Tuesday,
September 20, 2022
(A Classic
Reminder)
FIVE PRIORITIES OF THE EARLY CHURCH!
Acts 2:41-47
41 Then they that gladly received
his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three
thousand souls.
42 And they continued stedfastly in
the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in
prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul:
and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were
together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and
goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with
one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their
meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour
with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be
saved.
If there was
ever a church growth plan that worked well, it was the one the early
Christians used. Talk about numbers! Talk about effectiveness! This church
exploded! Why? Because they knew why they were here on earth and what they were
supposed to do. A careful reading of Acts
2:41-47 shows the early church grew because they focused on five priorities:
The priority
of worship
(and I don’t mean singing praise songs exclusively) was central to the New
Testament church. The crucifixion of Jesus was not an historical event – it was
a recent fact. These people understood the cost of their salvation and they
felt the love of the One who had sacrificed himself for them. Their sin was a
recent memory and they understood them to be grievous and horrible. Their
liberty and release from sin’s bondage was still electrifyingly fresh. Religion
for them was not some moldy ceremony. Worship bubbled up from a grateful heart.
The priority
of prayer
was essential to the New Testament church. Jesus was real to them, and a
resistant world made their needs great. Why would they not take advantage of an
opportunity to talk with God? A better question is why do we feel we no longer
need to talk to God? Are we so well blessed that we have need of nothing? Is
God so distant that we have reduced him in size? The early church prayed!
Evangelism
was a priority
in the New Testament church. Telling the good news to their friends and
neighbors was not hard labor for them. Evangelism was not a program done on a
specific night of the week. It was not some formula recited from a cue card.
Nothing had to be memorized – it was fresh. The true condition of their unsaved
friends made the situation urgent. They did not approach the lost like a
salesman sizing up a potential customer but like a firefighter rushing into a
burning building.
Learning was
a priority
in the New Testament church. There were no ivy-covered seminaries cloistered
deep in moss covered commons. Truth was precious and they gathered eagerly and
often to learn more and more. Ignorance had enslaved them, and truth had set
them free. Why would they choose ignorance again?
Loving was a
priority
in the New Testament church. First, they loved God supremely. Next, they loved
each other warmly, truly, and generously. Finally, they loved others equally
and urgently. Every race, color and nationality were welcomed in the New
Testament church. They did not target a specific age group or demographic. If
your heart was beating and your lungs were breathing, you were a target for the
love of this early church. People were swallowed up in the loving embrace of
this church.
Come,
Ye Sinners, Poor And Needy
Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow'r.
Dear God, we have grown weary of
well doing. We have dishonored you by becoming too familiar with you. We have
lost the wonder and freshness of our own conversion. Oh, God, refresh the
essential nature of our relationship with you and help us to win our world in
these last days. AMEN
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