Community Life

[ITS]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

[Malcolm]

In 35 AD, the "church" is fired up. Fresh from the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the leaders of The Way were engaged in life with a new vigor. Though there were persecutions and the meetings of the church were in most ways held in small, secluded areas, the intensity of her members was contagious. Every where the Apostles went, the Spirit of God was with them and drawing new believers to God.

In modern times, I think it would benefit the Church most if we had the urgency that those first century believers had. We, like the generations before us, believe that because Jesus did not bring the End Times during that first century and hasn't yet, that we have all the time in the world. We need to remember that He could come anytime ... really soon!

[troy.trout]

The year A.D. 35 was a very exciting and challenging time for the Church. I imagine that the disciples were extremely excited and extremely overwhelmed at the same time. They had meetings where the place was shaken by God's power. They were placed in prison from time to time, yet daily numbers were added to the Church of those that were being saved. The staff of twelve that had been mentored by Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed. The typical little distractions were in danger of squeezing out the more importnat tasks of preaching, prayer, and fasting. The fleshly concerns of the new and still immature converts were in danger of consuming the apostles. The apostles took an extremely important step when they said, "no" to other demands and delegated the authority to the first deacons.

The Church today, in my opinion, is overly concerned with the administrative leadership role of the pastoral staff at the expense of fasting, prayer, and study of God's word. Leadership skills are sought after with ever increasing fervency while the annointing of God is seen as old school. More pastors need to turn over the administrative responsibilities to lay people in the church. The professionalization of the clergy is undermining the results of Pentecost which were to empower all believers for service.

[troy.trout]

In 35 AD, the "church" is fired up. Fresh from the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the leaders of The Way were engaged in life with a new vigor. Though there were persecutions and the meetings of the church were in most ways held in small, secluded areas, the intensity of her members was contagious. Every where the Apostles went, the Spirit of God was with them and drawing new believers to God.

In modern times, I think it would benefit the Church most if we had the urgency that those first century believers had. We, like the generations before us, believe that because Jesus did not bring the End Times during that first century and hasn't yet, that we have all the time in the world. We need to remember that He could come anytime ... really soon!

We certainly do lack a sense of urgency. It is interesting to note that the disciples had asked only days before Pentecost if now was the time that Jesus would set up His kingdom. That sense of urgency is difficult to find in our time. Even when planes are flown into buildings; and two foreign wars are being fought simultaneously, the Church in America feels little urgency.

The early Church had little interest in creating an organizational structure, building facilities, or attempting to analyze the though processes of 'seekers.' They chose, rather, to dedicate themselves to preaching the foolishness of the Cross.

[davidkim04]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.
People who believe in Jesus Christ are really faithful in the time of AD 35. Some of them see Jesus Christ, and some of them hear about him and his life. The power of the Holy Spirit is there with believers. Believers share their possessions each other. They are all real brothers and sisters in Christ. They feel that they are one unity in Christ. In believing Christ there is no separation and wall between them in social and economic condition.

In today?s church, we are so much worry about us not Jesus. Because of it, there is so hard to find real love of Christ in the church. We need to get the love of Christ again in church. We need to focus on Jesus Christ and his teaching, not ourselves.

[davidkim04]

The year A.D. 35 was a very exciting and challenging time for the Church. I imagine that the disciples were extremely excited and extremely overwhelmed at the same time. They had meetings where the place was shaken by God's power. They were placed in prison from time to time, yet daily numbers were added to the Church of those that were being saved. The staff of twelve that had been mentored by Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed. The typical little distractions were in danger of squeezing out the more importnat tasks of preaching, prayer, and fasting. The fleshly concerns of the new and still immature converts were in danger of consuming the apostles. The apostles took an extremely important step when they said, "no" to other demands and delegated the authority to the first deacons.

The Church today, in my opinion, is overly concerned with the administrative leadership role of the pastoral staff at the expense of fasting, prayer, and study of God's word. Leadership skills are sought after with ever increasing fervency while the annointing of God is seen as old school. More pastors need to turn over the administrative responsibilities to lay people in the church. The professionalization of the clergy is undermining the results of Pentecost which were to empower all believers for service.
I agree with this response. Today, our church too much concern about how to build big church building and how to gather large congregation. They do not concern much about an individual soul. They do not concern about the teaching of Jesus. For example, they preach and teach the love of Jesus, but they do not make an action of love of Christ. They do not show the love of Christ to people. It is not business to do God's work, we cannot achieve God's purpose for us on earth, even though we can achieve our purpose on earth if we think church work is kind of business.

[DonnieJack]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

The year is AD 35. The Early Church, which is called "The Way" seems to be fired up and energized. There is a church of atleast 3000 if not more that really practice the principle of community. This seems to be the underlying focus. There is sense of family that seems to really care for the needs of the people through the bold preaching of the gospel, supporting the needy, community prayer, community fellowship and church discipleship and discipline.

I believe that if the modern church today would hold fast to the community principle that the Early Church preached and practiced, then the modern church would be most effective in reaching lost souls for Jesus Christ. I will break that down into three cateogories. First of all, if today's church would practice giving to the needy or to the needs of their surrounding community. Second, if today's church would spend more time in community and corporate prayer as a church. Finally, if today's church would preach the bold and simplistic gospel like it was preached during the church of Acts, then we will see more people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

[DonnieJack]

The year A.D. 35 was a very exciting and challenging time for the Church. I imagine that the disciples were extremely excited and extremely overwhelmed at the same time. They had meetings where the place was shaken by God's power. They were placed in prison from time to time, yet daily numbers were added to the Church of those that were being saved. The staff of twelve that had been mentored by Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed. The typical little distractions were in danger of squeezing out the more importnat tasks of preaching, prayer, and fasting. The fleshly concerns of the new and still immature converts were in danger of consuming the apostles. The apostles took an extremely important step when they said, "no" to other demands and delegated the authority to the first deacons.

