4 Keys to Living Like the Early Church
4 KEY PRACTICES OF THE EARLY CHURCH THAT TURNED THE WORLD UPSIDE DOWN (4 min. read)
What happens when God finally does that new thing He’s promised and puts His law (God’s spirit) in human hearts? For starters, we witness a new community form and the concept of family redefined. It’s what God had in mind for the Old Covenant Community of Israel. Now, supercharged with His spirit, they can truly love God and neighbors above themselves.
This is the New Covenant Community of the redeemed who’ve been adopted into God’s very own family. They operate under a unique set of “last will be first” principles called Jesus' Bill of Other People’s Rights. Finally, God’s priestly kingdom will be focused on the camels instead of the gnats. Let’s examine the set-apart qualities of this Jesus Family. Let’s also explore the four defining behaviors Luke captures to explain how the known world was turned upside down.
In the ancient world, where family was everything, this Body of Christ Community upended all the norms and stereotypes. First, it was a fictive family. This means most of the people in the Early Church weren’t genetically related to each other. They were bonded by the stronger shared ties of the name, the blood, and the spirit of Jesus. They’re human temples bearing His name and housing His spirit. They were bringing the Lord with them into their communities like a lamp. Truly God dwells among His people and what a special people they are.
Second, God is full of irrespective love and His family is to be no different. Subverting ancient, and even some modern constructs of class, race, and gender, the Church was made up of equally important roles responsible to Jesus, the Head of the Body. This is Jesus’ Church. He shed His blood and poured out His spirit to build it one lively stone at a time. Sorry, but all heavy handed ministers who advocate “radical submission” in place of "radical servitude" are out of step with this New Covenant Family. Only Jesus' name is on the building.
What did this Early Church look like? A lot like Heaven overlapping with Earth. Women break the glass ceiling as Apostles, Pastors, Teachers, and Prophets. Slaves, the lowest rung in the stratified ancient society, are Deacons, Teachers, and fellow Laborers. Levites, centurions, bandits, idol craftsmen, tax collectors, and the formerly demon-possessed are all made new. They are adopted and work shoulder to shoulder in the Jesus family business of reconciliation. Paul, who understood this better than anyone, captures this revolutionary redefinition of family,
GALATIANS 3:28 There is neither Jew nor non-Jew, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female—for all are one in Christ Jesus.
And this set-apart New Covenant Community really took off! So much so, it made the very powers and principalities, (who are experts at subordinating the last to keep their place and keep quiet) take notice. My favorite exchange is when a Thessalonian mob reacts to the reputation of Jesus’ family saying “These people who’ve turned the world upside down, saying Jesus is King, are in our city.” Thankfully, Luke identifies four universal characteristics of this family that caused the reputation of Jesus to spread like wildfire. We can and should be imitators.
Luke captures the operating manual of the Early Church right at its birth in Acts 2:38-47. Luke uses literary bookends to show us how and why this group’s message spread so quickly. Let’s break it down in two main sections. In the first section (verses 38-41), Luke records how to become a member of the New Covenant Family. Followers of Jesus are to repent, get baptized, wash away their sins, and receive the gift of God’s spirit. These are the steps to participate in Jesus’ adoption process and he died to make them happen for us.
ACTS 38-41 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children, and for all who are far away, as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” With many other words he testified and exhorted them saying, “Save yourselves from this perverse generation!” So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand people were added.
In the second section (verses 42-47) Luke identifies four key practices that follow forgiven, Spirit-filled lives and communities. This is the public name bearing of a Covenant Community on display and the true worship our Creator desires. We are to positively model Jesus by…
1. Application of God’s word and works
2. Shared participation and resources
3. Breaking of bread
4. Prayer and worship
Notice that verse 42 is a summary of all four practices, and the following lines (verses 43-47) expound the meaning of each one.
ACTS 42 They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
ACTS 43-47 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.”
Ahh, but what about those bookends? If you pay close attention you will see the bookends in verses 41 and 47 - “were added” - alerting readers that God’s marketing plan was, and still is, organic. These four practices, empowered by God's spirit, resulted in so much liberty and joy within the Early Church that thousands of people wanted to participate. It's the inward/outward reach of the rescued becoming the rescuer. We must not forget that we’re now His body here on Earth with the fullness of His spirit inside of us. The lost, hurting, and broken will only come to be made whole through our testimony. When we're the branches to His vine (as Luke outlines) it will result in our neighborhoods becoming reconciled to their Creator.
In summary, the New Covenant Community of Jesus is commissioned to bear his name well publicly. His reputation in other people's eyes directly correlates to our actions as Christians. If we follow Luke's strategy and focus on our personal relationship with God through study and application of the word, generosity towards those in need, fellowship over a meal and prayer, we will turn our families, neighborhoods, and the world upside down. These are the high plans and thoughts of God to expand His new creation Kingdom in the hearts of others.
In love, God bless.
© 2024 by The Apostles Handbook
