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What can We learn from the First Century Church? Part 10

April 29, 2025 / / 3 Comments

Victorious Faith

Just recently I have become aware of the burden I have for both the leaders and the members of many of churches in my country.

If there ever was a time when we needed the power of God in our lives, I strongly believe it is now. Certainly many communities of believers are thriving and growing in Christ around the world. For this we praise God! Yet here are great concerns as well. This past year a number of Christian leaders have been in the news concerning moral failures that bring shame to the name of Christ and discourage many believers. At the same time, far too many ordinary believers continue to be enslaved by the power of addictions and numerous temptations.

There is no doubt that there are number of direct or indirect causes for these failures. Having grown up in church and after being involved in leadership for 45 years, I have seen much and have made many mistakes myself. I have sat in numerous leadership meetings and observed how situations are addressed and how answers are sought after. It has often been difficult for me to offer suggestions for the very reason that I do not often understand the perspective from which other leaders today are coming. My main area of knowledge and experience for all these years has been from the study of the scriptures, rather than from modern day administrative techniques. One day a fantastic thought occurred to me! How could we apply biblical understanding to these issues? Could not the Holy Spirit lead us in the same as He did back then?

Sometimes though, I wonder how people in the First Century church could even understand our 21st Century problems!

In these messages we have been considering what we in our time and culture might learn from the First Century Church. Of course there are the differences in cultural and historical situations that must be taken into account. At the same time there are principles that can still be applied for our benefit. However, some of these principles will not even work while we are building on a different foundation. When we build on a foundation of how modern business or political organizations are formed, our successes will only mirror the successes of business and political organizations. Is that what we want? Is that want God wants?

The church of Jesus Christ is built upon a supernatural foundation, on a totally different set of principles. Many today are returning to that foundation. Praise God! For some this can even mean starting over completely!

From the beginning of Luke’s account of the Acts of the Apostles, we learn that Jesus made a promise to His followers:

Acts 1:3-8
He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

6 So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”

7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NIV)

So the Early Church started out with total dependence on God and obedience to His command to wait in Jerusalem. Guess what! This principle, if you want to call it, worked! The church did receive the power to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus and to live holy lives in His presence! There were obstacles, pressures, and persecutions, but there was also phenomenal growth. During this time there was an explosion of joy in them and in the communities they formed!

Many are concerned today that Christians are beginning to trust more in political and economical power to further the Good News of the Kingdom of God. This is the temptation of our time and in many countries of the world. Yet, the church has often shown the greatest power when it was devoid of these things. Consider the words of James, the Lord’s brother:

James 2:5-6:
5 Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have insulted the poor.
(NIV)

Then we must consider the times in history when Christian institutions actually used their political power to persecute unbelievers and even fellow believers! Of course, wealth and political influence can be used for good, but how much better it is to see God’s supernatural work in the world in a situation where no one could deny His superiority in love, wisdom, grace and power.

The first thing some people think about concerning power is the power to heal the sick and to work miracles. This is true, many miracles were recorded in the early days of the church. However, there is more to it than miracles when it comes to bearing witness to the Lordship of Jesus the Messiah. Jesus spoke of the fact that the kingdom of God was a realm where people lived a new life by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3). This new birth was foretold by God through the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel.

Jeremiah 31:33-34:
33 “This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the LORD.
(NIV)

Ezekiel 36:26-27:
26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
(NIV)

By faith in Jesus, these promises have been extended to those of us who are not the natural children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And yet, many believers today are content to confess that they have no real victory over their own hearts and their sinful ways. Is this the result of misunderstanding or pure unbelief in the Words of our Lord? Could this unbelief explain our unrealistic and illogical dependence upon worldly wisdom?

Are you like me and many others who desire to see a victorious community of believers in Christ, continuing to bear witness of Him to the ends of the earth? Today we are not among those who personally saw Jesus after He returned from the tomb. And yet, Paul prayed for believers like us, who also missed that experience:

Ephesians 1:17-23:
… that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
(NKJV)

This vision of Christ, and of Christ IN You is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) He is building His powerful Church, one against which the gates of hell will not prevail! By faith in His sacrifice for us on the Cross, we receive salvation and the forgiveness of our sins. But the Gospel of the Kingdom does not stop there. By faith we are also overcomers!

1 John 5:3-5:
4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
(NIV)

Believe the Good News! God is working in you both the will and the ability to do His good pleasure! (Philippians 2:13) You are more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus! (Romans 8:37). That is if you have heard the Word, believed in Him, repented of your sins and are following Him. Today God is calling us to stop at nothing until we fully experience the very same power from heaven that filled those first disciples. Some have not even heard that it is still available to them today. We affirm that it is! Peter announced that this promise is given to many, many others.