The Church today, in my opinion, is overly concerned with the administrative leadership role of the pastoral staff at the expense of fasting, prayer, and study of God's word. Leadership skills are sought after with ever increasing fervency while the annointing of God is seen as old school. More pastors need to turn over the administrative responsibilities to lay people in the church. The professionalization of the clergy is undermining the results of Pentecost which were to empower all believers for service.

Yes, this is true, however we must not put church leadership on the bottom of the barrel. Simply put, the job of the pastor is to empower the saints for the work of the ministry. So, if we do not take leadership and delegate responsibility like Jesus did to the twelve disciples, then the church today will lack in growth due to a shepherd's one-mindset mentality I believe the preaching of the gospel is most effective when you empower the laity for the work of the ministry. By this, there is a sense of understanding that every person is a minister.

[brian.tung]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

Believers devote themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone is filled with awe. Many wonders and miraculous signs are done by the apostles. All the believers are together and share everything in common. They sell their possessions and goods, and they give to anyone as he has need. Every day, they continue to meet together in the temple courts. The break bread in their homes and eat together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. The Lord is adding thousands of beleivers to their number daily.

The church today continues to benefit from the fellowship of small groups. For instance, small groups at Saddleback can view video tape curriculum of Rick Warren and other Pastoral staff, within their own homes, to facilitate a small community fellowship, while devoting themselves to sound Biblical teaching of their pastoral staff. When visiting Saddleback at two different Purpose Driven Chaplains Conferences, I was blessed to be hosted into two different homes for a week long period each time. I greatly enjoyed sharing meals and fellowship with the host families. I further enjoyed spending time speaking with many of the volunteer staff during my conference breaks. Their testimonies are phenomenal, and the numbers in their church continue to increase. I learned a great deal from personally experiencing the model of the early church alive and active in the congregational members of Saddleback, CA. Those are experiences and lessons which I intend to carry with me and adapt into the military.

[brian.tung]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

The year is AD 35. The Early Church, which is called "The Way" seems to be fired up and energized. There is a church of atleast 3000 if not more that really practice the principle of community. This seems to be the underlying focus. There is sense of family that seems to really care for the needs of the people through the bold preaching of the gospel, supporting the needy, community prayer, community fellowship and church discipleship and discipline.

I believe that if the modern church today would hold fast to the community principle that the Early Church preached and practiced, then the modern church would be most effective in reaching lost souls for Jesus Christ. I will break that down into three cateogories. First of all, if today's church would practice giving to the needy or to the needs of their surrounding community. Second, if today's church would spend more time in community and corporate prayer as a church. Finally, if today's church would preach the bold and simplistic gospel like it was preached during the church of Acts, then we will see more people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Indeed, community in the church is an awesome phenomenon. During my first visit to Saddleback, CA, the church was moving through in home Bible studies on fourty days of community. I found it quite interesting that many of the in home Bible study groups hosted neighbors and friends who would not go to church, but they would go to someone's home. Soon, many found the power of God and the relationship with Jesus Christ irresistable, and many overcame their fear of church and became active members at Saddleback. Feasting, fellowship, prayer, the word of God, and friends who really care foster a tremendous community centered on the love of God in Christ Jesus. I pray that God will enable me to adapt these experiences into practical application into community life as a military chaplain.

[eric.j.davenport]

The early church was full of the power of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The church wasn't just growing, it was multiplying. Numbers were being added to the church daily. Because of the impartation of the Holy Spirit there was power from on high to proclaim the Gospel with the accompaniment of manifestation of signs, wonders and miracles. Holiness in living, including not trying to self aggrandize oneself, was an important trait of the early believers for fear of testing the Holy Spirit. In addition to this the early church devoted much of their time to fervent prayer.

In the church today we need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in power. With a fresh outpouring and reliance on Him we can multiply. We will have boldness to proclaim the Gospel, a boldness to pray for the sick, and power to live holy lives. We need to humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face. Then God will hear from heaven with a fresh outpouring and the church will not just grow, it will multiply.

[eric.j.davenport]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

The year is AD 35. The Early Church, which is called "The Way" seems to be fired up and energized. There is a church of atleast 3000 if not more that really practice the principle of community. This seems to be the underlying focus. There is sense of family that seems to really care for the needs of the people through the bold preaching of the gospel, supporting the needy, community prayer, community fellowship and church discipleship and discipline.

I believe that if the modern church today would hold fast to the community principle that the Early Church preached and practiced, then the modern church would be most effective in reaching lost souls for Jesus Christ. I will break that down into three cateogories. First of all, if today's church would practice giving to the needy or to the needs of their surrounding community. Second, if today's church would spend more time in community and corporate prayer as a church. Finally, if today's church would preach the bold and simplistic gospel like it was preached during the church of Acts, then we will see more people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

I believe if the church will do these three things as Donnie mentioned with the power of the Holy Spirit we will see a dynamic change. I believe the most important task is for us to reach lost souls for Christ. However, we cannot do it without the power of the Holy Spirit. I believe that many in the church do not even know who their neighbors are, which is not what the great commission has taught us. If we will give to those in need around us, spend time in fervent prayer as a church, and go out into our community and tell others about Christ, we will reach lost souls for Christ.

[Debbie]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

The church in AD 35 is a loving, relational, and relevant to their culture. They meet together to worship God and have fellowship with each other. Their focus is that of getting prepared for the coming of the Lord, teaching new believers about their faith, and reaching out to others in love, even those who may be persecuting them.

Their church is still in many ways tied to the Jewish traditions, but they strive for freedom in Christ over the "law". They cherish the news and words from the apostles and the stories passed onto them. They daily remind each other of the time when Christ was present with them physically and all the memories they had of him. They are still in awe of the time the promise of the Father came to them in the upper room, and the signs and wonders they experienced and saw. Especially the great number of those who were saved that day.

