Acts 2:46-47
The Church’s Work
The Book of Acts is a book about the early New Testament Church. It
describes the church from its birth through its infancy and into its
early years. I believe there are two main reasons it is in the Bible.
1. Connection
a. Acts connects Jesus to our church. Without it, we would
not know how we went from the cross to the church.
b. Without Acts, there is no telling what blasphemous cults
would have laid claim to being the genuine church. Even
with it, we have several; but with it, we can go to back
to our roots and expose their false teachings to those
who will listen.
2. Purity
a. The church needs an inspired record to keep it on course.
b. The Book of Acts predates boards, committees;
associations; parachurch ministries; mega-churches;
building programs; promotions; music programs; trained
ministers; and every other human-made or even God-called
addition to the church.
c. It is the church at its most basic and elementary level.
d. By making sure that we have not left our roots, we make
sure that we are still behaving as the church ought to
behave, still pure in what God desired us to be.
What were the first behaviors of the church?
I. The church prayed together.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord
in prayer and supplication, with the women, and
Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the
apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in
breaking of bread, and in prayers.
A. The word pray is used some thirty times in the Book of Acts.
1. It was a habit that the church practiced…
a. …when they did not know what else to do
\\#Acts 1:14\\;
b. …at specific times of the day \\#Acts 3;1\\;
c. …when in danger \\#Acts 4:1\\.
d….when they began a new ministry \\#Acts 13:3\\.
2. Prayer was one of the church’s primary ministries
\\#Acts 6:4\\.
3. They prayed often and they prayed earnestly and they
prayed about all things.
B. There is no doubt that the early church was unique.
1. It saw the power of God like no other age.
2. It saw doors open and God bless like no other.
3. It saw miracles like no other.
4. But it also saw prayer like few others have seen. Perhaps
there is a connection.
C. Truths about this early New Testament praying.
1. Prayer was not just the preparation for their work. It
was one of their main works. (The office of deacon was
created so that the preachers could devote more time to
pray and Bible study.)
Acts 6:3 Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among
you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy
Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this
business.
4 But we will give ourselves continually to
prayer, and to the ministry of the word.
2. Two other words are used in connection with prayer which I
believe describe the fervency of these early prayer
warriors.
a. SUPPLICATION
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in
prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary
the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
(1) It means to beg, to beseech.
(2) It supplicated has the notion of humbling oneself
to receive.
(3) I associate supplication with being in a state of
intense prayer where time and earthly need have
little or no bearing.
(4) Perhaps a state brought on by so great a need
that the human heart can do nothing else but
pour itself out to God.
(5) I reckon that in this state, words are not needed
as this is more like praying spirit-to-Spirit.
b. FASTING
Acts 13:3 And when they had fasted and prayed,
and laid their hands on them, they sent them
away.
Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them
elders in every church, and had prayed with
fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on
whom they believed.
(1) Whereas supplication may be praying so earnestly
that the individual does not notice his/her
needs, fasting is praying when the individual
notices his needs but subdues them to continue.
(2) I think fasting is a deliberate choice of
refusing our needs and desires to seek God.
II. The church gathered together.
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord….
Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the
apostles’ doctrine and fellowship…
A. The early church fellowshipped together and not just weekly
but daily.
B. It would appear that the early church meet often for four main
purposes.
1. Group Worship
a. How do we define worship? Is it in what we do? the
song? the instruments? clapping? shouting? dancing
around?
b. The early church met without the aid of a building or
music program or worship leader or any of the other
modern-day clutter of what we call worship.
c. How might an early church service go?
(1) They prayed.
(2) They sang songs, probably with little or no
accompaniment.
(3) They testified what God was doing.
(4) They praised God.
(5) They read a common Bible.
(6) Someone or someones spoke about the Bible.
(7) They partook of the Lord’s Supper.
(8) And this they did for hours and then went home.
d. What the early church called worship the modern day
church would call boring, but what we call worship
today, the early church might well have called
clutter.
(1) By most standards today, our church worship is
very antiquated, but even in churches which are
deliberately geared to entertain for the
majority of the worship time, the attendees are
rapidly becoming bored.
