The Model Church, Part One

In Acts 2:42-47 we are given the only description in the Bible of the life of a Spirit-filled church. This church was founded on the day of Pentecost when one hundred and twenty believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke the wonders of God in other tongues. It was then that Peter preached his great sermon to a large crowd of people who were wondering about the supernatural phenomena they were observing. As Peter preached, three thousand people in the crowd were cut to the heart, convicted, and converted to Christianity. They were subsequently baptized in water so that they also might receive the Pentecostal enduement and affusion, and there is no question the three thousand were also baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Lord himself added these people to the community of believers. The new converts and the one hundred and twenty disciples were forged together into a community in which they lived the normal Christian life as described in the Bible. This early church community is what we read about in this chapter.

As we study this passage, my prayer is that we examine ourselves to see whether we as a church are living the normal Christian life as described here. If we discover that we are not, I hope that we will pray, “O God, work in us and fill us with the Holy Spirit so that we may live this Spirit-filled, apostolic church life as recorded in this text.”

An Apostolic Church

What does the life of a Spirit-filled church consist of? The first thing we notice is that the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ doctrine, meaning this was an apostolic church.

Now, many use the term “apostolic church” to describe a church which has great pomp and ceremony in its services, or whose ministers wear vestments, or which uses incense during the service, or one that meets in an architecturally elevating building. But that is not what we mean. If there ever was a truly apostolic church, we find the description of it here in the second chapter of Acts. This apostolic church was certainly one of simplicity, not complexity. But the distinguishing characteristic of this church was that the members devoted themselves to studying and practicing the apostles’ doctrine.

Before he ascended into heaven, Jesus told his apostles to go into all the world and make disciples–the Greek word is maqhtai, which means learners–of all nations. They were told to preach the gospel to people, to baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to obey all that Jesus had commanded them to do, meaning the apostolic doctrines.

The apostles obeyed this command of the Lord of the church, and in Acts 6:1, Luke uses the word “disciples” to describe the early church members: “In those days when the number of disciples was increasing. . . .” As we just said, a disciple is a learner, and these early believers devoted themselves to learning from the apostles about the person and work of Christ. We find this word “disciples” also in Acts 9:1, “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples,” and in Acts 13:52, “And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Devoted to the Apostles’ Teachings

The apostolic church was a church that engaged in serious study of the doctrines of the apostles. That must be first, because all of our life is to flow from the fixed, authoritative, infallible gospel teaching. The apostles were authorized by the Lord to declare the gospel, meaning the person and work of Jesus Christ. They were not to make something up; rather, they were to be faithful to the one who commissioned and appointed them and to preach what he told them to.

These apostles were the guarantors of the truth of the gospel. As eyewitnesses to the life and teachings of Jesus, as well as to his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension, they were taught by the Lord Jesus Christ himself. Now they were teaching the gospel to others, telling them what Jesus did and taught.

Where do we find such apostolic teaching today? In the Bible. The oral teachings of the apostles were recorded in the New Testament. So a modern apostolic church is a church that teaches the truth of the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, upon which rests the New Testament.

If you are an apostolic Christian, you will hunger and thirst for such apostolic teaching. Like the early disciples, Christians today must earnestly engage in the study of God’s infallible word. They must hunger and thirst for the pure milk of God’s truth as newborn babes hunger and thirst for the milk of their mothers. As Jesus said, “Man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Man is not just an animal; man is created in the image and likeness of God, with a soul designed to commune with the eternal God. The Bible is the supreme food for that soul.

The Authority of the Apostles

The teachings of the New Testament were given to us by the apostles, but they did so by the authority of the Lord Jesus. In other words, when the apostles spoke, it was the Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the church, who was speaking. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1-2 we read, “Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus.”

In 2 Corinthians 13:10 the apostle Paul wrote, “This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority–the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.” And in the book of Ephesians, where we find the doctrine of the church, Paul wrote that the church is built “on the foundation of the apostles and prophets,” meaning the apostolic doctrine, “with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone” (Eph. 2:20). And in Ephesians 3:4,5 Paul wrote, “In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.”

Do we want a Spirit-filled, apostolic church life? The first thing we should do is to engage ourselves in the study of the apostolic doctrine–the doctrine the apostles received from the Lord and passed on to us. This is the apostolic tradition, the paradosis.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:15 Paul wrote, “So, then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the teachings we passed on to you.” The apostolic doctrines received from the Lord by the apostles were passed on to the early Christians and are now found in the New Testament. I challenge all who desire to live a Spirit-filled, dynamic, vibrant, victorious, joyful life to engage in serious study of the Bible.