Acts 2:38-39:
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
(NIV)

Today I would ask you all to read and re-read the book of the Acts of the Apostles. Catch a glimpse of the possibilities. Consider what could happen if we would only return to the simplicity of believing God’s Word and acting on His promises by His grace today!

What can We learn from the First Century Church? Part 9

April 7, 2025 / / 3 Comments

Let’s talk about Parachurch

First of all, what is “parachurch?” The Greek word “para” means “alongside.” So the idea is that there are services by groups who are not specifically The Church, but exist to support the work of The Church. These are categorized as parachurch. They come alongside to help The Church. A good example would be organizations like Campus Crusade For Christ, or Food For the Hungry. These are not churches, but the efforts of Christians who are part of The Church, the Body of Christ. They believe they are called to focus on things like sharing the Gospel on college campuses, or feeding people in poorer countries in the love of Christ. Other known parachurch ministries would include Celebrate Recovery, which focusses on the needs of people who are recovering from “hangups, habits and hurts,” and even the more recent efforts to share the Gospel through the making of high quality movies like “The Chosen,” and “The House of David.”

From the beginning there were practical concerns that required some organization. In Jerusalem the church grew rapidly to about 5,000. In Acts chapter 6, the need arose for seven men to be chosen to oversee the care of the widows. It should not surprise us that over the centuries the need for other practical services would arise. From the New Testament we also see that men like Barnabas and Saul (Paul) had to leave the comfort of their local church when the Holy Spirit sent them out to the greater Mediterranean world to preach the Gospel of Christ. While they did receive support originally from Antioch, it is evident that they were on their own much of the time. Paul actually had his own trade which provided for his needs and those of his companions (Acts 18:3, 20:33-35, 1 Thessalonians 2:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:8-10). While missionaries like Barnabas, Paul, and Silas are not known as “parachurch” ministries, it is helpful to view them as “workers” whose extended reach is distinct from that of the local church setting.

Two thousand years later and around the world, the concept of parachurch ministries has proliferated. Ideally these should not compete with The Church of Jesus Christ. However, some church leaders are concerned that this competition might exist at times. At this point I am going to suggest something that might be even outrageous to many. One of the greatest hindrances to the vitality of the real Church of Jesus Christ, the community of born-again believers in the world today, can often be our understanding of the many institutions we call churches!

Please understand that I am not challenging the need for organizations and even denominations. Many of these have a purpose in God’s plan that I do not need to understand. They have served the needs of people for hundreds of years. However, the bible is very clear in describing the Church of Jesus Christ and how it functions.

The word that is translated “church” in most of our English bibles is from the Greek word “ecclesia,” or “assembly.” In New Testament times this word often applied to regular official gatherings (Acts 19:39), and at times agitated crowds that have gathered for different reasons (Acts 19:41). The first mention of the church in the New Testament is in the Gospel according to Matthew:

When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?”

14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
NKJV (Matthew 16:13-18)

The building that Jesus is referring to is not composed of brick, mortar, or wood. It is composed of individuals who are supernaturally joined together in Him! (Ephesians 2:18-22) It is founded upon the revelation that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God! Only individuals who have repented and are born again by faith in Jesus are members of this living organism called the Body of Christ! (Acts 2:38, 47, Ephesians 1:20-23) By One Spirit they are baptized into this One Body of Christ! (1 Corinthians 12:12-14) Only Jesus Himself is the Head of His body and He lives His life within each individual for His Eternal Purpose.

He has placed servants in His assembly whom He has prepared to lead by the example of their godly lives. Their devotion to Him and His people qualify them far more than their education and human abilities. They are more like fathers and mothers than CEO’s of corporations. The Church is their family, addressing one another as brothers and sisters, equally important in the eyes of God their Heavenly Father.

This is the Real Church.

In his book, “The Community of the King,” Howard Snyder puts forth the proposition that everything that is not of the essence of the Church as the redeemed people of God should be acknowledged as parachurch activity. He makes the outlandish suggestion that all institutions, including denominational structures, interdenominational structures, and non-denominational structures be included in the above category of parachurch organizations.

Personally, I have struggled with the very existence of Institutional Christianity in all of its forms. But after reading this book and also after serious observation, I believe that a paradigm shift such as the one Snyder proposes could be the solution to many of our problems today.

We love to quote the “Solas,” of the Protestant Reformation: sola scriptura (Scripture alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), and soli Deo gloria (glory to God alone). At the same time we have forgotten where the Scriptures, Christ, His grace, and faith would lead us— to a better understanding of the character and nature of the Church of Jesus Christ, His Body and the precious members of that body. This better understanding, and the genuine practice of this understanding, would certainly bring glory to God alone!

