Characteristics of the true church, Acts 2:41-47

There is much misinformation in Christian circles today as to the nature and purpose of the church.  Many books and articles have been written on the subject of church growth.  Many different strategies have been proposed for the building up of the church.  And as a result I think that in the last generation the church has changed more than at any other time in history.  However, I’m afraid that it has not always been for the better. I’m sure that many of the great ecclesiastical leaders of history would not approve or even recognize what is happening in many churches today.  In fact, I think that when we lose sight of God’s blueprint for the church and try to figure out according to our own wisdom how we might improve upon His plan, we often do great harm to the church and to the name of Christ.

Our passage today sets forth the first example of the church that we find in the New Testament.  We have spent the last couple of weeks or so describing how the Holy Spirit coronated this church with a great display of His power in order to validate and authenticate it as being from God.  Peter said in his message that it was obviously a mighty work of the Holy Spirit which had come from God to establish His spiritual kingdom on earth in the last days.  And so as this church is set forth in scripture as the premiere illustration of God’s church on earth, it would behoove us to faithfully follow it’s pattern in our practice as well. Because I believe that this scripture definitely reveals that this is God’s church.  And since God is the designer, then we should seek to follow the pattern of His design as we see it laid out for us here in this passage.

Now there are a five fundamental marks of a true church as set forth in this passage that I would like to point out for our instruction here today.  It is not a comprehensive list, perhaps, but it is an essential list.  There are things that can be added, but we cannot take any of these away and still have a faithful and true church according to the pattern set before us.

Let’s consider then these five fundamental characteristics of the church.  Number one is almost too obvious to mention, but unfortunately it’s importance is often overlooked.  It is essential that the church is saved.  I think that principle’s importance is reflected in the fact that under divine inspiration Luke bookends the passage with a reference to the fact that the church was saved.  The first reference is in vs. 40 “And with many other words [Peter] solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!"  So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls.”  And then at the close of the passage is the other bookend: vs. 47, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” 

The church is the congregation of the saved.  “Ekklesia” is the Greek word from which the word church is translated, and it means the called out ones.  Called out to an assembly, a congregation.  And I think it’s important to understand that church membership is only possible when the Lord adds them to the church that are saved. (vs.47)  It isn’t something conferred by vote, or applied to, or that baptism procures.  It is something you are born into, and you must be born again by the Holy Spirit.  The word saved indicates that you are delivered from something.  We are saved from wrath, from the judgment to come against sin, and from the wages of sin which is death.  That’s what it means to be saved.  To be changed from death to life, from darkness to light, from sons of the devil to sons of God.  It is a supernatural conversion that is accomplished by repentance from your sins and faith in the work of Jesus Christ, resulting in new life and indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

So the church is made up of called out, saved, converted men and women.  That is fundamental to understanding then the purpose of the church,  especially today when we are witnessing a church movement that is deliberately trying to appeal to what they call the “unchurched.”  Basically what that means is that they are trying to redesign church to accommodate the unsaved.  But that is not what the church is designed by God to be.  The church is designed as the body of Christ.  And as Paul said what communion can light have with darkness?  When we understand that the church is the calling out to assembly of those that are saved, and that Christ has placed them into His body, then it should change our perception of what the church is supposed to be.  It doesn’t need, nor should it desire to become relevant or acceptable or attractive to the world.  It needs to be attractive to Christ.  It needs to be acceptable to God, holy and blameless as the virgin bride of Christ.

