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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 2:42-47

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Church on the Move, and we are looking at the outward expansion of the church in the book of Acts. We just finished looking at the church’s birthday on Pentecost. God sent the promised Holy Spirit, Peter preached the gospel, three thousand people were saved, and the church of Jesus Christ was born.

What do you do when you have a newborn baby? You take pictures of course! The book of Acts immediately follows up the birth of the church with a picture of the church. And just as every baby picture is beautiful, so is this picture of the early church. (Read Acts 2:42-47 and pray.)

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Have you ever played one of those picture games where you’re given what looks like two identical pictures and you’re supposed to look for the differences between the two pictures? Sometimes the differences are easy to spot, but other times they’re more subtle and you’re not even sure if there are any differences.

That’s a good game to play with our passage from Acts this morning. Here in Acts 2:42-47 God gives us a picture of the early church. It’s a beautiful picture. It tells us exactly what the church should look like and what we should be doing as a church. The trick is to lay a picture of your own church next to this perfect picture in Acts and see if you can spot the differences. Sadly, the game is all too easy for some churches, because the differences are so great.

So, what did the church look like in those early days? This picture in Acts reveals four essential elements of a Christian church. Acts tells us that the early church devoted themselves to these things. It’s a word that means they persisted, they persevered, they continued in all these things. Even the verb is in a tense that indicates an ongoing commitment. This was not a casual or occasional attending to these things, but rather these things were a priority for them. These things became the main focus of their life together as a church.

So, what are these four essential elements of a Christian church? They are: 1) the word of God; 2) fellowship; 3) worship; and 4) evangelism. We are introduced to the first three elements all in the first verse: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). And then evangelism is addressed throughout the rest of the passage.

That’s the picture God gives us here in Acts. Our job is to lay the picture of our church next to it and see if we can spot the differences. Remember, we are the church—the church is the people—and so we are really looking at ourselves to see how well we measure up in each of these areas. Where are we doing well? Where do we excel? Where are we lacking? Where do we need to grow? So, let’s get started.

I. The word of God (42-43)
   – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”

The first essential element of a Christian church is the word of God. We see this in verses 42-43:

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. (Acts 2:42-43)

The apostles’ teaching here refers to the teaching, preaching and study of the word of God. It also includes the preaching of the gospel. John Stott comments: “The Holy Spirit opened a school in Jerusalem that day; its teachers were the apostles whom Jesus had appointed; and there were 3,000 pupils in the kindergarten!”

The apostles’ teaching includes all that would be written down in the New Testament, the interpretation of the Old Testament in light of Christ and his coming, the teaching about Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, the passing on of Jesus’ teachings as well teaching about the Holy Spirit and the church. As such, the apostles were teachers and interpreters of the Old Testament, writers of the New Testament and gospel preachers sharing the wonderfully good news that Jesus Christ died for our sins and rose again from the dead.

Notice that God authenticated his word through various signs and wonders done by the apostles. Everyone was filled with awe, and the signs and wonders confirmed the apostles’ teaching. This agrees with what we read in Hebrews 2: “This salvation, which was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will” (Heb 2:3-4).

Jesus did miraculous signs and wonders to confirm that he really came from God. God continued to work signs and wonders through the apostles to confirm that their teaching really came from God. It’s interesting, this phrase “signs and wonders” is no longer used after Acts chapter fifteen. The apostles still work various miracles after chapter fifteen, but these miracles are no longer described as signs and wonders. It seems the signs and wonders were designed for the early spread of the gospel, to confirm the message and to authenticate the apostles as God’s designated messengers of the gospel.

As Christians we are people of the book. We always have been, always will be. The Bible is the firm foundation under our feet, it is the lamp to guide our way, and it is meat and milk for the journey. When a church preaches and teaches God’s word, they are standing on solid ground. When a church strays from the word of God, they no longer match the picture.

So, that’s the first essential element of a Christian church. A Christian church must be faithful to the gospel and the word of God. A church that doesn’t believe and follow the Bible is not a true Christian church.

II. Fellowship (44-45)
   – “They devoted themselves to the fellowship.”

The second essential element of a Christian church is fellowship. Verse 42 tells us the early church devoted themselves to the fellowship. And then we read in verses 44-45:

All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (Acts 2:44-45)

The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. It is a word signifying deep sharing and communion together. What do we share as Christians? First and most importantly, we share in fellowship with the triune God. 1 John 1 says our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 John 1:3). 2 Corinthians 13 speaks of our fellowship with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14). Jesus himself spoke of the Father and Son coming to dwell with us through the Holy Spirit (John 14:23).

So, first and foremost we share God together. That’s what makes it Christian fellowship. God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit come to live within us, and we all share in that fellowship together.

But the fellowship we share with God then results in fellowship with each other. We share the same Father so that makes us family. We share Jesus so that makes us Christians. We share the same Spirit so that makes us one in Christ.

Verse 44 says the believers were together. Some have interpreted this as communal living, that they all lived in one big commune together, but we read further on down that they had their own homes. It’s not that they lived together, but they got together often. Verse 46 says they met every day in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together. So, they met at church, and they met in homes. That’s a great model for the church today—a combination of both larger gatherings and smaller gatherings of believers.

They not only met together often, but they also shared what they had with each other. Verse 44 says they had everything in common. In other words, they shared their possessions with each other. This was not the same as communism today. They still had private ownership, but they were generous in sharing what they had. They adopted the attitude “what’s mine is yours, and what’s yours is mine.”

