The Keys to an Impacting Church
Read the Text: Acts 2
Memorize the Text: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. (Acts 2:42)
Consider the Text: Acts 2:42
As Luke penned Acts 2, we find the arrival of the Holy Spirit and the power of the gospel. Luke detailed the event known as Pentecost and revealed the power of the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of both believers and unbelievers. As multitudes responded to the gospel at Pentecost, the early church began, and Luke provided for key priorities held by the early church. These priorities still exist as the primary priorities in the twenty-first-century church.
The church must be dedicated to the PROCLAMATION OF TRUTH. Luke noted that the early church devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching. The act of dedication meant that the people completely committed themselves to the truth proclaimed by the apostles. The truth declared by the apostles did not derive from their thoughts or opinions but came from the Word of God and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
Today, the church must be dedicated to the teaching of God’s Word. The truth must come from the Word of God and not from the opinions or thoughts of humanity. Therefore, the authority of the proclamation rests on “thus says the Lord.” Consequently, we must make sure our devotion centers on the proclamation of the Lord and not the declaration of the ways and ideas of humanity.
The church must prioritize AUTHENTIC FELLOWSHIP. The fellowship of the first-century church focused on gathering. The coming together focused on the intentional gathering for the purpose of worship, study, and doing life together. This approach to life is centered on the importance of believers walking through life together. Luke mentioned they had all things in common because they believed in this form of fellowship.
Today, fellowship needs to return to the idea of such a gathering. Fellowship does not need to be lessened to only around events of fellowship meals, but ought to point to doing life together. The authentic fellowship consists of believers putting aside the self and focusing on walking the faith journey together.
The church needs to CELEBRATE SALVATION. The early church devoted themselves to the breaking of bread. This illustrates their commitment to participating in and celebrating the Lord’s Supper. This event marked a moment of celebrating the reality of salvation and the work of Christ to offer salvation to humanity. They did not take salvation for granted but instead sought to worship the Redeemer and the reality of salvation through the breaking of bread.
Today, we gather and celebrate the Redeemer. The breaking of bread together illustrates the price paid by Christ for the gaining of eternal life. The breaking of bread ought never to become a routine, but the event needs to be a moment of strategic reflection and celebration. May this event be a moment of declaration of Jesus and the celebration of his work.
The church must PRAY. The first-century church sought the Lord in prayer for boldness and leading. They did not seek to participate in the work of the Kingdom of God without first seeking the Lord to empower them for the work and lead them in the task. They held that prayer needed to be an individual and corporate event. They would pray as individuals but would gather and pray collectively with one mind.
Today, the church needs to return to authentic prayer. A life of prayer needs to exist in the church. The church should seek the Lord for the boldness to declare and live out the truth of the gospel in boldness. Likewise, each church ought to seek the Lord in prayer to know the leading and guiding of the Lord. Prayer in the church today must not be a secondary activity but a priority in each area.
When believers and the church make these characteristics the priorities in life, the power of the gospel impacts the culture. Following this verse, we find that Luke spoke about the church's impact on the surrounding culture and how many people continued following Christ as Lord and Savior. Is it possible that the contemporary church has lost focus on these criteria and has become less effective? If every activity in the church aligned with these priorities, would the world be turned upside down?
This blog is part of the Coffee and Quiet Time with Jesus Devotional Series found at equippingfaith.com. Join the journey of reading through the New Testament this year. More information can be found at equippingfaith.com.