So that’s of first priority in the church; it is the body of the redeemed.  Secondly, the church’s next essential characteristic is that they are devoting themselves to the word.  Vs. 42, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching…”  Some versions may say the apostle’s doctrine.  They both mean the same thing.  What is the apostle’s doctrine?  It is simply the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Peter’s message is a great example of it.  He starts with scripture and explains the gospel of salvation based on the Old Testament text in Joel.  Then he expounds upon that doctrine with other supportive biblical texts.  It’s expositional teaching.  It’s exhortation.  It’s admonition.  Paul broke it down for us in 2Tim. 4:2 “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” 

The apostle’s doctrine is simply this;  the congregation of the saved is strengthened, exhorted, equipped, taught and led by the teaching and preaching of the word of God through the ministers of God.  Nothing less will do. John Calvin said, “Those who think that the authority of the doctrine is impaired by the insignificance of the men who are called to teach, betray their ingratitude; for among the many noble endowments with which God has adorned the human race, one of the most remarkable is, that he deigns to consecrate the mouths and tongues of men to his service, making his own voice to be heard in them.”

In the great commission that was given to the apostles, the Lord told them to “go and make disciples of all nations, and teach them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.”  Sound doctrine is the heart of the life of the church. Not ritualistically observing the sacraments, not children’s programs, not music, not so called modern worship. If the church is not teaching the doctrines of the word, then they are failing in their primary responsibility.  And a Christian should not stay in a church that doesn’t make that a priority.  The church is not designed to be a Christian country club.  But it’s designed to teach the truth and apply it to our lives so that we might be obedient to what Christ has commanded us to do. 

Thirdly, the church is not only to be devoted to the apostle’s doctrine, but to fellowship. (vs.42)  We are the Beach Fellowship.  Sometimes I’ve had someone say, “why don’t you add the word church to your name?” Well, my answer is that would be somewhat redundant.  Fellowship is church.  Now to be accurate, they are two different words.  But you cannot have one without another.  The Greek word for fellowship is “koinōnia”, which means fellowship, communion, participation and intimacy.  It is really a unique word as used in the New Testament.  It sometimes is used to describe fellowship, other times it is used to describe sharing as in taking up an offering, other times it is used to talk about participating in the Lord’s Supper, that is why we refer to the Lord’s Supper as Communion.

Paul said that of first importance we are called into fellowship with the triune God. 1Cor. 1:9 “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”  And 2Cor. 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” As the church, as the body of Christ, we have fellowship with Christ who is the Head of the church, with the Holy Spirit who is the life of the church, and with God who is the creator of the church.

And then fellowship is communion of the Lord’s Supper, which is a picture of the fellowship we have with one another in the body of Christ. Paul said in 1Cor. 10:16  “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?” We become one with Christ and one with the body of Christ, each other, symbolized in the eating of the bread and drinking of the cup.

And last but not least, fellowship is participation in the unity of the apostle’s doctrine. 1John 1:6-7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

So fellowship then is not determined by finding a congregation that is similar to our economic standing.  It is not finding a church where there are a lot of young people because we happen to be young, or finding a church with a lot of older people because we are older people.  But church is the body of Christ which is made up of various members, different kinds of parts, but all of them unified by a common doctrine, and working together for a common purpose, to be the visible manifestation of Christ to the world individually and corporately.

The fourth characteristic of the true church is the breaking of bread.  This is my wife’s favorite.  If we were making up committees, this is the one she would want to be on.  She loves baking.  Her hobby is to bake something everyday.  No wonder I have such a hard time keeping my weight down.  My wife thinks that the meal that she cooks on Wednesday nights for our Bible study is a major part of our ministry.  And in a way she is be right.  It certainly seems like this was a characteristic of the first church. 

Now most commentators are going to say that this breaking of bread refers to the taking of the Lord’s Supper.  They say that there was a love feast that was like a communal meal, and then at the end of it there was an observance of the Lord’s Supper.  Maybe they are right. I don’t know. I can’t seem to prove it one way or another by scripture. However, I do know that both Jude and Paul speak rebuke to those in the churches that were abusing the Lord’s Supper.  But what I will argue is that there are familiar expressions that the apostles used in referencing the Lord’s Supper or the Lord’s Table, but this phrase “breaking of bread” is not one of them.  It is used in scripture only once before, and that is the meal that Jesus took with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.  So while I wouldn’t discount that it could include the Lord’s Supper, I do not think that is necessarily what it’s talking about.  I think it is merely talking about good old fashioned hospitality.  Sharing a meal together is a hallmark of hospitality.

