Weekly Ongoing Biblical Study Series for 05/05/22 on the Social Gospel Blog with Rev. Paul J. Bern

There Is No Comparison Between the early Christian Churches and Those of Today

The Early Church Was a Far Cry From Modern Churches: What Was So Different About Them and Why

(Acts chapter 2, part 5 of 5, verses 42-47)

Last week as we left off at verse 41 of Acts chapter two, the apostle Peter had just delivered his first message as the spokesman for the Twelve. After he explained the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and I quote from last week’s lesson, “...he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.' Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about 3,000 were added to their number that day.” They all got baptized, all 3,000 of them. But what's not being said is that there were at least as many, or more, who rejected Peter's message despite the overwhelming evidence of his truthfulness and the accuracy of his statements. Some people today spend their entire lives living in disbelief. God will deal with them, one way or another, in his perfect will and timing. Please note that I do not condemn anyone for failing to embrace Christianity. Judgment is God’s job, not ours. And now let's all move on to today's lesson, starting at verse 42.

This Week’s Study Verses

“The disciples were devoted to the teachings of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. A feeling of fear came over everyone as many amazing things and miraculous signs happened through the apostles. All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other. From time to time, they sold their property and other possessions and distributed the money to anyone who needed it. The believers had a single purpose and went to the temple every day. They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other’s homes and shared their food. At the same time, they praised God and had the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord saved people, and they were added to the group.” (Acts 2, verses 42-47)

I am absolutely sure that the four things listed that the disciples were devoted to are listed in their order of importance. Not that any one is unimportant, but the teachings of the apostles came first, since their teachings are that of Christ Jesus, who is the Son of God. Second was what the Bible calls “fellowship”, which is an antique word for friends hanging out together to watch a ball game, have a cook-out, or have a church service. A church service back then was a celebration that usually included what we would call a pot-luck dinner today.

The Real Reason Churches Are Dying: It’s Their Own Fault

Unfortunately, today it's all over and done with in an hour or less. That's it. Back then it lasted all day long. And then churches today wonder why they are having a hard time keeping people in the pews! Maybe what we need to do is get back to basics, starting with the intensity, or lack thereof, of our faith and our fervent prayers. You know, like less pomp and circumstance and more celebration. We need less emphasis on politics (and anything else political) and more on community involvement, like setting up a soup kitchen or distributing donated clothing and furniture. And let's have less emphasis on money and more on Spirit-filled preaching, fewer demands for tithes, and lots of prayers as we all pray for the healing of souls.

Experiencing the Power of God Firsthand

“A feeling of fear came over everyone as many amazing things and miraculous signs happened through the apostles.” In other words, the apostles performed miracles that literally frightened the onlookers, but not to the point of scaring anyone away due to its deeply Spiritual nature. Also, notice that the breaking of bread was not about coming to a free meal, it was about Holy Communion. Prayer, which is fundamental and crucial to anyone's Christian faith, is given equal footing with the breaking of bread. Meaning, every time we pray our prayers are another form of communion as we converse with the Lord in reverence and humility.

Socialistic Churches

Soon, an early form of what we now call socialism was established. The main difference between the early Christian churches and what we now call ‘socialism’ is that the churches did not depend on a central government. Socialism, on the other hand, thrives on a strong central government. Political systems such as this are all about control. But we believers find our nourishment in the body and blood of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Like Jesus said to the rich young man about giving his wealth away to the poor, (see Matthew 19, verses 16-26), these people liquidated whatever they owned and pooled the proceeds. Jesus also taught us not to collect treasures upon earth, but in heaven (see Matthew 6: 21). There was no lacking for anything, and everyone loved and looked after each other unconditionally, something we could use a lot more of in these times.

Sharing With Right Motives

“All the believers kept meeting together, and they shared everything with each other. From time to time, they sold their property and other possessions and distributed the money to anyone who needed it..... They were joyful and humble as they ate at each other’s homes and shared their food.” Contrast this with our situation today, and we find a stark contrast indeed! The majority of people today, based on personal observation, are convinced that life is all about seeing how much they can get, and what they can attain in areas of human achievement. In fact, life is all about the legacy we leave behind after we're gone, not about accumulating the most stuff while we’re still here. Too many people today live their lives backwards as a result.

Could You Do As They Did?

What the early Christians did back then would be like people today selling their properties, their cars and SUV's, and cashing in their investments, and then turning around and giving away the proceeds. Today, people like that are called philanthropists, and they are all very wealthy. But in the days of the early church, everybody was doing it except for the poorest people. That, my dear people, makes all the difference in the world. The time has come for everyone to cease being servants of only themselves, and to begin becoming servants of everyone else. It's about proper priorities, everyone.

“....they praised God and had the good will of all the people. Every day the Lord saved people, and they were added to the group.” Every day they went to the Temple, every day they had a sunrise service there as they praised God, and everybody evidently really loved these early Christians for who they were and how they lived. Those that were able-bodied enough to work did so, and still others owned businesses. They took in the sick, the homeless, the alien, the mentally ill and the elderly, plus widows and orphans and looked after them, no questions asked. I'm sure you have noticed that at least a few so-called “conservative Christians” would recoil at the very idea of lending a helping hand to a Mexican migrant worker, a person of color, or a homeless person in today’s world.

The Early Christians Were Far Different Then They Are Today

The early Christians who truly lived their faith as a lifestyle weren't caught up in the 'rat race' like we are today. If fact, the early Christians couldn't have cared any less about their careers, their investments, and making sure they have the best of everything all the time like we do today. They weren't materialistic like we are today. It was about a people and a faith, a church with a whole new way of living and a fresh paradigm of thinking. You know, like the kind of church we need today? The church we urgently, desperately need? Let's all contemplate different ways to put that into action in our own lives. Go find a person, or a family, that needs a helping hand. Next week we'll start on chapter 3. Shalom....

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