They continue to encourage each other and meet in house churches and strive to be the body of Christ. They are not without mistakes in many aspects, but they long to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

The church can definitely benefit from the first century people of God. They need a sense of family and interconnectedness. For example in the church I attend, it seems they want those relationships, but they do not make it a priority. Rarely do those who complain about their needs not being met come out to eat and fellowship after church or do they volunteer to get involved wherever they can help. Today's society is such a fast paced society, the church gets wrapped up in the culture, and it is difficult to break out of it. It is all about the individual and self. As opposed to the early church who went out of their way to meet and encourage each other in the faith. Meeting on Sunday mornings is not enough. We must meet together on a regular basis and interact with the community of God as much as possible.

[Debbie]

The early church was full of the power of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The church wasn't just growing, it was multiplying. Numbers were being added to the church daily. Because of the impartation of the Holy Spirit there was power from on high to proclaim the Gospel with the accompaniment of manifestation of signs, wonders and miracles. Holiness in living, including not trying to self aggrandize oneself, was an important trait of the early believers for fear of testing the Holy Spirit. In addition to this the early church devoted much of their time to fervent prayer.

In the church today we need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in power. With a fresh outpouring and reliance on Him we can multiply. We will have boldness to proclaim the Gospel, a boldness to pray for the sick, and power to live holy lives. We need to humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face. Then God will hear from heaven with a fresh outpouring and the church will not just grow, it will multiply.

I agree with Eric, we definitely need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is just that people do not take the time to wait on the Lord for such things. Seeking God's face for this does not happen overnight, and this is what many people want. We need to take time to seek Christ and make this a priority in our churches.

[MichaelA]

The early church may have been abuzz with excitement in its earliest years, but it was a messy enthusiasm. As the full implications for believers of who Christ is and what he had done were being worked out, community among believers was reaching highs and lows. For example, in Acts we hear of people selling valuable property to provide for there new-found brothers and sisters in need. However, in 1 Corinthians we hear of selfishness and the ruining of community at the Lord’s Supper. Seeking the true community that we have in Jesus Christ was messy and difficult then, as it is now.

[Canadian_Shawn]

The church of 35AD was a Jewish eucharistic community, gathered around the body and blood of their Messiah, and liturgical in her worship. This shines through in places, such as where Paul corrects the Corinthians in their celebration of the Eucharist obvioulsy following prayers that had been handed down to him, and especially in the book of Hebrews, which so vividly interprets the sacrifical system of the Temple for the lives of the new Christians. She was a church that at once lived in the ancient texts, especially Isaiah and the Psalms, but which also depended heavily on oral traditions about Jesus, as well as on the apostlic kerygma itself. She lived in the expectation of an immanent eschatological judgement, and hence separated herself from the world in her life and practice.

The modern church can benefit from looking back to the early church in a number of ways. Several people have already mentioned the importance of being filled with the Spirit. No doubt that is true (though I suspect we would mean different things by it). I'd rather emphasize the following points.

First, we must re-emphasize the importance and centrality of the eucharist in our worship. Second, we must replace our market-driven, rock-concert worship, with a Biblical liturgy. Third, we must live (work, dress, eat, sleep) separate from the cultures in which we find ourselves.

That is to say, while we should not turn the church into a ghetto, or try to be different for the sake of being different, we must live apart as a separate community, formed, as we are, by new life in Christ, characterized by the narrative of redemption, living according to the commands of God, rather than according to the civic virtues of the culture we happen to find ourselves in. Think Orthodox Jews or Mennonites, as two examples. In short, we must repent of the American ideological synthesis we have created in our theology and worship (think of the so called 'health and wealth' gospel, rock-concert worship styles, and frosted-haired preachers), and live as Christians, developing our own culture with the Bible on one hand, and listening to the traditions of the early church on the other.

[Canadian_Shawn]

In the church today we need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in power. With a fresh outpouring and reliance on Him we can multiply. We will have boldness to proclaim the Gospel, a boldness to pray for the sick, and power to live holy lives. We need to humble ourselves and pray and seek God’s face. Then God will hear from heaven with a fresh outpouring and the church will not just grow, it will multiply.

I wonder if the reason why the church is always in need of a "fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit" is because modern "Christians" are barely that... Christians in the fullest sense of the word, because we are not fully Trinitarian in our thinking. In other words, we seriously lack a proper conception of the Divine, and of God's relationship to the world.

The Eastern Orthodox church, which is throroughly Trinitarian, never underwent a reformation or a period of revival, because she never de-emphasized the role of the Spirit in her theology or worship. So that, in point of fact, the spiritual gifts have always been present in her life of faith, as evidenced by the number of miracle-working saints that have always appeared generation after generation for the last 2000 years. Her Trinitarian view of the world did not leave room for the kind of materialistic rationalism that led to the abandonment of belief in miraculous gifts in the West. I can't help but think that if we were to follow her example, and re-emphasize the wholeness of the Trinity, placing it at the center of our thinking, the need for revival would cease, because the Spirit would never have left.

[jslay25]

Can you imagine what must have been going through their minds at this time? Seeing Jesus die, thinking that they had lost - they had spent the last 3 years of their lives following around someone who wasn't who he said he was...they must have thought they were failures...but then, everything changed in a moment! There He was, raised from the dead! Is this what he had been talking about all along? Is this done to prove He is who He says He is? Yes! He IS the Son of God! We must go and tell everyone! But then, the Holy Spirit comes and empowers them to go and tell in such a more powerful way!

But in the heat of their excitement, they are hunted down by those who wish for their nonexistence. They must go into hiding. They must not openly express their feelings toward their Savior.

What a tearing of emotions...but if it were not for the excitement and the attitude of "stop me if you can" from these people, there is no telling where we would all be right now. It makes me wonder...if we today were entrusted with getting the Gospel out to the world, how far would it make it before it died?

We today must look back at the Holy Spirit's movement and emphasis in the first church. We should go back to holding festivals celebrating Pentecost. We should do whatever it takes to where our churches today are adding over 3,000 souls daily. We should be churches that send out missionaries to the unbelieving and unreached people groups. We should be churches that live by the BOOK, which shapes our believing and practices. We should be churches that fast, giving our whole being to being in tune with our God. We should be churches who weep over the lost and for our desire to know God more. How much our churches today have changed from what it was intended to be!