The Necessity of the Word

Christianity is not just a study of doctrine. There must be practical experience as well. Some people think that if only they memorize systematic theology they will be practicing biblical Christianity, but that is not true. I have seen many churches which boast of their orthodoxy but have no life. Such churches are dead, cold, and formal. True Christianity is experience, meaning it is life, it is rejoicing, it is loving one another, it is praising and worshiping, and it is declaring God’s word to the world.

However, just as Christianity is not merely a study of doctrine, a true Christian cannot live by experience alone. Christianity is experience of the Lord Jesus Christ based on the apostolic teachings. We need apostolic doctrine and we need experience that is consonant with apostolic doctrine. Neither dead orthodoxy nor mere experience constitutes New Testament Christianity. There must be faith as well as life. When I look at the modern charismatic world, there is great emphasis on experience, but not doctrine. But we must always ask ourselves if what we are experiencing is based on the Bible.

Are we using our minds to study the Bible? God created us with a mind and when we become Christians, our minds are renewed. A Christian alone is truly a thinking person because he now has something to think about–something infinitely great. A Christian contemplates on the triune God, based on his knowledge of God’s gracious revelation. Christianity, let me tell you, is the most intellectually satisfying pursuit we can have. Man is created to behold the triune God. When we do that, we will be filled with the fullness of God and be fully satisfied, and we will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.

When people become Christians, they are not committing intellectual suicide, even though many in the world would say that is true. Instead, as Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says, Christians alone can truly think as God intended them to think. The Lord of the church gave gifts to the church, as we read in Ephesians 4:11-14, “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.” There are many in today’s churches who are being tossed and blown about by every wind of doctrine and by the cunning and craftiness of men. Why? They are not using their minds to study the Scripture. But faithful teaching of God’s word is essential for the church, and God provides teachers to do that. In fact, Paul wrote to Timothy that one of the qualifications of a bishop was that he be able to teach, meaning teach the apostolic doctrine.

Diligent Study of God’s Word

If we are members of a Spirit-filled church we will study the Scriptures regularly. Why? So that we may know God, love God, and please God by doing his will. In 1 Peter 1:24-2:3 Peter spoke about the extreme necessity of the church to be nourished by the word of God: “‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you. Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

As we study the word of God, we are experiencing the Lord’s goodness. Psalm 34:8 tells us, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Regular Bible study means we will grow in our knowledge of God, in our acquaintance with God, and in our love for God. It means we will become mature rather than remaining as infants tossed to and fro, being deceived by false teachers who call themselves preachers but who cannot preach the word of God. So the first thing we must do as Christians is to study the Bible seriously. We must engage in the intellectual exercise of Scripture study. The apostolic church studies the Bible.

One final note: All philosophers, scientists, politicians, priests, professors who do not believe in Jesus Christ are not really thinking. They may claim to be thinking but it is a superficial thinking. A person only begins to truly think when he opens the Bible and starts to study it. I am not impressed by the degrees one has or the number of books one has written if that person has nothing to do with God, because the Bible tells us only a fool will say in his heart, “There is no God.”

Devoted to Fellowship

The second characteristic of a Spirit-filled church is fellowship. In Acts 2:42 we read, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship.” The Lord Jesus taught that the greatest command is to love God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength and the second is like it: to love your neighbor as yourself. When we study the Bible, we are tasting the Lord, and we begin to love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Why? Because of the great love God has showed to us. In rich mercy he made us alive in Christ, raised us up, seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. So we love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, but then we also learn to love our neighbor as ourselves. A believer who is baptized in the Holy Spirit is one in whom the Holy Spirit has poured out in abundance the love of God.

Thus, a Spirit-filled Christian is one who is delivered from self-centeredness. His center has been changed from self to Christ, and now he begins to love the people of God and serve them. A Spirit-filled Christian will love all those whom the Lord adds to the church. Just as brothers and sisters welcome and love a new baby into their family, even so we love all those whom the Lord Jesus Christ adds to the church, whether rich or poor, black or white, tall or small, educated or uneducated–it makes no difference. We read about this in Galatians 3:26, “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” That is what fellowship is all about.

Fellowship is based on a common interest. For example, I have no interest in playing golf, but we recently had a guest who did. He went to play at our local golf course and found people there from all over the world. He had no problem playing with these other people. Why? Everyone there loved golf, and there was great fellowship.

In the same way, those who are Christians share in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. They share one hope, one faith, one body, and one baptism. They share in eternal life. There is a common interest. Because our fellowship is with the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit, we love one another. Oh, it doesn’t matter how educated you are, how rich you are, how small you are, how great you are. It makes no difference. We are one in Jesus Christ. That is fellowship.

