.The early church knew the importance of ‘staying’ in
fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ, for they realized that there is
strength and a bond that is deeper than blood between them
2.4.2.2.We in the church need each other in our lives, and we
as Christ’s church need to come together corporately to worship, pray, and
study His Word together
2.4.2.3.It has always been such an encouragement to me in my
walk to fellowship with a brother or a sister in the Lord, for when we share
our struggles together we both encourage each other to continue steadfast in
the things that are right and good in God’s sight
2.4.2.4.Often times we seem to think that we are all alone in
our struggles and that surely no one else can understand what we are going
through, for surely others cannot be struggling as we are, yet as we fellowship
with brothers and sisters in Christ we begin to realize that we are all going
through the same types of things
2.4.3. Breaking of
bread (what we call ‘the Lord’s Supper’ or ‘communion’)
2.4.3.1.The Lord only gave the church two ordinances when He
was on earth, to ‘baptize’ new believers, and to remember Him through observing
the Lord’s Supper
2.4.3.1.1.It was in on the night before He was betrayed that He
observed ‘the last supper’ with His disciples, and it was at this time that He
taught them to observe this, as Luke 22:19-20 points out, “19 And when He
had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it, and gave it to them,
saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
20 And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup
which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood”
2.4.3.1.2.This is such a critical aspect of church life, for
observing the Lord’s Supper together brings us all together to the foot of the
cross, and it is only at that place that the ground is truly level, for that is
where we realize that we are all sinners saved by God’s grace, and thus when we
come to the Lord’s table and corporately remember Him we are all placed in our
proper relationship to the Lord and to each other
2.4.3.1.3.The Lord has called us to do this ‘in remembrance of
Me’, and the reason that we need to do it is because we are so quick to forget
what it is that the Lord did for us on Calvary, and that is the most important
thing for us to ever keep in mind
2.4.3.1.3.1.Thus, we observe the Lord’s supper to remember Jesus
and what He did for us, not that we might receive grace or obtain forgiveness
of sin through observing it, as some churches teach
2.4.3.2.In the Calvary Chapels we typically observe the Lord’s
Supper only once a month, however there is nothing wrong with observing it more
often
2.4.4. Prayer
2.4.4.1.There is such power in
corporate prayer as well as prayer in any small groups, for the Lord mightily
answers our prayers when we come together united in His cause and pleading to
Him in faith according to His revealed will
2.4.4.2.I have been disappointed
many times when Christians have said to me that they do not want to come to
prayer meetings and groups because they have said that it was boring, for this
2.4.4.2.1.Reveals such a
short-sightedness and a lack of understanding
2.4.4.2.2.We can only wonder at what
great things the Lord might have done if only we had gather together with our
brothers and sisters in the Lord for prayer
2.4.4.3.This quote from the Gospel
Herald reveals how that prayer was the Secret Of The Greatest Missionaries, “The
men who have accomplished most for God have been men of prayer. John Wesley was
wont to spent at least two hours each day in prayer. Samuel Rutherford rose at
three o’clock each morning to wait upon God. John Fletcher was said to have
stained the walls of his chamber by the breath of his prayers. The greatest
missionaries have been uniformly men of prayer.
Think of David Brainerd dying at the age of twenty-nine, and Henry
Martyn at the age of thirty-one, and yet their names stand out as among the
brightest stars in the missionary firmament. These young men exerted a profound
influence not only upon their own generation, but upon all succeeding
generations as well. It was not by their actual labors, which were soon cut
off, so much as by their prayer life and their resultant saintly characters”
2.4.4.4.What mighty doors can be
opened only by prayer, as this story about a man named David Brainerd who
prayed for the conversion of the Indians reveals, “David Brainerd was a man
of great spiritual power. The work which he accomplished by prayer was simply
marvelous. Dr. A. J. Gordon, in giving a sketch of Brainerd’s experience,
said, “In the depths of those forests,
alone, unable to speak the language of the Indians, he spent whole days
literally in prayer. What was he praying for? He knew that he could not reach
those savages; he did not understand their language. If he wanted to speak at
all, he must find somebody who could vaguely interpret his thought; therefore he
knew that anything he should do must be absolutely dependent upon the power of
God. “So he spent whole days in prayer,
simply that the power of the Holy Ghost might come upon him so unmistakably
that these people should not be able to stand before him. What was his answer?
Once he preached and the interpreter was so intoxicated that he could hardly
stand up. That was the best he could do. Yet scores were converted through that
sermon. We can account for it only by the tremendous power of God behind him”
3.
VS 2:43 - “43 And everyone kept
feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through
the apostles” - The Lord
continued to work mightily through the early church
3.1.
