An Original Snapshot of the First Church, Part 2

Down through the ages, the Church has endured countless iterations. Some of these expressions have purified the Church. But tragically, there were long seasons when the Church drifted far from God's design. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll invites us to follow along as we study a passage in Acts chapter 2. In these verses, we see how the original Church was formed, and the manner in which it functioned. Through unity and love, we discover what to look for in a healthy Church today.

But before we begin the message, Chuck leads us in prayer. I'm very grateful today, Father, for the security that we have in you, that all through our lives we lose things, but we can never lose your love. We can never be bad enough to lose your love.

We can never work hard enough to gain more of it. Your love is consistent, based on grace, and forever ours to claim, to revel in and rely on, even though some of us today feel pretty unlovely. And if we've done some things that we regret, but we cannot lose your love, in spite of that, thank you for loving us through it all, and for reminding us through these young voices that we can never lose that love. In the name of Christ, who loves us and gave himself for us, we pray.

Everyone said, Amen. And I'm convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love, neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow. Not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love.

No power in the sky above or in the earth below. Indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. You will lose your baby teeth at times you'll lose your faith in me. You will lose a lot of things but you cannot lose my love.

You may lose your appetite, your guiding sense of wrong and right. You may lose your will to fight, but you cannot lose my love. Many things can leave this place, your buried memories erased. No matter what the time or space, you cannot lose my love. You cannot, cannot lose my love. You cannot, cannot lose my love. You cannot lose my love. You may lose your confidence in times I shall not possess. You may lose your innocence, but you cannot lose my love. You cannot lose. You cannot lose.

You cannot lose my love. This is Insight for Living and today's special music was performed by the Stonebriar Community Church Children's Ensemble. And now teaching from Acts chapter 2 beginning at verse 41, Chuck Swindoll continues a message that started yesterday titled An Original Snapshot of the First Church. When we look at these seven verses, I want us to answer four important questions. Do your very best to set aside whatever may have been your opinions, your experiences, the things that had turned you against the church, and let's let the truth permeate as Luke records the scene as it took place.

Here's the first question. Who formed the first church? The first reference to numbers in Acts 1 and 2 is in 1 15.

Turn there. Look at chapter 1, verse 15. You will read during this time when about 120 believers were together in one place. So there's 120. Look at chapter 2, verse 41.

Here's another number. Those who believe what Peter said. This is a reference to Peter's first sermon, which we've not taken the time to go into.

You've read it and we've studied it before. Those who believe what Peter said, that's the gospel. They believe that Christ died and was buried and that Christ rose again from the dead miraculously and bodily and was seen by those around him. And they believed in Jesus Christ with their hearts and they believe the message that's called the gospel. And the result is they were baptized and added to the church that day about 3000. Now, what makes me smile is that I sometimes meet people who frown when you talk about being a part of a large church. The very first church was 3120, if I number correctly.

And since he added to them daily into the chapter, it was larger than that. There's a big church. That's a lot of people. That's a lot of brand new babies.

About ready to make a mess of things. Brand new baby Christians. Look at it for yourself. These are people from all over. First, we have the disciples turned apostles who were all from Galilee. Then we have women who are a part of the group. Chapter one, verse 14.

Women are named and mentioned there. Then you have a large mixture of races. If you go back to chapter one, you'll see a variety of languages.

In chapter two, those languages are also mentioned. Different cultural backgrounds, all of them forming the very first church. It was a mixture. The church was never meant to be one kind of demographic group, not one. It is a mixture.

It's meant to be a mixture of races, of nationalities, of backgrounds, of skin color, of different roots. Three thousand brand new babies. Now, new babies need lots of things. Mainly, they need nourishment. So we're not surprised when we go to the second question, what the first priority was.

But the question is, what were their priorities? Here we've got 3120 plus people brand new, just been baptized, now gathered together. They have one thing in common. That's Christ. They've all placed their trust in Jesus. They've all believed in him.

So what do they need? Well, look for yourself, verse 42. All the believers devoted themselves to four priorities.

You'll see them all in verse 42. To the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the sharing in meals, your Bible may read, to the breaking of bread, that is the Lord's Supper, and to prayer. Those are priorities.

Let me give them headings. First, priority one would be instruction from the scriptures. Two, there was a commonality of relationships, not only sharing in Christ in common, but sharing what they had in common with each other. So there's a lot of generosity. We'll get to that.

That's second. It's called fellowship. Third, there was worship as they gathered together for their meals and they saved some of the meal for the table of the Lord and they observed the table as well as verse 41.

