On his way to Jerusalem, Paul called for the local Ephesian leaders so that he could speak with them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: “‘Why do the nations rage This section in Acts 13 and 14 shows the local effect of ministers. Especially their worship, leadership, sharing, perseverance, and involvement in the Great Commission. God bless you. Finally, they returned to Syria, stopping at the new local churches along their way home. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. This word literally means to “call out” and refers to called-out born-again believers twenty times in Acts. When people were born again, more mature Christians continued to nurture and shepherd them until they could spiritually stand on their own. And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed. As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost [God] said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. It seems that he had sufficient authority to put forth this statement. Or do things like parties, sport and homework come before church, youth group and Bible study? Acts 20:28,32: Freedom in Christ for Your Life in the Light of God's Word, on The Local Church in the Book of Acts: A Pattern for Today, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), local leader to supervise and care for them. Acts 14:21-23: And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Peter reached out from his local area of Jerusalem and won others to stand in their local areas. And Saul was consenting unto his [Stephen’s] death. Wouldn’t you want to be a part of a community that were generous, thankful and truly committed? This was an encouragement from local leaders to do the will of God as they provided practical help and advice. Acts 15:31,32: Something really remarkable about the early church is how committed they were to serving and supporting one another. We also see finances used locally to meet the needs of local believers. When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension [not a few instances of standing on the truth against the false doctrine that was brought in] and disputation [a mutual questioning and discussion; they talked things over] with them. They obeyed, and Paul was able to minister in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth. It alone presents an extensive picture of early church life and history. Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. Peter boldly told them how to be saved, and many obeyed. But what is the pattern for church leadership that the Bible shows among first-century believers in the Book of Acts? Galatians 2:9: True Christian ministers are a gift to the church, given when Christ “ascended up on high” (Ephesians 4:8 and 11). Silver platter serving of God’s magnificent Word! This is an example of how apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers visited the local churches. Then they commended them to the Lord. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. Acts 9:31: As God worked individually in energized ministers, it was important for them to maintain good communications with each other. To see this page as it is meant to appear, please enable your Javascript! In looking at ekklēsia, the Greek word most often translated “church” in Acts, we see churches that are locally self-governed and are supported by energized ministers. He was still called “Philip the evangelist” years later, ministering from his own home in Caesarea (Acts 21:8). This verse indicates that God was behind this rapid growth, but God uses people to carry out his will, and I can bet that those who observed the Christian community saw something really attractive and appealing there. The account records their sudden deaths after lying to the Holy Spirit about money. In the first few chapters of Acts we are told how the early church centered her ministries in the city of Jerusalem. God worked in local churches to support themselves, traveling ministers, and other local churches that were in need. Peter and the Conversion of the Gentiles 6. Are we devoted to listening, learning and letting what we read and hear change our lives? No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear [respect] of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. Then, Peter called the people to Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins that they may receive the … Acts 2:45 even says that they sold their belongings in order to care for those who didn’t have enough! The early church in the book of Acts gives us a great model for a growing church. The believers in Jerusalem continued to face persecution. Acts is not trying to say, “Remember what the church used to be and do?” This is the Word of the Lord for the body of Christ in all times and all places. Early Church in the Book of Acts (NT4) 1. Let’s see God’s heart for His church today by studying this word. Do we have to go to church to be a Christian? Do we place the same value on meeting together? And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. In the 3 rd chapter they had just healed the lame man at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple. It’s an exciting ride, from the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, to shipwrecks and imprisonments, to life changing sermons delivered by ex-fishermen. The Importance of the Book of Acts The importance of this … ❤️. Perhaps we should be praising him more for all the good things he gives us – and for simply who he is? Philip is a great example of this in Acts 8 when he went to Samaria. Learn how your comment data is processed. The next use of ekklēsia shows the growth of churches around Jerusalem in Galilee and Samaria. It seemed proper to the whole church to do this. Peter let the local leaders in Jerusalem know about his reaching out to the Gentiles. Saul of Tarsus was present at the stoning of Stephen in Acts 8:1-3 and “made havoc” of the early church. What was Philip to do? On the way back to their local church in Jerusalem, they also did the work of evangelists (II Timothy 4:5), for Acts 8:25 says they “returned to Jerusalem, and preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans.” God