(2) These "new" churches are finding there are only
so many new ways to sing or present a sermon.
e. The solution is not find yet another "new" way to
worship but to create a true love for the Bible says
and for what God has done.
2. Group Study
a. The pulpit ministry of the average local church had to
be pretty simple.
(1) There was no Bible, period.
(2) All they had is what they heard and what they
heard was limited.
b. What did they study?
(1) The early church would study and memorize
whatever Scriptures they had.
(2) The early church would write and recite
catechisms, doctrinal chants.
c. They did this daily.
d. They did this for multiple hours during the day.
e. They enjoyed and flourish due to it.
f. Certainly it was a simpler time but these people
enjoyed hiding truth in their heart.
3. Group Encouragement
Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to
provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting
one another: and so much the more, as ye see the
day approaching.
4. Group Service - They did work as individuals but they also
worked as groups to accomplish for God the things He
desired.
III. The church proclaimed the gospel to others.
A. Evangelism was the service of all services.
1. This was different from group study or worship.
2. This was evangelistic preaching where the church went out
into the community to find or to stage a situation where
they could preach the gospel.
B. If there was healing, this is when it was done.
1. Peter healed the lame man.
Acts 3:12 And when Peter saw it, he answered
unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye
at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as
though by our own power or holiness we had made
this man to walk?
Acts 4:7 And when they had set them in the midst,
they asked, By what power, or by what name, have
ye done this?
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said
unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders
of Israel,
2. Stephen
Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of faith and power,
did great wonders and miracles among the people.
10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom
and the spirit by which he spake.
C. But sometimes, they just found a crowd and started preaching.
Acts 9:29 And he (Paul) spake boldly in the name
of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the
Grecians: but they went about to slay him.
1. The goal of evangelistic preaching was:
a. To spread the truth about Jesus.
b. To allow the Holy Ghost to convict the heart of
sinners.
2. It became the main tool of church planting.
Acts 8:4 Therefore they that were scattered
abroad went every where preaching the word.
3. Like so many of the old ways, public street preaching is
now frowned upon by most church members as being too
simple or unsophisticated. (Tract distribution, door-to-
door visitation, and preaching against sin have also been
likewise condemned.)
4. But if bathed in prayer, I believe the old-fashioned ways
may be the only hope for revival.
IV. The church gave sacrificially.
Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and of one soul: neither said
any of them that ought of the things which he
possessed was his own; but they had all things
common.
33 And with great power gave the apostles witness
of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great
grace was upon them all.
34 Neither was there any among them that lacked:
for as many as were possessors of lands or houses
sold them, and brought the prices of the things
that were sold,
35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and
distribution was made unto every man according
as he had need.
36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed
Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son
of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of
Cyprus,
37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money,
and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
A. I do not advocate this type of sacrificial giving for all or
we would soon have no local church.
1. However, the early churches pattern of giving demonstrated
their commitment to Christ.
2. These people were not giving a tithe. They gave it all!
3. For this church at that time, it was the will of God.
B. Understand, it is the duty of Christians to support the work
of Christ.
1. People tell me they cannot afford to tithe.
2. But they can afford to take a vacations, to purchase newer
automobiles, new cloths, and most every other item their
heart desires.
a. Their problem is not that they cannot afford to give
to the Lord’s work.
b. Their problem is that they are not willing to
sacrifice for the Lord’s work.
3. Few people can afford to give without sacrificing to do so
and those who can just aren’t giving enough.
4. If a billionaire gives a million dollars has he given
anything to the Lord?
a. If a man making $30,000 gives $30 did he give much?
b. A million dollars is 1/1000 of a billion dollars just
like $30 is 1/1000 of $30,000.
5. If we do not give until it costs something, you have not
given sacrificially to the Lord.
2 Samuel 24:24 …Nay; but I will surely buy it of
thee at a price: neither will I offer burnt
offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth
cost me nothing.
These are not the only works of the New Testament Church but time
limits us. They also baptized, gave sacrificially, worked miracles,
spake in tongues, ministered to the widows, and sent missionaries
beyond the local church’s reach.
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