[Dean Lewis]

The early church does not seem to be very interested in organization, the way our modern church is. Instead, everyone just seems to get involved wherever their talents and abilities enable them to fit in. There are no church buildings, no concern over property, or other things. In fact there is no evidence that the church is concerned for the future at all. On the contrary, they believe that there is not going to be much of an earthly future to be concerned about, so finances and other material things are just given away to those in need, with little concern for tomorrow.
The modern church would do well to remember that Jesus could come again at any time. We are too wrapped up in church buildings, budgets, and other things. We need to give more of a priority to winning the lost and serving each other, instead of focusing on the things of this world.

[Dean Lewis]

In 35 AD, the "church" is fired up. Fresh from the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the leaders of The Way were engaged in life with a new vigor. Though there were persecutions and the meetings of the church were in most ways held in small, secluded areas, the intensity of her members was contagious. Every where the Apostles went, the Spirit of God was with them and drawing new believers to God.

In modern times, I think it would benefit the Church most if we had the urgency that those first century believers had. We, like the generations before us, believe that because Jesus did not bring the End Times during that first century and hasn't yet, that we have all the time in the world. We need to remember that He could come anytime ... really soon!


I believe that Malcolm sums it up well with the word “vigor.” Vigor is certainly something that the early church seemed to have, and something that the 21st century church does not have. We need to get reenergized about saving lives, instead of thinking (as Malcolm points out) that we have all the time in the world to do what Jesus commanded us to do. The early disciples knew that their time on earth was short, and so they were energized about winning people to Jesus, and living for Him. We should follow their example.

[wcorym]

Can you imagine what must have been going through their minds at this time? Seeing Jesus die, thinking that they had lost - they had spent the last 3 years of their lives following around someone who wasn't who he said he was...they must have thought they were failures...but then, everything changed in a moment! There He was, raised from the dead! Is this what he had been talking about all along? Is this done to prove He is who He says He is? Yes! He IS the Son of God! We must go and tell everyone! But then, the Holy Spirit comes and empowers them to go and tell in such a more powerful way!

But in the heat of their excitement, they are hunted down by those who wish for their nonexistence. They must go into hiding. They must not openly express their feelings toward their Savior.

What a tearing of emotions...but if it were not for the excitement and the attitude of "stop me if you can" from these people, there is no telling where we would all be right now. It makes me wonder...if we today were entrusted with getting the Gospel out to the world, how far would it make it before it died?

We today must look back at the Holy Spirit's movement and emphasis in the first church. We should go back to holding festivals celebrating Pentecost. We should do whatever it takes to where our churches today are adding over 3,000 souls daily. We should be churches that send out missionaries to the unbelieving and unreached people groups. We should be churches that live by the BOOK, which shapes our believing and practices. We should be churches that fast, giving our whole being to being in tune with our God. We should be churches who weep over the lost and for our desire to know God more. How much our churches today have changed from what it was intended to be!

Of the things that were listed above, a lot of chruches are doing them today. Missionaries are being sent. There are chruches who do live by the Book (Bible). There are those who fast, give of themselves, and weep over lost souls. The problem is not that we aren't doing anything, but that we have the wrong attitude. In the early church, they lived with the power and excitement of see what God can do and expecting Him to do it again. We today have grown cold and need to be awakened to the fact that Christ is coming again. When we live hope, we can expect God to d ogreat things in our chruches.

[timkong]

Back in the time of the early church in Jerusalem, there was a lot of excitement amongst the people because of this new movement. People were getting saved and the church’s numbers at that time kept increasing. There was an energy of the Holy Spirit that gave the people in the church much life. I believe that today’s church can use more excitement, more urgency. It seems that the community in Jerusalem were excited to spread the teachings and preaching of Jesus to everybody around them. The church was very missional (purposeful) in the way they did things and I believe that our churches today are finally starting to get back to the early church with their sense of purpose, mission, and community. 8)

[timkong]

The year A.D. 35 was a very exciting and challenging time for the Church. I imagine that the disciples were extremely excited and extremely overwhelmed at the same time. They had meetings where the place was shaken by God's power. They were placed in prison from time to time, yet daily numbers were added to the Church of those that were being saved. The staff of twelve that had been mentored by Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed. The typical little distractions were in danger of squeezing out the more importnat tasks of preaching, prayer, and fasting. The fleshly concerns of the new and still immature converts were in danger of consuming the apostles. The apostles took an extremely important step when they said, "no" to other demands and delegated the authority to the first deacons.

The Church today, in my opinion, is overly concerned with the administrative leadership role of the pastoral staff at the expense of fasting, prayer, and study of God's word. Leadership skills are sought after with ever increasing fervency while the annointing of God is seen as old school. More pastors need to turn over the administrative responsibilities to lay people in the church. The professionalization of the clergy is undermining the results of Pentecost which were to empower all believers for service.

Hey Troy.Troy. Like your comments. I agree with your comments about the Church today being concerned with different leadership roles in the church. We have come up with so many different roles for our pastors today. But when we look at thte early church, leaders in the church were called to basically pray and read their Bibles. How great would it be, if pastors could just focus on being with God? Many churches are ran like corporations today, instead of true churches.

[johnt]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

The Church is a family of close Chriatian relationships broken into individual bodies of believers primarily in the area of Jerusalem. The belief in the priesthood of the individual believer is strongly practiced and each member cares for and watches of over the other. "Church" is mostly in the individual home and meets as often as once a day. The words of Christ are fresh and still ring in the ears of the believers. The constant danger from the Jewish hierarchy and the Roman government provides a need for true discipleship where each believer is willing to do all that is necessary for the cause of Christ. Even unto death.

We as a church today would do well to exemplify the early church in their devotion to Christ and one another. their evangelistic zeal in the face of constant danger and their undying dedication to Christ's commands.

