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Practices of the first church
Acts 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
These few verses describe some features of the earliest Christian community. Now our circumstances aren't exactly the same but it can be good to reflect on the principles and see if there are some that are missing from the current rhythms of our Christian lives:
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Application of the teaching of Jesus - not just learning but devotion to (ie implementing)
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Sharing communion and regularly being reminded of the life death and resurrection of Jesus
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An experience and expectation of supernatural events - prophecy, healing...
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Prayer
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Sharing stuff with each other, particularly where there are needs
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Eating together
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Being glad - having times of fun and enjoyment together
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Praising God
These things should be a regular feature of our lives - not just once every six months. As people encounter this sort of community (not just Sunday services - it was a mixture of homes and temple courts), we can expect they will be attracted to Jesus and people will become followers of Him.
Which of these features are lacking from the current rhythms of your Christian life?
What could you plan to do in the next two weeks?
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David Wanstall, 06/09/2012
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