It is wonderful here that there was a sense of ‘awe’ before the Lord in
the early church, for the people had seen firsthand the Lord do such mighty
works, and they had also seen multitudes respond to the gospel
3.2.
I believe that this sense of ‘awe’ brought about a incredibly deep
worshipful attitude among the people, and as the people just kept growing in
their faith and communion with the Lord, everyone must have been encouraged to
be bold in their faith and witness before men
3.3.
‘Wonders’ and ‘signs’ were taking place, however it says that they were
taking place through ‘the apostles’, not so much through all of the other
people there in the church, though we have to believe that God did miraculous
things through men other than the apostles
3.4.
Oh, how I wish that the church today were empowered and used mightily by
the Lord as was the first generation church, however there is not a great sense
of ‘awe’ in the mainstream church towards God for the things that He is doing
in the church’s midst
3.4.1. Application: Are you in ‘awe’ of the things that God is
doing?
3.4.1.1.Are all His ways wonderful
to you?
4.
VS 2:44-45 - “44 And all those who had
believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and they began selling
their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might
have need” - The
disciples of the early church lived what has been called a sort of ‘Christian
Communalism’ or ‘Christian Communism’
4.1.
What a beautiful picture of Christian Church ‘body life’ is portrayed in
these verses
4.1.1. Many of the Jewish people of
that day were completely disowned and considered as being dead by their
families after coming to Christ, and so here in the church they received a new
family and began living life as a family together
4.1.1.1.Being disowned in this way
happens often even today often to Jews who convert to Christianity
4.1.2. In the New Testament I did a
search and found 15 places where the Lord has commanded us to ‘love one
another’, for this is so key to healthy body life in the church
4.1.2.1.Jesus taught the One New
Commandment from God to His disciples in John 13:34-35, and it was ‘love one
another’, “34 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another,
even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 “By this all men
will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another””
4.1.2.1.1.You see when the world sees
the body of Christ functioning as it should, they will be drawn to Christ and
to the church as they say, ‘Behold how they love each other’
4.1.3. In the early church the
people loved each other so much that they just wanted to be together all of the
time
4.1.4. I want to say up front here
that the Lord did not mandate that the church had to live this type of
Christian Communism and have everything in common, this arrangement is not
found in another city in the New Testament besides the church in Jerusalem, and
we can only speculate as to what the reasons were that the church did
this. Some have suggested the following
reasons:
4.1.4.1.The persecution of the
church which began very early in its life caused this to occur
4.1.4.2.The Christian Jews were
disowned and considered as dead by their families, as I mentioned earlier, plus
Christian Jews were shunned from business by the Jews
4.1.4.3.The people in the church in
4.1.4.3.1.We see in Paul’s later
writings that he had brought a couple of sizeable gifts from the Gentile
churches to the church in
4.1.4.4.It may have sort of been a
spontaneous thing that the Lord brought about as people were just responding to
Him and loving each other
4.1.5. I have heard speculation by
some that the later poverty of the church in
4.1.6. Nonetheless, everyone in the
early church had the attitude that everything belonged to the Lord, therefore
if anyone needed anything, they could have it or use it
4.1.6.1.It is so easy as a Christian
to become selfish and to hold onto the possessions that the Lord has given us
instead of having an open hand with our things, as we really should have
4.1.6.2.There is risk involved in
lending things to people, letting them use them, like the time I lended my Vega
to a girl friend of mine in college, and while she was using it some guy came
turned the corner too sharply in front of her and crashed into the front end of
my car
4.1.6.2.1.We must be willing to suffer
loss if we would lend our things to others
4.1.6.2.2.Likewise, if we should
damage something that belongs to someone else, we must also be willing to fix
or replace it
4.2.
There is a tremendous witness to the world when the church acts as a
loving family as they should because in the world people tend to only care
about themselves and their interests
4.2.1. In Romans 12:9-21, there is
much that speaks of what body life in the church is to be like, “9 Let love
be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be
devoted to one another in brotherly love; give
preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent
in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation,
devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing
hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. 15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the
same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the
lowly.
Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17 Never pay back evil for
evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. 18 If possible,
so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. 19 Never take your own
revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written,
“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says
the Lord. 20 “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give
him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome
evil with good””
4.2.1.1.In verse 15 Paul writes
‘rejoice with those who rejoice’ and ‘weep with those who weep’, and when we as
Christians begin to act as if whatever happens to a brother or a sister has
also happened to us, for we are a part of each other, then that Christian body
life will become what it can and should be, in Christ
4.2.2. When we were living in
4.2.3. People in this world are
looking for a place to belong and can’t find one, and as time progresses they
begin to realize how that most friends are just fair weather friends at best,
yet the church should be the place where true family and love can be found
4.2.3.1.Each one of us in the church
need to be evangelists to the lost of this world telling them of the family
that they have never heard of found within the Christian church
4.3.