[its_brad]

Posted By: Cheryl
Post Date: Wed Jun 06, 2007 11:12 pm
Post Subject:

The church service in AD 35 had some of the same similar elements as those today: singing and worship, prayer, a sermon, altar call. The big difference I see is the time factor. In 35AD, people went to church on the sabbath day because they wanted to be in the presence of God. People stayed until they got what they needed and they also had a time of breaking of bread and other fellowship. It didn't start at 9:00 and be finished by 12:00. They stayed there much of the day: they planned to do nothing lse on the sabath day but to be with God and those of like faith. Today, we go to church on Sunday because that is the right thing to do. It usually starts at 9:30 and is over about noon. If the time gets much longer, it may effect another scheduled activity. Today, most ofus do not stay at the altar and pray till we receive an answer from God- we don't wait on god for an indefinite period of time, but maybe a few minutes. It's unfortunate that today, there is too much going on that we cannot spend the time in God's presence and receiving what He has for us. We need to examine oour schedule on Sunda andallow this time for God, that we deserve to spend with Him, and He would like to receive from us.

[its_brad]

Posted By: Cheryl
Post Date: Thu Jun 07, 2007 11:19 am
Post Subject:

The year is 35AD. I was given the privalege of attending a church service and here is the difference I observed between the early church )after the Day of Pentecost) and the services today. The big difference was the time factor. `First, is the fact of going to church. After the Day of pentecost, the church services were usually n the Sabbath day. This day was given entirely to God and being in His presence. The structure of the early church service and today' were similar: worship, prayer, sermon, gifts of the Holy Spirit were and are manifested. There was not a set time for this: it was Spirit led instead of timed by the clock. People attended church inn early church days with that being the only thing being done on the Sabbath. That way, the Holy Spirit could move however long it took. The songs ,sermon, prayer went on indefinitely. Gifts of the Spirit were manifested until there were no more. God moved through the apostle's preaching, many times during one meeting. Today, unfortunately, our life style is such that we don' allow God to move like that. If the church service isn't pretty close to finished by noon, people start getting restless and wonder how much longer it will be. We need to let the Holy Spirit move in each segment of the service: worship, preaching, prayer, and manifestation of gifts. We need to attend church as the early church did and let the Holy Spirit determine how long the service lasts and not the clock.

[aaronwesson]

The dedication and devotion of this people group are amazing. They are unwavering in their faith and have a life and vigor I have never witnessed. They are selfless people with a determination and vision to tell others what has happened in their lives. Although the followers gather in small secluded areas, there is a purpose to them. They are humble and willing to serve and give to those around them. The Holy Spirit is working wonders within this community and an infrastructure is starting to take form. This is a revolutionary time for this rapidly growing group known as “The Way.”

I believe today’s church should look at the small, intimate groups believers gathered in. I believe this type of setting is more conducive to helping an individual grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I do not believe that Mega-churches are somehow wrong in their approach in presenting the Word to their congregations, but I do think they need to encourage their members and attendees to get involved in a small group where they can interact with other believers. This is where real growth takes place. I know most churches do encourage their members to get involved, but I would like to see it stressed more to the congregations.

[aaronwesson]

The year A.D. 35 was a very exciting and challenging time for the Church. I imagine that the disciples were extremely excited and extremely overwhelmed at the same time. They had meetings where the place was shaken by God's power. They were placed in prison from time to time, yet daily numbers were added to the Church of those that were being saved. The staff of twelve that had been mentored by Jesus was suddenly overwhelmed. The typical little distractions were in danger of squeezing out the more importnat tasks of preaching, prayer, and fasting. The fleshly concerns of the new and still immature converts were in danger of consuming the apostles. The apostles took an extremely important step when they said, "no" to other demands and delegated the authority to the first deacons.

The Church today, in my opinion, is overly concerned with the administrative leadership role of the pastoral staff at the expense of fasting, prayer, and study of God's word. Leadership skills are sought after with ever increasing fervency while the annointing of God is seen as old school. More pastors need to turn over the administrative responsibilities to lay people in the church. The professionalization of the clergy is undermining the results of Pentecost which were to empower all believers for service.

I have a hard time agreeing with you completely on this one. If you are referring to the European church and the American church, you are partially correct, depending on certain denominations. However, if you look at other areas in the world, say Africa or Latin America, you will see the Spirit moving in a huge way. The church is rapidly growing and the members are on fire for God. Lay people are doing the work of the church and everyone is working together to accomplish the greater goal. Also, who is to say those with leadership skills are not anointed by God? Would you rather have someone with no experience come in and wait for God to anoint them or should we bring in someone who we know has the anointing on their life and can see this by his or her gifts?

[ssavage]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

Given the context of the Roman rule at this time, the Christian community life would have been electrified. The thrill of hope of a new kingdom would be everywhere. Having the Holy Spirit and new concepts introduced into the community brought power to overcome many obstacles the Jewish Christians had to face each day. You would find Christians meeting together daily, breaking bread, singing hymns and spiritual songs, praying without ceasing, and community giving. The prophetic ministry is being poured out among the people and you will find a blending of the prophetic among the innovative Galileans with the structured religion of Jewish tradition. The Holy Spirit is moving with evangelical fervor beginning His spread to the entire known world.

In many ways the Church is already benefiting fom these early practices. For example, Latin America, China, and Africa are experiencing this kind of fellowship that took place in the early Church. If we talk about the American church here in the states, I believe pockets of this kind of action are beginning to take place. Yes, overall, the Church can benefit from these practices, getting back to basics as in the Acts of the Apostles. But it is up to each Christian fellowship to implement these practices that so electrified the church in A.D. 35.

[ssavage]

Believers devote themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone is filled with awe. Many wonders and miraculous signs are done by the apostles. All the believers are together and share everything in common. They sell their possessions and goods, and they give to anyone as he has need. Every day, they continue to meet together in the temple courts. The break bread in their homes and eat together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. The Lord is adding thousands of beleivers to their number daily.