Verse 45 tells us they were extremely generous in this matter. Some of them even sold possessions and goods in order to meet each other’s needs. The verb tenses in the original language make it clear that this was not a one-time sell-off where they joined all their goods together, but rather they continually did this as various needs came up. We find the same principle expressed in 1 John 3: “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17).

And so, that’s the second essential element of a Christian church. A Christian church is a fellowship of believers. We share the same Father, we share the same Savior, and we share the same Spirit. We are family, and therefore we should love and take care of each other as family.

III. Worship (46)
   – “They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

Next, we come to worship. We read in verse 46:

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. (Acts 2:46)

An essential part of gathering together as the church is worshiping God together. We worship God through songs, prayers, praise, baptisms, the Lord’s Supper and the preaching of God’s word.

Earlier, verse 42 told us they devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and prayer. The breaking of bread could refer just to having a meal together, but in this context it more likely refers to the Lord’s Supper. Of course, the Lord’s Supper was normally part of a larger meal together anyways in the early church—probably because they were together so much!

What is so important about the Lord’s Supper? The Lord’s Supper ensures that our worship is Christ-centered. There are other religions where people gather to worship God, but a Christian church gathers to worship God through Jesus. The Lord’s Supper also ensures that our worship is gospel-centered. The Lord’s Supper not only brings Jesus front and center but also highlights his work for us on the cross—that Jesus suffered and died on the cross for our sins.

The word “prayer” in verse 42 is in the plural. You could translate it as: “They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.” This could refer to the formal and informal aspects of Christian community. There were set times of prayer at the temple, but they also prayed in each other’s homes. Prayer is an essential part of worship both in the church and when we get together outside of the church. There is never a bad time to pray, and you will never regret taking the time to pray with others. Never be afraid to spend some time praying with Christian friends outside the church.

Verse 47 speaks of praising God which is also an important part of worship and prayer. We have a whole book of the Bible—the Psalms—which is devoted to the worship and praises of God. One of the sweetest parts of Christian worship in the church is singing God’s praises together as brothers and sisters in Christ.

And so, that’s the third essential element of a Christian church. A Christian church meets to worship God. Without worship, the church is no longer a church but just a community club or organization. The church’s worship must be both Christ-centered and gospel-centered, as we proclaim Christ’s death on the cross for us until he comes.

IV. Evangelism (47)
   – “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Finally, the fourth essential element of a Christian church is evangelism. The believers in the early church devoted themselves to the word of God, they devoted themselves to the people of God, they devoted themselves to the worship of God, and they also devoted themselves to witness and evangelism. We see this in verse 47 which describes the believers as:

… praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:47)

Remember, before Jesus ascended to heaven, he told the disciples: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). They’ve got a long way to go before they get to the ends of the earth, but you have to start somewhere. The place you start is right where you are. And where they were was Jerusalem. And so, they were fulfilling the first part of Jesus’ commission by being witnesses for him at home in Jerusalem.

Although evangelism doesn’t appear in verse 42 along with the other three elements of the church, it is evident throughout the rest of passage. The apostles performed signs and wonders, and everyone was filled with awe. They met together in the temple courts—a public setting where they could reach others. They enjoyed the favor of all the people, presenting a life witness as well as a gospel witness. They ate together with glad and sincere hearts. Their exemplary life of fellowship was attractive to outsiders. A joyful church presents a wholesome witness!

No wonder God was adding to their number daily! A healthy, loving church is the most powerful witness to the gospel available. That is God’s design—that the church should be the church, that together we should bear witness to Christ, and that people would be drawn to Christ through our loving witness.

The believers were committed to daily witness as well as daily worship. I trust you worship God every day. Do you witness for him every day also?

Notice it is God who adds people to the church. If we will do our job of being the church, including witnessing to others, God will do the adding. That is the very best church growth program out there!

Notice finally that those who were saved were added to the church. They became members of the church. This speaks two important truths about church membership. First, only those who were saved were added. This means we must guard the membership of a church carefully. Only those who credibly profess faith in Jesus Christ should be admitted to the membership of the church. And then secondly, all who were saved were added. This means everyone who is saved should join membership in a local church. There shouldn’t be any Lone Ranger Christians. If you are a believer in Jesus, you should join membership in a local church for worship, fellowship, teaching, witness and accountability.

So, that’s the fourth essential element of the church. A Christian church must be faithful in evangelism. The church should never become inward-focused. God loves lost people, and so we must love lost people too. The most loving thing you can do is share Christ and the gospel with a lost person so God may add them to the number of those who are being saved.

CONCLUSION: So, those are the four essential elements of a Christian church. Here’s an easy way to remember them. As a church, we should love God, love God’s word, love God’s people and love those outside of Christ. That’s what a true Christian church looks like.

Notice there are two vertical dimensions to this picture—worship and the word. In worship we direct our attention to God, and through the Bible God speaks to us. And then there are also two horizontal dimensions—fellowship and evangelism. In fellowship we minister to each other, and in evangelism we minister to those outside of Christ.

This picture of the early church helps us get back to basics. There are lots of things we can do as a church, but if we focus on these four priorities, if we devote ourselves to these things, God will bless, and we will grow.

Finally, notice that this is not only a picture of the early church, but it’s a moving picture. These four elements are all actions. They are all things that we do. If we want to be a church on the move, then we need to love God, love God’s word, love God’s people, and love those outside of Christ by sharing Christ with them.

© Ray Fowler

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