The Joy of Daily Fellowship

The early church spent much time together. I have gone to some churches which were orthodox in belief but there was no fellowship. People would come together, have the service, and go home, but I saw no love or life in these churches.

The members of this first apostolic church loved one another. They helped each other, shared the gospel with each other, prayed for each other, found out the needs of each other, spent time with each other and ate with each other. I am sure they even talked about the weather with each other.

This is real life! This is family! No one in this Spirit-filled church was asking the selfish question, “Who is the greatest?” There was no envy, no jealousy, no division, and no quarreling. The fruit of the Spirit–love, joy, peace–was being manifested.

In the book of Hebrews we read that we should not neglect the gathering together of the saints. By the time the book of Hebrews was written, formalism had already crept into the church. But in the book of Acts we see people gathering together on a daily basis. They cherished this fellowship and thrived in it. They looked forward to it.

When I was growing up, I would sometimes walk for miles to meet with another person who loved the Lord, just like Mary traveled all the way from Galilee to Judea to have fellowship with Elizabeth. Why? Because Christianity is not a solo business. Have you ever heard the idea that religion is one’s private business and should be kept to oneself? Well, that is true about religion, but Christianity is not to be private and cannot be practiced only in private. Christians are called to be separate from the world but they are also called to be vitally joined to the body of Christ, which includes a local church body.

Love Through Sharing

There is great joy in Christian fellowship. The Lord adds to the church those who are saved out of a crooked world. They are so elated because the wrath of God is removed, hell is gone, the power of sin is gone, and the dominion of Satan is gone. Such people can experience great ease, rest, and refreshment when they get together, and they actively obey Christ’s new commandment to love one another.

This passage tells us that in the early church the rich believers sold their possessions and gave to anyone as he had need. We know that no one can serve two masters, and these people served the Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, they had no problem selling their possessions, which they had previously cherished, worshiped, and served, and they gave the monies to meet the needs of the poor believers among them. Why? They were a family, a community. As you read this book of Acts, you will notice the words “brothers and sisters” used throughout. If you see that your sister does not have any food, what do you do? You sell what you have and give food to your sister.

Such actions were obligatory in the Qumran community, but not so in this Spirit-filled church. The truth is, these Christians loved God and his people more than their real estate. No one commanded them to do these things. They acted freely and voluntarily, internally compelled by the love of Christ.

These believers were experiencing true freedom. Remember how Jesus taught that one’s life does not consist in the things he possesses? Remember how he told the rich young man to sell what he had, give to the poor, come and follow Christ and he would have treasure in heaven. That man declined Jesus’ invitation, but these believers joyfully and willingly did what Christ said.

Jesus also taught it is more blessed to give than to receive. Christians gladly give of their material possessions because they are recipients of great spiritual riches. They have been given the kingdom of God, which is described in the Bible as a hidden treasure and a pearl of great price for which a man will sell all he has. That is why they can dispense with their possessions so readily.

Why do you think there are rich people as well as poor people in a church? So that the members can help one another with their needs. In my lifetime I have seen churches only for the rich and churches only for the poor. Such churches are absolute violations of biblical order. But these early disciples practiced what Jesus taught in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” And in 2 Corinthians 8:9 Paul wrote about Jesus Christ that, “though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” He was speaking about the poverty of the cross–Christ died for our sins.

Pentecost was a time of rejoicing. In Deuteronomy 16:10-11 we read, “Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the Lord your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the Lord your God has given you. And rejoice before the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name–you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, the Levites in your towns, and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows living among you.” These early Christians understood this passage, and that is why they sold everything and brought the money to the church, saying, “Let us all rejoice, hallelujah! Let us all eat and drink together with inexpressible joy.”

In Hebrews 13:16 we read, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” That is real Christianity, and it cannot be legislated. And in 1 John 3:16 we read, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 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? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.” The second mark of a Spirit-filled apostolic church is fellowship.

Hearing and Doing

Why do you think the early church enjoyed such fellowship? Because the apostolic doctrine taught them to love one another. Doctrine must change our lives. As Jesus said, the one who hears and does what he says is like a wise man who built his house upon a rock–immovable, infallible, everlasting.

I believe many modern evangelicals come to church and hear the word but do not do anything about it. But we must ask these questions: What difference has Jesus made in our life today? Did the doctrines we have heard and studied change our lives in any way?

May God help us to grow and taste and see that the Lord is good! May these apostolic doctrines change us and usher us into lives of inexpressible joy, fullness, satisfaction, rest, refreshment. May we be filled with the Spirit of the living God and may our lives be so transformed that the world will see us and ask what happened to us. Then we can praise God and give an answer for this great hope that is within us. Amen.