The church today continues to benefit from the fellowship of small groups. For instance, small groups at Saddleback can view video tape curriculum of Rick Warren and other Pastoral staff, within their own homes, to facilitate a small community fellowship, while devoting themselves to sound Biblical teaching of their pastoral staff. When visiting Saddleback at two different Purpose Driven Chaplains Conferences, I was blessed to be hosted into two different homes for a week long period each time. I greatly enjoyed sharing meals and fellowship with the host families. I further enjoyed spending time speaking with many of the volunteer staff during my conference breaks. Their testimonies are phenomenal, and the numbers in their church continue to increase. I learned a great deal from personally experiencing the model of the early church alive and active in the congregational members of Saddleback, CA. Those are experiences and lessons which I intend to carry with me and adapt into the military.

Yes, I believe the church today does benefit from fellowship of small groups, breaking of bread, prayer, worship, and giving. I agree we must have sound biblical teaching. Thank you for sharing your example of these churches that are involved in these practices. The early church can be alive again in many more church fellowships if these congegrations will allow it. It is up to these churches to implement these early church practices and get back to basics of the Gospel. Knowing we can't turn back time, and taking into account the context of each individual fellowship, we must pray and seek God in how he would want each to begin the full implementation of these early church practices.

[EloiseThomas]

In the Jerusalem Church in 35 AD, we would find a great deal of enthusiasm, explosive growth, and great devotion. However, the first generation Church was also a time of learning, indecision, and conflict. As much as I believe we need to remember and recapture those positives, I think humanity is plagued persistently with a “Good old days” mentality. God has moved through and in His Church in every generation, and each generation has the advantage of looking back and learning. We can learn from the errors and attempt not to repeat them. We also can glean what was good and pass it on. However, we must be careful not to read the book of Acts selectively. They fought over who should serve the widows (Acts 6), they struggled to see the whole world as God’s mission field (Peter’s vision in Acts 10), and they constantly disagreed on the criteria for salvation (Acts 15). The main way today’s Church can benefit from viewing the early Jerusalem Church, I think, is to see God’s hand of faithfulness. He had “formed” the early Christians and knew they were “dust” (Psalms 103:14), yet He protected them and maintained the Body of Christ on earth just as He has done in every generation. He will continue to do so, because of His faithfulness, until the consummation of the ages.

[EloiseThomas]

The church of 35AD was a Jewish eucharistic community, gathered around the body and blood of their Messiah, and liturgical in her worship. This shines through in places, such as where Paul corrects the Corinthians in their celebration of the Eucharist obvioulsy following prayers that had been handed down to him, and especially in the book of Hebrews, which so vividly interprets the sacrifical system of the Temple for the lives of the new Christians. She was a church that at once lived in the ancient texts, especially Isaiah and the Psalms, but which also depended heavily on oral traditions about Jesus, as well as on the apostlic kerygma itself. She lived in the expectation of an immanent eschatological judgement, and hence separated herself from the world in her life and practice.

The modern church can benefit from looking back to the early church in a number of ways. Several people have already mentioned the importance of being filled with the Spirit. No doubt that is true (though I suspect we would mean different things by it). I'd rather emphasize the following points.

First, we must re-emphasize the importance and centrality of the eucharist in our worship. Second, we must replace our market-driven, rock-concert worship, with a Biblical liturgy. Third, we must live (work, dress, eat, sleep) separate from the cultures in which we find ourselves.

That is to say, while we should not turn the church into a ghetto, or try to be different for the sake of being different, we must live apart as a separate community, formed, as we are, by new life in Christ, characterized by the narrative of redemption, living according to the commands of God, rather than according to the civic virtues of the culture we happen to find ourselves in. Think Orthodox Jews or Mennonites, as two examples. In short, we must repent of the American ideological synthesis we have created in our theology and worship (think of the so called 'health and wealth' gospel, rock-concert worship styles, and frosted-haired preachers), and live as Christians, developing our own culture with the Bible on one hand, and listening to the traditions of the early church on the other.

I agree with you Shawn that maintaining the Eucharistic view of Church is important. Keeping the Eucharistic or communal feast central in the worship service helps me focus on God more. It is one time that is clearly not primarily about me because even though I am remembering Christ’s sacrifice and I am receiving His grace, the Eucharist reminds me that it is only because of His presence that I can celebrate the feast. If we remember that the word Eucharist actually means “thanksgiving,” we realize it is not simply about the moment of receiving the elements. I believe Eucharistic living is about viewing every meal, every conversation, every class, every night’s sleep, every morning, etc., etc. as a sacramental moment. Not that I do that, but it certainly is what I like to believe is a possibility.

However, Shawn, I respectfully disagree with your concerns about the form of worship. I definitely have my preferences for worship style, but they are only that: preferences. I am not sure Eucharistic worship depends on type of music or setting. If it did, it could occur only in certain cultures because each culture (historically, geographically, and ethnically) has its own style. In fact, according to Rosell (Lecture 13, Medieval Missions and Evangelism), part of the pastoral genius behind Pope Gregory the Great was his flexibility concerning local customs. He instructed Augustine to select carefully in mixing Roman customs with British ones in the English church. Eucharistic worship is about heart, not style.

[M1C]

The church is AD 35 was a brand new concept. The people that gathered together and made up the new church were people who had just witnessed the most wonderful part of history to all Christians. They wanted to share with the world what they were apart of and has witnessed. I think Jerusalem would have been an excited place to be at that time and also a very scary place. The new church has the Holy Spirit oozing out of them. They want to share with everyone that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He is in Heaven today. The new church wanted everyone they met to become a Christian. However, it would be scary because everything was so new. Jesus was crucified and others could be persecuted also for spreading the Good news of Jesus Christ. I think we can learn alot from this first church. I think we have forgotten that the same Holy Spirit that indwells in them is the same Holy Spirit that dwells in us (the saved).