This building is made of up of living stones who make up a spiritual house, and a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:5-9). These precious believers are not simply “butts in the seats,” to supply “bucks” in the offering plate, to build fantastic edifices and empires for the glory of Christian super stars! However God wants to use these things, they are not the Real Church, the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all!

What can we learn from the First Century Church? Part 8

April 5, 2025 / / 0 Comments

The Servant’s Heart

Why should it be important for us today to consider the First Century Church? My primary reason for this consideration is that I care about the church of Jesus Christ. Some wonderful things are happening today but I also see some dangerous trends these days. After 50 years of observation I have come to the strong conclusion that many of our problems stem from our lack of attention to the original plan of Christ Himself. The men who were personally trained by Jesus had an advantage over us. And yet, God has wonderfully preserved in the bible the results of their experience for our learning!

Hence my enthusiasm for this discussion.

On the other side I would ask this question: Why would we not want to learn from the First Century Church?

Each time I have read through the book we call the Acts of the Apostles, I have been challenged and inspired by the passion, the courage and the power I see in the lives of these followers of Christ. Each messenger of the Gospel had a personal encounter with Jesus that they were able to communicate to others, and to pass along to them. Their enthusiasm was contagious. I want that for myself and all of my fellow believers. I believe we can possess it because God has communicated to us in the New Testament that it is for us as well.

For approximately 3 1/2 years, Jesus took special time with 12 men who were called to be His ambassadors, His apostles. He taught them lessons in private that were not a part of His public discourses. This special attention might have gone to their heads. Feeling privileged and important they began to contend with one another as to who among them would be the greatest.

But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” NKJV (Mark 10:42-45, see also Matthew 20:25 & Luke 22:24-27)

Here and in other passages Jesus establishes Himself as the prime example of a humble servant and even a slave to others (John 13:13-15, 1 Peter 2:21-22). Likewise leaders in the Christian community were also to lead in this example themselves. (1 Timothy 4:12, 1 Peter 5:1-6).

This is in stark contrast to many leaders in the world, and even in the church throughout history! How much of true intimacy with Christ are we missing when we fail to experience the joy of serving others as He did?

Jesus knew that his disciples would not become servants of all overnight. This is seen in a conversation He had with John’s disciples.

Matthew 9:14-17:

14 Then John’s disciples came and asked him, “How is it that we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

15 Jesus answered, “How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

16 “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch will pull away from the garment, making the tear worse. 17 Neither do men pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins will burst, the wine will run out and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”
NIV

Many Old Testament prophecies were about to be fulfilled. Great changes were to take place involving the people of God. John the Baptist and Jesus had both been tearing up the roots of idolatry, pride, rebellion, and unbelief in their hearts.

His 12 apostles were not excepted from this process.  At this time they were riding high in the success of His mission. The Bridegroom, their Prince was among them, but not for long. He warned them in advance, but they could not hear it. When He was eventually taken from them they were shocked, humiliated, disillusioned, and broken up by the death of their Messiah on a cross.

An old covenant system of worship was on its way out, but the old attitudes and habits of the followers of Jesus also needed to go. These confident young men were about to be used of God to lead this new revolution of faith. They must first learn to transfer all of their confidence from themselves to God. Jesus told them that without Him they could do nothing!

How many of us can identify with this experience? Have you also been brought low by your failures, or the disappointments of life? Have you by God’s grace persevered through it all until the light at the end of the tunnel was seen? Then, when it was all over and a new day became clear, were you also in a better place than ever before?

Can we possibly walk with these First Century believers through the time when their dreams were utterly destroyed? Then, can we embrace with them the unspeakable joy and wonder at His glorious resurrection and escape from a guarded tomb? They could never be the same again. Even though they still did not understand the manner by which His Kingdom would come, it did not matter now! He is risen and alive forevermore!

When they received the promised power from on high and were filled unto overflowing with the Holy Spirit, this time it did not boost their egos. Instead they knew their weaknesses and His power better than before. They became the new wineskin which contained the blessing of the new wine of the Holy Spirit.

In my lifetime I have many times seen the blessing of God upon us as we gather unto Him. At the same time I have also seen the failure of old wineskins to contain the blessings He offers. In our pride we have tried to steer the ship to where we wanted it to go. We have held fast to our man-made traditions that too often serve our pride and egos. We have learned how to please people first in order to gain their support for our vision for our church.

Very recently I have once more witnessed the failure of old wineskins to contain the wine and have seen them spitting open themselves at great loss. We desperately need to return to humility and the simplicity of the First Century Church! Are we willing to receive a fresh vision of Christ in His Church? Are we also willing to give of ourselves with Servant Hearts to build up others in His Kingdom?

Think about it!

 

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