Good Morning Friends,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles'
teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone
was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the
apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling
their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he 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.” (Acts 2:42-47)
This is the account of the very first people
who came to Christ after He returned to heaven. God gave power to the apostles
and others who followed Jesus while He was on earth and they began to preach to
the multitudes who were gathered in Jerusalem. In response to the preaching of
the gospel, many were saved. These formed the first church of Jesus Christ. This
first church gave themselves to four pursuits:
They pursued the knowledge of God and His
will by giving themselves to the teaching of the apostles. We still have the
teaching of the apostles, the Bible, preserved faithfully for us through the
centuries.
They were committed to each other. That’s
what fellowship means. They met with each other to draw strength and encouragement
from each other. They shared with each other so that none of them was in need. They
provided for each other.
They focused on the Lord. Acts says they
devoted themselves to the “breaking of bread.” That refers to the Lord’s
Supper, the simple memorial feast that helped them remember Jesus and what He
had done for them. The simple memorial feast we still share.
They depended upon God. Prayer was a common
feature of the relationships they had with each other. They knew they could not
make it on their own. They knew they needed the Lord and they continually cried
out to Him for help.
Those four characteristics of the church
continue to be the things that God would have His people pursue. They represent
God’s dream for His people, the church.
As we pursue what God desires for us, people will be drawn to the Lord
and to His church.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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