worked in them as energized ministers to meet the needs of the church, including the need to win others. As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. On Pentecost, the apostles were born again and spoke in tongues, magnifying God. Our heavenly Father purchased the church with the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church. Persecution and Expansion 5. The word translated “church” comes from two Greek words that together mean “called out from the world for God.” They were also in a position to support any new local churches that might develop as the rest of the believers moved out from that city (which was under persecution). His conversion to Christianity is recorded in Acts 9. The early church was devoted to the apostles’ … Some have estimated that the early church in Jerusalem had 100,000 members – half the size of the city. We live in a time of God’s grace that began on the day of Pentecost, and the following truths still apply to the church today: These four truths are seen when studying the word ekklēsia in the Book of Acts. Do they characterize your church? Acts 18:22,23: This still refers to the local church “which was at Jerusalem.” The apostles, the local leadership there, stayed in Jerusalem to care for the believers after the death of Stephen, a local leader (Acts 6:1-7). The next five verses describe how God worked with Paul, Silas, and Timothy. (2b) D. Jesus had shown Himself alive by many proofs for 40 days. Each believer was to be a bold witness of Jesus Christ and to speak God’s Word. The scripture in Acts 9:29 and 30 shows that it was the brethren who were aware of threats on Paul’s life and who “brought him down to Caesarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus.” They supported Paul along the way to get him to a safe place where he could minister effectually. Of course, if people didn’t agree, there could have been further discussion until a satisfactory conclusion was reached. That treatise ended on the day of ascension. Thank you Gene Slavit for this wonderful article! Acts 9 and 10 show Peter ministering in Joppa and going to see Cornelius in Caesarea. The book begins with the ascension of Jesus into heaven (Acts 1:10), quickly followed by the empowering of the church through the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). Christian churches today differ in their approach to leadership. An Overview of the Book of Acts The life of the early church is recorded and preserved for us in the book of Acts and the epistles. Our churches can and should learn from the book of Acts. And the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned unto the Lord. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. The result of this was a strengthening of the local churches and growth among the believers. © Copyright 2021 Fervr | Terms of Service. The church of God had a wonderful beginning and experienced fantastic numerical growth in the early stages of its existence. This is an example of an energized minister going where he was needed. 32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. The early church was devoted to the apostles’ teaching. the earth” (Acts 1:8). Imagine how the local ministers mentioned in Acts 13:1, as well as the local believers, would have rejoiced at this news. Peter’s mind was enlightened by Holy Spirit so he had a clear understanding of the Scriptures (Luke 24:45). 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. The Book of Acts – EXTERNAL Challenges Which the Early Church Faced. Chapter 2 records the beginning of the Church. Acts was written in Greek, presumably by St. Luke the Evangelist. And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. Introduction To the Book of Acts 2. And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. During this time at Jerusalem, God worked in leaders from both local churches to share what they knew from God’s written Word and from God working in them. Its narrative supplies a bridge connecting the life and ministry of Jesus to the life of the church and the witness of the earliest believers. grew according to the plan of God. The church included the “about three thousand souls” that were born again on that day. The letters or epistles after Acts tells us of the supreme care and guidance that God has for His people – then, now, and in the future. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And when he had landed at Caesarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch. Acts 16:5: There is a need to work together as believers in order to communicate with each other as part of the process of getting the right ministries to the right places at the right times. Acts 13:1 says “there were in the church that was at Antioch…” They were local leaders who were there because God wanted them there. Paul had a heart to encourage and support the local fellowships as a good minister of Jesus Christ. They gave themselves full-time to praying and ministering God’s Word to others. In our privatized world, it's hard to imagine what the early church … And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. Acts 16:6-10: There is one final use of the Greek word ekklēsia in the Book of Acts. Written by Luke, the book of Acts has a prominent missionary theme because it details the rapid growth of the early church and the first missionary efforts. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; During the ten days between Jesus Christ’s ascension and Pentecost, the twelve apostles and others (about 120 disciples) had been meeting together. Arriving back home in Antioch of Syria, Paul and Barnabas shared with their local church all that God had done for them. The term “scattered abroad” in Acts 8:1 is translated from the Greek word diaspeirō, which is only used in the Greek New Testament in the Book of Acts (8:1,4; 11:19). More seasoned leaders can provide a source of help by way of sound Biblical thinking and teaching to support the local churches’ activities. Answer: The church began on the Day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Passover when Jesus died and rose again. C. 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