Let me try to explain the context here for a moment.  On the day of Pentecost, you had thousands of pilgrims that had come to Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost.  And that day, 3000 of these men and women were saved.  And so the first church comprised a large number of people who did not live in Jerusalem, but stayed there after they were saved and lived in the portico of the temple where they were having services.  And so there was this unique situation that occurred there.  There were a large number of people that were essentially homeless.  How long they lived there we don’t know.  But every indication is that for quite a while at least, they did not go back to their homes in foreign countries, but stayed to receive the apostle’s instruction and lived in fellowship with the rest of the church. 

Now that should give us a better understanding of what was going on.  Because vs.43-47 are not a continuation of the list of essential characteristics of the church, they are an explanation of the original five. Look at vs. 44, 45, “And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”  See what I mean?  I’m not going to read into vs. 44 and 45 and say that the scripture says that the church needs to have a communist life style. That we all have to sell everything and give it to the church to parcel out. That is not what is going on.  If that were the case, then vs.46 wouldn’t make sense, which says they were breaking bread from house to house.  They wouldn’t have had any houses to break bread in if they all had sold their houses. 

No, like I said, I think the verses 43-47a are an explanation of the 5 primary characteristics listed prior to these.  For instance, vs. 43 says “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.”  This is obviously an explanation or addendum to the statement that they were devoting themselves to the apostle’s doctrine.  There was a sense of awe, a sense of reverence, a sense of godly fear at the authority that the apostle’s spoke with.  Peter’s message was one having authority.  He had the authority of the power of the Holy Spirit.  And that was accompanied with signs and wonders.  The apostles were given the power of signs and wonders so as to authenticate their message as specifically appointed spokesmen from the Lord.   Paul declares that fact in 2Cor. 12:12 “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles.”  Signs and wonders was the means by which God authenticated the apostles as speaking for Him, speaking His words.  He gave them authority and power and the words to speak, which became the words that were written down for us, which make up the Holy Scriptures.  It was specifically for that time and place as a sign gift to the apostles. 

So in like manner, vs. 44 and 45 illustrate for us what was the nature of that fellowship which was so essential to the foundation of the church.  The key word there is sharing.  That is communion, fellowship.  They shared what they had with one another.  Those people that were living there, unwilling or unable to go home, were supplied in their needs by the surplus of those who had the means.  They sold things that were considered surplus in order to give it to the church for the provision of the needs of the others.  This was true sacrificial giving as Jesus described in Luke 3:11 by commanding “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.”

This church illustrated what Paul would later describe in 1 Cor. 12:24, “But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.” 

Then in vs. 46 we read they were “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”  Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple refers to the unity of doctrine that was being taught to them by the apostles.  This is so important in the church, to have unity of doctrine.  The Bible says, “how can two walk together unless they be agreed?”  You may never have a church where there is absolute agreement over every interpretation of scripture, but there needs to be a unity of major doctrine, and most importantly a submission to the authority of the leaders as they speak the word of God.

Peter said in 2Pet. 1:20-21”But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”  Now that verse has a lot of implications, but one is that there isn’t really any room for private interpretations of scripture.  “Well, I think it means..” or “what does this mean to you?”  It is important that we have men in the pulpit who are committed to preaching the truth of God’s word and nothing but the truth, and then we need to check the scriptures to see if those things are so, as the Bereans did to Paul’s teaching, but then they need to submit to the authority of faithful preaching.  As I said a couple of weeks ago, the problem in a lot of churches is that the congregation picked a pastor, not God, and they chose a pastor like they were judging a talent contest; based on his looks and his personality and his entertainment factor.  They did not pick a man that was known to be a student and a preacher of the word.

And then back to our fourth point of breaking bread, vs. 46 is an extrapolation or explanation of that principle.  It says, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart.”  So they were together being taught in the temple, and then they invited those home with them to have a meal who didn’t have the means to a meal.  This then is not speaking of the Lord’s Supper necessarily, but good old fashioned hospitality.  It’s taking koininea to the next logical level, sharing a meal.  Sharing your home.  Sharing your resources with those who have a need.