It is rare in the church today to hear teaching about body life in the
church, however it is my heart’s desire that no only will you desire to have a
tremendous relationship in the body life of our fellowship, but also that all
of you might actually become ‘evangelists’ for body life and promote it to
everyone around
5.
VS 2:46 - “46 And day by day
continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house,
they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” - We see the early church continuing together
in ‘one mind’ and meeting together in the temple and from home to home
5.1.
Instead of the body of Christ having the tremendous unity and love for
each other that we should have, someone once remarked concerning the Christian
church that, “we are the only army that shoots its wounded”
5.2.
It is so key in the church of all eras that the people are disciplined to
be of ‘one mind’ with each other, and
each one being careful not to be controlled by the flesh and selfishness
5.2.1. This past Tuesday evening at
home fellowship we studied Phil. 1:27 where we are exhorted to be of ‘one mind’
and ‘one spirit’ in Christ, “27 Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy
of the gospel of Christ; so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I
may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one
mind striving together for the faith of the gospel”
5.2.1.1.In chapter 2 of that book we
will look at how Christ is to be our supreme example of One who denied Himself
and His selfish desires
5.2.1.2.Unfortunately, many many
times I have seen selfish desires and ambitions by people in the church destroy
it causing church splits and all kinds of horrific stuff
5.2.1.2.1.I want to encourage each of
you that if you are truly a Christian that you are responsible for doing your
part to see that unity is maintained within the church and that we are walking
in love as Christ loved us
5.3.
Spurgeon once preached about the oneness and unity that we in the church
are to have with one another saying, “They
are all members of one body,
and are necessary to the completion of one another. In the Epistle to the
Hebrews we are told concerning the saints above that “they without us cannot be
made perfect.” We are the lower limbs as it were of the body, but the body must
have its inferior as well as its superior members. It cannot be a perfect body
should the least part of it be destroyed. Hence it is declared that in the
dispensation of the fullness of time, he will gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth. The saints above
with all their bliss must wait for their resurrection until we also shall have
come out of great tribulation; like ourselves they are waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body. Until all who were predestinated
to be conformed to the image of the firstborn shall have been so conformed, the
church cannot be complete. We are linked to the glorified by bonds of
indispensable necessity. We think that we cannot do without them, and that is
true; but they also cannot do without us. “As the body is one and hath many
members, and all the members of that one body, being many are one body, so also
is Christ.” How closely this brings us together. Those for whom we sorrow
cannot be far away, since we are all “the body of Christ and members in
particular.” If it be dark, my hand knows that the head cannot be far off, nor
can the foot be far removed: eye, ear, foot, hand, head, are all comprised
within the limits of one body; and so if I cannot see my beloved friend, if I
shall not again hear her pathetic voice on earth, nor see her pleading tears,
yet am I sure she is not far away, and that the bond between us is by no means
snapped, for we are members of our Lord’s body, of which it is written, “not a
bone of him shall be broken.””
5.4.
We see in these verses also how that the early church took their meals
together, and what a blessing it is just to sit and fellowship over a meal with
other brothers and sisters in the church
5.4.1. This is so important that
for well over a year now we feed everyone who comes over to our house on
Tuesdays for home Bible study. The
fellowship that we all have over food brings such closeness amongst us all!
5.5.
Luke writes that they took their meals together with ‘sincerity and
gladness of heart’, so I guess this basically just means more than anything
that they really enjoyed their getting together with each other
6.
VS 2:47 - “47 praising God, and
having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day
by day those who were being saved” -
The Lord just kept adding to their number in the early church
6.1.
Luke writes that the people were continually ‘praising God’ in the early
church, for they realized all that they had to give thanks to the Lord for in
their life.
6.2.
Luke writes that in the early church they were also ‘having favor with
all the people’, for they lived Christ-like lives as they sought to be the best
witnesses for Jesus that they could be
6.2.1. People are always watching
our lives as believers and when we are living a Christ-like example in our
life, it becomes a power force in causing people to consider our God and
salvation for themselves
6.3.
When we started this study I mentioned that the early church is the model
that we in the church of all eras should follow, and we see why in this verse,
it was because the Lord was having His way in His people’s lives, and thus He
was adding to their number ‘day by day those who were being saved’
6.3.1. It was not the philosophies
and schemes of men which won the people ‘day by day’, but it was the Lord
Himself who was building His church who was winning them
6.4.
One of the reasons larger churches lose their ‘personal’ feel is because
the larger they get the more they tend to look to other things to meet the
needs of the people, with programs, activities, etc., when what is needed is a
commitment to keep the simplicity of what body life is to consist of and thus
to keep these four essentials I’ve mentioned all the more in the
forefront.
6.4.1. The church in