Have you ever asked yourself the question, "What does a healthy church look like?" Let's dive deep into the book of Acts for some answers.
Do you agree that finding a healthy church to belong to is one of the most important elements of a sustaining and healthy Christian faith? Its so important to our spiritual health and growth as Jesus followers, right? In the books of Acts, we find a stunning example of what a healthy church can look like. So, let's read together from Chapter 2. "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together, and they had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:42–47. There is so much to unpack in these five short verses, so let's explore them together.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. The early church in Acts, which God blessed and grew exponentially, was a devoted church. They understood the assignment that God had given them. In fact, verse 42 tells us they were devoted to four significant things.
They were devoted to studying the apostles teaching together. Just like the church in Acts, healthy churches are committed to studying the scriptures, the teachings of Jesus, and the doctrines of the Christian faith. Why? Christians believe that Christ is the head of His church, and that to become like Christ, we must study His teachings. When churches commit to this practice and obey Jesus commands, we will become healthy.
The early church enjoyed spending time with each other, and they built community together intentionally. Healthy churches understand that church is more than just a great meeting on a Sunday morning. Its a life giving community built on mutual love and support. These are the kinds of healthy churches that see the blessing and favor of God!
In Protestant Christianity, there are two sacraments that are foundational to our faith. One is baptism. And the other is communion, often known as the Lord's Supper or The Eucharist.
This potent practice shaped and formed the early church in Acts, which was a praying church. Healthy churches today meet together for prayer and earnestly look for God's direction in their lives and their community too.
"They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need." Verse 45 describes the outrageous generosity of the early church family. Their generosity was sacrificial and soaked with compassion. It would have stood in stark contrast to many of the oppressive taxation laws imposed on Roman citizens and marked out the early Church as very different to the governing authorities. In fact, Proverbs reminds its readers that : The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. Proverbs 11:24 Its no wonder that the early church grew in size and in influence! In fact, God blessed their generosity and added people to their gathering as a result. When we answer the question, "What does a healthy church look like?" generosity must be a visible value for everyone to see. Healthy churches understand that generosity invites the supernatural activity of God Himself.
46 Every day, they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Just like the early church in Acts, healthy churches love to hang out. They actively look forward to meeting together, whether for prayer and Bible study or socially.
"Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." How many of us would love to belong to a church where we see God on the move? Well, that was the experience of the first church in Acts. When they did all they could to honor God and serve their community, they saw God show up in spectacular and unusual ways.
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