There were baptisms as well that were added as people were added to it. So we have worship. And then fourth, there were times of prayer. They spent time in prayer. Prayer is like the steel in the concrete.

It's like the steel in the foundation. Jim Elliott once wrote, the saint who advances on his knees never retreats. To borrow from that missionary's words, I would say the church that advances on her knees never loses its vision or decreases its passion.

Prayer undergirds a ministry. And this is one of the priorities they were committed to. And remember the early words, they devoted themselves to prayer. Don't think of these four priorities as periodic emphases or occasional activities.

If you do, you're missing the first part of verse 42. I read, they devoted themselves to. All of that is from one big compound Greek word, which means a steadfast single-minded devotion to a certain course of action.

Repeat, a steadfast single-minded devotion to a certain course of action. So when it came to teaching, they were devoted to it. When it came to fellowship, they were devoted to it. When it came to worship, they were devoted to it.

And prayer, they were devoted to it. If you're a basketball player, you are devoted to putting that ball in the hoop. And you know as well as I do that one of the secrets is making those free throws. That's why you see even the professionals practicing that free throw over and over and over and over and over and over. Thousands of times in their career, they're shooting free throw because the game is often won at the free throw line. If you're in the football game, you know the top scorer of every team is the kicker.

Surprises people. They think it would be the wide receiver or it would be maybe the running back or the court. Nope, it's the kicker because the games are won or lost by that ball going through the field goal at the end or making a field goal through the uprights. Either that or the extra point and that kicker practices, practices and practices. Oh, he's devoted to it. He's devoted to it.

If you're a musician, it would be the scales and the score of the music. You practice it and practice it and practice. That's what is in mind here. Except in this case, these new believers continually sat at the feet of the apostles, listened and learned as the truth was presented and repeated.

Don't miss this. The truth for it to be learned must be presented and repeated. You should hear truth over and over and over again.

The secret of memory is review, repetition, review. You really don't know a church doctrine if you've not reviewed it over and over and over in your mind. You really don't know what the doctrines are if you have not repeated the truths of them again and again. You've heard the words, but you've not learned what they mean unless you have devoted yourself continually to the teaching.

John R.W. Stott writes this in his book, The Message of Acts. One might say that the Holy Spirit opened a school in Jerusalem that day. The teachers were the apostles whom Jesus had appointed, and there were three thousand pupils in the kindergarten. A spirit filled church is a New Testament church in the sense that it studies and submits to New Testament instruction. The Spirit of God leads the people of God to submit to the Word of God.

Close quote. This is the top priority. So let me add this to you who are searching for a church. It may be here.

It may be elsewhere. The main thing you need to look for is the teaching. The main thing you need to listen to is what is being said in the pulpit. What is being said at the adult fellowship gatherings? What kind of communication is being done as it relates to the word of God?

Is the one who is presenting information, putting his or her finger on the text and explaining the text and helping you understand the text so that you now get it and apply it? If so, you're in a good place. If not, don't go there. I don't care how great the music is. I don't care how marvelous the buildings may be.

I don't care how wonderful the facilities or how excellent the children's program. The teaching, and I would include in this the children, the teaching of the teenagers, the teaching of adults, the teaching of the Word of God is foundational. So that's one. I think you got it. Number two is fellowship. Look at the word.

It's the Greek word koinonia, and it simply means common or commonality. First, they shared in the same things that would be the things of Christ. Next, they shared with one another. Look how it's amplified in the verses that follow. As a result of the teaching, a deep sense of awe came over them all.

I'll say something about that in a minute, something more about that as a result of the teaching. Look at the result of fellowship, verse 44. All the believers met in one place. They shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions. They shared the money with those who were in need.

So there is a commonality in it. Kent Hughes in his book Acts, the Church of Fire, writes this, Fellowship costs something in the early church in contrast to our use of the word fellowship today. Fellowship is not just a sentimental feeling of oneness.

It is not punching cookies. It does not take place simply because we are in the church hall. Fellowship comes through giving. True fellowship costs. The truth is we will have fellowship only when we make it a practice to reach out to others and give something of ourselves.

Now there's balance here. Don't miss this. With the teaching of the Scriptures, you're taking in. You're absorbing.

You're learning. You're receiving. With fellowship, you're giving out. You're reaching out. You're touching others' lives. You're showing care and compassion. You're expressing your faith to those who are hurting or who are in need of what you have. So there is the word that you relate to and then there are others. A church that's balanced has both. Look for that when you look for a church worth your time and worth your attendance. Not just one or the other.