Today's church could benefit from the practices of the early church by speaking to everyone about Jesus and what Jesus did for us. I think we need to be excited about the fact that Jesus was raised from the dead and that He lives today. I could see the early church and all the members of the early church smiling and having a great time talking about what Jesus did for them. I think we need to get back to smiling and talking about what Jesus did for us.

[M1C]

The year is AD 35. The Early Church, which is called "The Way" seems to be fired up and energized. There is a church of atleast 3000 if not more that really practice the principle of community. This seems to be the underlying focus. There is sense of family that seems to really care for the needs of the people through the bold preaching of the gospel, supporting the needy, community prayer, community fellowship and church discipleship and discipline.

I believe that if the modern church today would hold fast to the community principle that the Early Church preached and practiced, then the modern church would be most effective in reaching lost souls for Jesus Christ. I will break that down into three cateogories. First of all, if today's church would practice giving to the needy or to the needs of their surrounding community. Second, if today's church would spend more time in community and corporate prayer as a church. Finally, if today's church would preach the bold and simplistic gospel like it was preached during the church of Acts, then we will see more people come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.


I agree with DonnieJack. The early church does appear to be "fired up" and energized. They are excited about spreading the Good News with everyone. I think today's church could learn so much from the early church. I know it my own church if we had 3000 members they would all have to go through a membership class and learn how to be better Christians. They would need to get many certificates before they would be good "missionaries". But the early church did not have all the rules and formalities as the church today. I am not saying the rules and regulations are bad because I know we must have certain rules in the church. I just think we could learn from the early church that God is in control and allow the Holy Spirit to work. We could get a lot done for the Kingdom.

I also agree with Donniejack about the three categories he list. The local church should practice giving to the needy. The only problem with that is in today's age, the homeless or needy in your area are going to label you as such and you might have more than your church could handle. I think giving to the needy is extremely important, but we need to give more than just money. We need to give them our time. We need to show them the love of Christ; which ties into the second category listed. We need to pray for our community and offer things that people need. We offer English classes in my church because there are many people who do not speak English. We begin each school lesson with prayer and ask for prayer request. And the last category listed is to preach the Gospel. We do need to be bold about preaching the Gospel. If we are a child of God we have a testimony. We need to share with others our personal testimony. No one can dispute a personal account with God.

If the church today would do these things we would see a lot more salvations.

[thedude57]

You have been sent back in time to Jerusalem in the year AD 35 to study the community life of the early church. Describe what you find, and suggest ways in which today's church can benefit from the practices of the early church.

This church is flourishing in the uncharted territory of its new movement. They have seen the fulfillment of the Savior's promised Spirit and have felt and experienced His power and boldness. Their ministry is so saturated in the Spirit of God that even those who are scorning them are converting to their movement by giving their lives to their Savior. Those who do not convert, but continue opposing them, cannot stop their momentum. Neither death or the possibility of being ostracized discourages their deep commitment and passion for their Savior.

In today's church a deep passion for our Savior could bring the church back to the basics that the early church focused on. Things like love, repentance, baptism in the Spirit, and providing for the poor were on the top of their lists. Although they had their differences in ideology, they did not allow it to stop the progress of the Spirit. The modern church could profit by intimidating their focus on the big issues, which created an almost unbelievable growth.

[thedude57]

It is true the disciples must have been completely overwhelmed and excited. They saw the power of God in their lives and working in the ministry and yet, like you said, there were still many problems with the church and culture of that time. Instead of seeing this as a polar opposite of the present day church organization, I would say that it is the beginning or the foundation of the church organization. They appointed another apostle to replace Judas and even appointed people to take care of the poor. These are important church organization actions that are still made today.
The concern for underemphasizing the power of the Holy Spirit for the abilities of man is a genuine concern and should be addressed. Many churches are hitting this concern head on, through their different church classes and programs. For instance AG has an effective program that uses a baseball diamond to take people from new converts to involved members of their local church. Programs like this enables Christians to use use their God given gifts to get out of the pews and minister in the church. It is true that not all churches are doing these type of programs, but it is also true that it is an increasing trend in the modern day church.

[sullivan2008]

During the days of the early church we find that the believers are meeting together constantly from house to house and that many were being added to the church daily. At the time people were on fire for the Lord. Jesus had just defeated death and ascended back to heaven and people were absolutely motivated. Because of their zeal for the Lord many were without a doubt taking forward the good news. The problem with people today is that too often there is not such zeal among them. We teach and preach one thing and live another which is confusing to unbelievers. If we were to meet together daily, share our things with others, sell things and give to the poor, and be hot instead of lukewarm we might actually see the results that were being seen during that day and age. Realistically though, it only takes the same attitude towards Jesus that these people of the early church had.

[sullivan2008]

The dedication and devotion of this people group are amazing. They are unwavering in their faith and have a life and vigor I have never witnessed. They are selfless people with a determination and vision to tell others what has happened in their lives. Although the followers gather in small secluded areas, there is a purpose to them. They are humble and willing to serve and give to those around them. The Holy Spirit is working wonders within this community and an infrastructure is starting to take form. This is a revolutionary time for this rapidly growing group known as “The Way.”

I believe today’s church should look at the small, intimate groups believers gathered in. I believe this type of setting is more conducive to helping an individual grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. I do not believe that Mega-churches are somehow wrong in their approach in presenting the Word to their congregations, but I do think they need to encourage their members and attendees to get involved in a small group where they can interact with other believers. This is where real growth takes place. I know most churches do encourage their members to get involved, but I would like to see it stressed more to the congregations.


I would completely agree with your post. You are right about the zeal and excitement the people of the early church possessed. I'm sure that they were absolutely thrilled to meet together and grow in their relationship with the Lord and because of this it is no wonder people were being added to the church daily. I would also agree that churches should begin to look into the area of small groups. I would say that Sunday School should work in the same way, but all to often it is something used just to teach a quick lesson and everyone is soon gone. However, I believe that meeting in small groups of personal homes does make for a more comfortable environment for people to be people and open up which better enables them to develop and grow in their relationship with the Lord while providing much accountability.

