The Early Church

Main Point:  The early church as we read it in the book of Acts, showed us power, prayer, obedience, unity, and serving others well, were the characteristics that ignited the Christian movement.  We can learn many lesson from the early church.

Pastor’s Thoughts:

• If I had to pick one thing that I have learned from the early church it would be that they were totally dependent on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
• It was so important that Peter and Paul and others would ask the new converts to Christianity, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you been saved by grace”.  

 Acts 19: 1-6.  Paul knew how important it was for Christians to be empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Pastor’s Thoughts:

• Paul was not in the upper room during the day of Pentecost
• Paul was an enemy of Jesus while Jesus walked on the Earth as God incarnate
• Paul was an enemy of the church during the time the Holy Spirit began to empower the Christians
• Yet Paul was the instrument God used to teach those and Jerusalem and the entire world about this important concept.
• That is an important question to ask ourselves:  Have we received the Holy Spirit since we have been saved?

What did the early church have?
Acts 2:38-47.  Once their hearts were changed to accept Jesus as their Salvation they begin to act differently.  The church began to produce these characteristics.

1.  They had the Holy Spirit that produced power.
   • Francis Chan writes, “When I read the book of Acts, I see the church as an unstoppable force. The church was powerful and spreading like wildfire. Not because of clever planning, but by a movement of the Spirit. Riots, torture, poverty, or any other type of persecution couldn’t stop it. Isn’t that the type of church movement we all long to be a part of?”
2. They had a desperation that produced prayer.  Acts 4:31-37
3. They had a faith that produced obedience.   Acts 4:19
4. They had a passion that produced unity.  They knew that united did could stand firm to execute their passion in Christ
5. They had everything in common.   Acts 2:45.  They were passionate about meeting needs of others.