One of the most telling examples that I see in our church that we are experiencing church as God would have us do, is when I see our people enjoy fellowshipping together after service, or at a restaurant, or at a get together like we did at the Valentine’s Dinner.  This is how we get to know one another.  This is how we get to the point of sharing one another’s burdens.  It doesn’t do true fellowship any good whatsoever when we ask each other politely, “how are you this morning?” And the automatic response is “Fine thanks.  How are you doing?”  “Oh, I’m doing great, thanks!” And that’s it.  That’s as far as we get in getting to know one another.  No, our goal is to be able to say as I quoted from 1Cor.12:24 while ago, when one person suffers, we all suffer, when one person is honored, we all rejoice.”  And one of the best ways to incorporate all the various members together into one body is to eat together, to share together, to help one another in the day to day trials of life.

The fifth element in vs. 42 of a true church was they were devoting themselves to prayer.  Prayer is one of the two offensive weapons that we have been given in the spiritual warfare described in Ephesians 6. All the other armor listed there is defensive. But prayer is not only defensive, it’s offensive.  You’ve heard it said that the best defense is a good offense. Eph 6:18-19  “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”  I suppose that most of you are a lot like me – we just don’t pray like we should.  We don’t pray nearly as much as we would like to.  Jesus was a man of prayer.  He prayed many times all night on a mountaintop.  And when He came down from the mountain He was refreshed and empowered and filled with the Holy Spirit. 

I believe that much of our success on the beach is due to the Jericho March we do each year before the season starts.  It’s a time of sustained, strategic prayer for six nights and culminates on Sunday morning with the walls of opposition to the gospel coming down in this community.  But folks, we need to pray that way a lot more often than once a year.  I think it is the key to everything.  I don’t understand it, but I know it works.  The problem is that we don’t work at it. 

Hey, I got suggestion for those of you that don’t like my preaching all that much.  Did you ever think that by praying you could make me a better preacher? Isn’t that what Paul is asking them to do for him in Ephesians 6? “And pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel.”  I would really appreciate it if you guys would pray for me.  It doesn’t get any easier to preach the gospel.  And believe it or not, I have difficulty with speaking with boldness.  I may be loud, but that doesn’t necessarily make me bold.  Pray for boldness, but more importantly, pray that God would give me utterance, that He would give me the message that He would have me preach.

Well, those are the five marks of the true church, the indispensables, if you will of an effective church of God.  There is just one more point that is made here that needs to be pointed out.  We looked at 5 characteristics, and they all result in one consequence.  That is found in vs. 47, “And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”  The consequence of a congregation of saved, born again, transformed men and women, who were taught the doctrine of the apostles, and who lived out their lives in fellowship, unselfishly sharing wealth and food and resources with each other, and devoted to prayer, and were sincere and joyful in their faith, the consequence of that kind of transformed lives resulted in God using their public testimony to be a means to bring others to the Lord.  That’s the kind of church that is attractive to the lost.  It’s not a place that looks like a nightclub or tries to look attractive to sinners.  The gospel’s attractiveness is that it offers hope from the despair of sin.  The power of a transformed life is the testimony that God can use to attract sinners to the gospel.  They come to church not because they can relate to it, but because they are attracted to the hope and peace and joy that we have in Christ because He has overcome the captivity of our sin.  That’s why Peter’s first response to those that heard his message and that asked what they needed to do was that they needed to repent.  And the need for repentance will be the apostle’s message on through the book of Acts. 

Listen, all of us that are saved have been placed in the body of Christ, to perform an essential function for the health and purpose of that body.  Christ has given to each of us a part in His body and placed us in the church as He sees fit.  Let us then be faithful and diligent to be about the business of the church, because that is what Jesus tasked us with in the great commission; “to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you.” 

Paul breaks down that commission for us in Ephesians 4:11-16 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,  from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”  Amen.