[joewyrostek]

In 35 AD, the "church" is fired up. Fresh from the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus and the subsequent outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the leaders of The Way were engaged in life with a new vigor. Though there were persecutions and the meetings of the church were in most ways held in small, secluded areas, the intensity of her members was contagious. Every where the Apostles went, the Spirit of God was with them and drawing new believers to God.

In modern times, I think it would benefit the Church most if we had the urgency that those first century believers had. We, like the generations before us, believe that because Jesus did not bring the End Times during that first century and hasn't yet, that we have all the time in the world. We need to remember that He could come anytime ... really soon!
I agree with the above writer that the church of AD 35 was "fired up" and ready to face all kinds of persecution, but I also believe they were noted by signs and wonders and a strong discipleship movement that even led to people's death by God's judgment when they forsake their covenant with the church.

Hence, I feel we must be more than just "fired up" we must have (a) strong and firm doctrine to build on (b) strategic discipleship and church planting so that the message may spread rapidly (c) power encounters with a holy God that bring glory to the name of Jesus among the heathen and (d) a passion for prayer and worship that will literally bring heaven to earth!!

[joewyrostek]

In 35 AD the church was a dedicated group of disciples of Jesus Christ that sought the power of God through prayer, new converts through radical power encounters, and making Jesus' name known to the known world even at the point of death.

These disciples were disciplined in prayer, passionate in worship, intoxicated with the Holy Spirit, committed to discipleship, uncompromising in holiness, and selfless in their dedication to the church. All believers in Christ today must go and do likewise. Living by the motto, “Whether by life or by death, may Jesus be glorified!!”

[satavasusan]

(This may seem lengthy, as I got "into the role" a bit--bear with)
It was not hard to locate a believer once I landed in the time machine. After reassuring a local shopkeeper that I meant him no harm, I told him that I had come froma different place and was looking to join some of the Master's people, the ones who kept "The Way." Still a little uneasy, he ledme to Apostle James, who welcomed me with open arms, quite unafraid. I described the nature of my visit, and he was happy to share the local customs. He waned that it would look very different from where I came from, but I reassured him that I was eager to learn. He stated that they would be meeting this evening, as this was the first day of the week, in the home of his friend Mary. When we arrived that evening, several things struck me. First, it was set up for a full evening meal. A number of people were gathered, talking joyfully and sharing stories. After meeting a few people and chatting, we were then seated around the table on what seemed like futons. We reclined and ate a short meal. Afterwards, the teacher stood up and gave a reading from scripture. Next, a letter from one of the apostles, I believe John, was read. Following that, a deacon offered prayers for perseverance during the persecutions, and healing. Announcements were made for collections for the widows. A few hymns followed, then dismissal. Everyone seemed genuinely joyful, which was infectious. We can learn a lot from their simlicity and devotion, as well as their sharing and concern for each other, and apparent desire for martyrdom. Our local church seems so hide-bound in the liturgy of pre-reformation times that everyone just seems to occupy a seat. We have lost track of the original essence of the freshness of the faith and the gift we have in Christ. I think we should try meeting in homes sometimes, just to experience something new and fresh, put a new perspective on the message of Scripture.

[satavasusan]

We certainly do lack a sense of urgency. It is interesting to note that the disciples had asked only days before Pentecost if now was the time that Jesus would set up His kingdom. That sense of urgency is difficult to find in our time. Even when planes are flown into buildings; and two foreign wars are being fought simultaneously, the Church in America feels little urgency.

The early Church had little interest in creating an organizational structure, building facilities, or attempting to analyze the though processes of 'seekers.' They chose, rather, to dedicate themselves to preaching the foolishness of the Cross.

The simplicity which in Christ certainly has been passed up. Like the five "ready" vigins, we need to be looking up, setting less stock on our investments in this world (pardon the pun) but keeping out investment in heaven current and growing. I agree with less concern for buildings and other facilities, more attention restoring that freshness; for we certainly do now see "that day" approaching.

[satavamtv2008]

If I was able to go back in time to 35 A.D. I would find a much simpler and a much smaller church. One church in Houston Texas is so big that they have three services on Sunday with over 12,000 people per service and they have to meet in a sports arena. Back then, the songs would have probably come from the Psalms. Just before his death, Christ and the disciples sang a psalm. Today, we have mega bands singing gospel songs into order to get the audience excited. Then there is the differences in the messages. At that time they did not have a New Testament to preach from. Timothy was advised to preach in season and out of season from the Old Testament. I dare say today that many members don’t hear much from the Old Testament, just primarily messages from the New Testament. Thus many churches preach a soft, gentle, kind hearted Christ. Not the same person who drove out the money changes from His House of Prayer.

[satavamtv2008]

The early church does not seem to be very interested in organization, the way our modern church is. Instead, everyone just seems to get involved wherever their talents and abilities enable them to fit in. There are no church buildings, no concern over property, or other things. In fact there is no evidence that the church is concerned for the future at all. On the contrary, they believe that there is not going to be much of an earthly future to be concerned about, so finances and other material things are just given away to those in need, with little concern for tomorrow.
The modern church would do well to remember that Jesus could come again at any time. We are too wrapped up in church buildings, budgets, and other things. We need to give more of a priority to winning the lost and serving each other, instead of focusing on the things of this world.

Mr. Lewis believes that the early church was not as interested in organization as we are in the modern era. I must totally disagree with this assessment. From the earliest days in the Book of Acts the Apostles were concerned about the organizational chart of the early church. Why else would they have created the position of deacon to take care of the physical needs of the elderly? The Apostles realized that they should not be wasting their time serving tables when they had a Gospel to preach. Besides, Paul states that the church would have some apostles, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers, etc. Paul was aware that some had the gift of administration. Thus, the early church was concerned about organization. There concern was with respect to giving future generations guidelines that were not restrictive but adaptive.