Archive for the ‘Church Plant’ Category

Anyone studying the right time and place to start a new church would not have chosen first century Jerusalem.  The government was corrupt, the people poor, and the city was occupied by a foreign army.  From a human perspective it was simply the wrong time and place; but it was God’s time and His place!

Acts 2 tells the story of the first large church service in the New Testament and the advent of the Holy Spirit.  On the Day of Pentecost 3,000 souls were added to the fledgling church.  Even though it was a difficult time and place, their church was not defined by her difficulties, but by her devotion:  “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer…All the believers were together and had everything in common” (Acts 2:42, 44).   They were simply devoted with all their hearts to God and each other.

The church of Acts was just that—a church of acts!  Their devotion was demonstrated in their daily habits which create a pattern for us to follow.  Every day they met together for worship, Bible study, and prayer.  They even shared their meals together!  But that is not all they shared—they shared everything as “they gave to anyone as he had need” (Acts 2:45).  It seems God was a part of the sharing as well as we are told “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47).

However, we can not simply mimic behavior to obtain a desired result.  The key to having an Acts-like church is exalting Christ.  The action of the Book of Acts began when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the church and Peter preached the exalted Christ to the crowd:  “God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear” (Acts 2:32-33).  All of our action as the church begins when we exalt Christ.  Our devotion will always flow from His exultation.

God really doesn’t want a lot from us—He wants everything! The church of Acts embodied this principle in their daily habits.  The Acts-like church will also.  Do you?