Four Pillars of a Healthy Church

Intro.

As we have officially wrapped up our study through the epistle of 1 Peter recently, perhaps you will remember how Peter would juxtapose his doctrine with an example from the life of Christ Himself. Thus, he would show his readers how possible it was to implement these difficult things practically into their lives!

One thing that I desire to have come from that study is that we laid hold of some things which we are able to start practically embodying in our lives as Christians! That is the aim, also, for this next series I am going to take us through: The Four Pillars of a Healthy Church based from Acts 2.42-47

Acts 2:42–47 LSB

42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers. 43 And fear came upon every soul; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were dividing them up with all, as anyone might have need. 46 And daily devoting themselves with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

My aim today is simply to prepare us for what we will be diving into over the next few weeks together, drawing from v. 42 what a healthy and growing church body looks like — and by the end of this my prayer is that we would seek to grow in these areas, both personally and corporately as the Spirit of God might show us that we have need.

Intentional Christianity

One thing I want us to see from this is that these most primitive of Christians were extremely intentional and conscious of their lives together. So much so, that they were with one another and worshiping God together in some way every single day!

A church neither matures, becomes healthy, or grows by accident.

It’s like I said the other night, joking about how I would like to lose several pounds and grow muscle, but I haven’t been to the gym in a long time! Well, if I’m not putting forth the conscious effort toward making my physical body healthier, then the physical body is not going to be healthier!

In like manner, neither will a localized body of believers really be a healthy family together if we are not conscious of our relationships one with another, and the need that we all have for one another!

Many keep themselves locked away today, avoiding the fellowship of the body of believers, because of the messiness that comes with human relationships. We discover that we are under the impression one doesn’t like us, or we don’t like someone else, and thus we avoid them. Or we become frustrated with some aspect of the imperfect humanness of our brethren in Christ and it causes us to withdraw from the Body as much as we can get away with. Maybe, in many instances, it could be that one just doesn’t realize how badly our souls need one another because we are happily introverted and like our quiet spaces.

Yet to all of these, I would ask us to bear in mind Eph. 4.2. Paul would not have to remind the Church to have patience and bear with each other if there was no reason for bearing with one another!! Sometimes I see people so easily give up on trying to deepen a relationship because of sins or human messiness, and I just think to myself how glad I am that my God never does that to me!

Ephesians 4:2 LSB

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

Remember when Mike Vaughn was here several months ago — one of the main things that he taught us was how in the early centuries of the Church they didn’t have big programs or flashy signs or business marketing to draw people in off the streets. All they had was the life they lived and the Gospel they preached to the world!

This life they lived was simply one which was wholly subject to Christ as Lord in every facet. That lifestyle really catches the eye! Especially in a culture where true godliness is grossly misrepresented!

Now, look at Acts 2.42-47 again, and see that this is exactly what we find! People were simply living their lives! But, they were living their lives to the fullest capacity in Christ, and too often the Church of the modern generation has lost that urgency to be intentional about how we live. Notice the word that Luke uses here, “devoted”.

Literally, the word means to persist in something or to be faithful to it. The spiritual wellbeing of this early church, which so eagerly loved one another and loved God, is not coincidentally tied to this lifestyle of persistent togetherness with God and one another.

Nobody is accidentally persistent.

Apostles’ teachings — this requires study and learning together, if we are to be devoted to it

Fellowship — this requires a devotion to bear one another’s burdens in life and, in a sense, take up responsibility for helping each other and participating in life together. This is a very collectivist mindset.

Breaking of Bread — without getting too deep into detail just now, this is potentially either commitment to the Holy Communion together (which is also a collectivist, participatory moment) OR it is simply to say being devoted to having meals together, which is a fellowship together on a more intimate level.

Prayers — The fourth item is that we see they took up determining to be in prayer with and for one another. Paul would tell his congregations that he prayed for them upon every remembrance he had of them, and he would remind them of God’s will in Christ is for us to pray without ceasing … be thankful in all things.”

You see, this is all about lifestyle choices in how we live among the Church of our Lord.

Notice verse Acts 2.47

Acts 2:47 LSB

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.

As the Christians lived this way together, it is noted that God was adding to their number daily those being saved! Now, obviously this is not to say that they didn’t preach the Gospel and tell people about Christ’s call to repent — THEY DID. However, it is to bring our attention to the fact that how we live matters. How we live is capable of catching the eyes of the wandering or turning them away for fear of being ostracized. How we live is what shows people how committed to the faith we are. Take note of all this togetherness the primitive Christians latched onto — if we would be committed to God we must be committed to the Church. If we would have fellowship with God we must live in communion with His Church. Commitment to Christ necessitates commitment to His bride

Conclusion

If you have recieved the grace of God through faith at your baptism into Christ, you and I are both called to be actively engaged and together with the rest of the Body of Christ.

I do not want to guilt trip anyone, that is not my aim. Rather, I want us to look at what made the earliest Christians so exemplary as servants of God, and strive to be like that. Not because if we spend a lot of time together God will somehow owe us anything, but for the simple fact that God is please when His children love one another so fervently and He graciously blesses that fellowship. If I am going to mature in my devotion to God my Savior and King, I have to step up my game in my devotion to His holy people as well!