You need both. Now there's a third. Go back to our original verse, 42. They devoted themselves to the sharing and meals and the Lord's table as well as baptism. So now we find the ordinances taking place as well as times of real personal worship. And how joyful they were. Verse 46.

I love this verse. They worshiped together at the temple each day and they met in homes for the Lord's Supper. They shared their meals, look at it, with great joy and generosity. The early church was a joyful church. It was a winsome place. It was a place that had the kind of worship that was magnetic.

It drew others in. Let me tell you what is often missing even in churches where there is teaching and that is a philosophy of worship. You can be in a church that instructs you and it can become a large Bible class or a little more than just verse by verse teaching of the Bible. But very little emphasis on reaching out to others and virtually no emphasis on sitting in awe before the living God in worship. When we worship, we become lost in wonder, love and praise.

Please hear me here. When we worship, we allow time for silence and stillness. When we worship, we invite the Lord's presence to give direction. When we worship, we give him our praise as we sit in awe before him.

When we worship, we acknowledge he is the one who is magnified, not some preacher or teacher or singer or musician. It is a well-planned, well-executed philosophy of worship where you sense God's power and God's presence. You're listening to the Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll.

This is Insight for Living. Chuck titled today's message, An Original Snapshot of the First Church. To learn more about the ministry of Insight for Living, please visit us online at insightworld.org. Well, it's possible you've been listening to Chuck teach today and wondering how you might find a suitable church in your community. Perhaps you've never stepped inside a church or maybe you're feeling motivated to find a Bible centered church where God's word is declared with the kind of boldness that you hear on this program. Well, Chuck's written an article on how to recognize a healthy church. We believe it'll steer you in the right direction.

And Chuck has prepared some other helpful resources for you as well. And you'll find all this and more online at insight.org slash church. Of course, there's nothing that'll shape your understanding of the church better than a personal study of the Bible.

To that end, I'll point you to one of the best resources available through Insight for Living. I'm referring to the Swindoll Study Bible. This Bible, offering the New Living Translation, contains practical insight from Chuck, ideas for application, and a wealth of background information that gives you historical context for what you're reading. The Swindoll Study Bible would make a thoughtful gift for a friend or loved one.

And you can see all your different choices when you go online to insight.org slash offer. Well, Chuck, in recent days, you've shown us that our view of God's competence, His capability, will determine the course of our lives. That's right, Dave. I believe with all my heart that God is not only big, but He's the God of limitless possibilities. Think about that. My convictions are founded on biblical truth. I'm thinking, for example, of Luke 18, 27, where we read, the things that are impossible with people are possible with God. And the same thought is in Jeremiah. The weeping prophet wrote this, Nothing is too difficult for you, Jeremiah 32, 17. In addition to these biblical affirmations, I can also bear witness to the God of limitless possibilities.

I've seen His greatness at work in my own life again and again. For these reasons and so many more, I'm compelled to pursue what many people deem impossible. That is, to obey the great command of our Savior Jesus and make disciples of all the nations.

That's right, all the nations. Would you be willing to join us in this journey? In recent days and months, you've heard me talk about what we call Vision 195.

So this is not new to you. It's the passion of our hearts to bring insightful living to all 195 countries of our world. I confess it's an audacious dream. In my own strength, admittedly, it's impossible. But I base my confidence on the God of limitless impossibilities. In the last two years, God has accomplished the impossible. He's guided Insight for Living Ministries through a global pandemic, as well as a combative national election, and a season of isolation we've never experienced until now.

During this time period, we've kept every single radio station, and we have not missed a broadcast. And my friend, I believe our best days still lie before us. So let's trust this God of impossibility, shall we? Let's pull together and let's offer our personal resources to tell of God's amazing grace in all the countries of the world.

That's 195 of them. Please follow God's prompting and give generously whatever God has placed on your heart. Give that and do that today.

Thanks so much for standing alongside us. Well, getting in touch and responding to Chuck Swindoll is easy. Pick the method that's best for you. First, you can call us if you're listening in the United States. Dial 1-800-772-8888. Once again, 1-800-772-8888.

Or it might be quickest and most efficient to give on our secure website. That's insight.org slash donate. Thank you for generously supporting Insight for Living. Join us again tomorrow when Chuck Swindoll continues to describe an original snapshot of the first church right here on Insight for Living. The preceding message, an original snapshot of the first church and the sound recording were copyrighted in 2018 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.