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The First Church a Model
L. O. SANDERSON
The long-planned, heaven-born, blood-bought church of our Lord had its beginning on the first Pentecost after his resurrection, in the city of Jerusalem. under the direct supervision of the apostles, who were guided into all truth by the Holy Spirit surely this church is a divine pattern for those who would build to please God and be preserved unto eternal life. The record of its establishment and practice will be found in Acts, chapters 1 and 2.
We observe the appearance of the word "church" more than a hundred times in the New Testament, and in most instances it refers to the local congregation or the assembly of Christians, and is always associated with the Son, Christ, or the Father, God. The apostles had no interest in a church or some church they knew only the church; they knew that churches referred only to congregations of the same church. There was but one church planned; there was but one church born; there was but one church bought with the blood of Christ: and Christ is the head of that church. Many were the members of the body of Christ; many were the places where congregations were established. The apostles were trained by Christ and directed by the Holy Spirit in this work following the ascension, but they could only build on the foundation already laid, which rock was Christ.
Churches in different places were of the same faith and practice they had the same doctrine to teach and practice, the same local organization, the same work and worship, and all these were strictly patterned after the one and only first church the church at Jerusalem. Hence, a study of this first church will reveal what all others were and had to be, and it will guide us safely in the Lord's work in these modern ti roes. The membership of the church was without local attachments or prejudices. God's pledge of blessings was to all nations; every nation under heaven was represented at Jerusalem on that memorable Pentecost. The rich and the poor, the great and the small all became brethren in Christ at Jerusalem. For the first time there was an equality of believers, with all men possessing and contending for a common faith. These men and women were added to the church on the same conditions possessing faith, they were told to "repent and be baptized." everyone of them, "for the remission of sins." (Acts 2:33.) "As many as gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." (verse 41.) In fact, "the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." (Verse 47.) The government of the church at Jerusalem was local, congregational, then and forever afterward, as long as they remained the true followers of our Lord. The establishment of other churches later in no way affected the local autonomy, at Jerusalem or elsewhere. Never was the first church a mother church in the sense that it had any authority as to polity in other congregations. The only divinely-endorsed organization refers alone to the local church or assembly, and beyond one congregation the Lord has no arrangement for officers or directors.
As to practice, the duties and privileges of the Jerusalem church are clearly set forth in Acts 2:42: "They continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." As to their weekday activities, the record is just as clear: "And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising Gad and having favour with all the people," vs 46, 47.
The right of Christians to select those who serve in the local church is provided in the selection of the seven men. The apostles themselves did not claim this prerogative, but rather said: "Look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business." (Acts 6:3.) Men who devote themselves to the ministry of the word should not leave the word of God to serve tables, said the apostles, but rather give themselves continually to prayer and to the steadfast continuance of propagating the word.
May we add just here that neither the apostles, the seven men appointed, nor any members of the church had the right to pass on those who were to become members of the church. Christ had laid down the terms ("he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved"); and when one met the requirements, God did the adding to the church. The apostles, with delegated authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to guide them, could not increase the membership of the church. Only God could, and did, do the adding. Know ye not that the body "increaseth with the increase of God?" (Col. 2:19.) Paul shows that apostles and evangelists are only ministers by whom we believe. Hence, Paul planted, Apollos watered, but only God could give the increase. (1 Cor. 3:6.)
In the building up of the church spiritually, not numerically, each Christian serves an important part. Even then the source of growth is attributed to God. "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: to the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints." (1 Thess. 3:12, 13.) Paul also points out that from Christ "the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love." (Eph. 4:16.) Thus God provides edification for us by that which we ourselves may supply.
One cannot read the story of the church at Jerusalem without noting the activity and faithfulness designed to produce spiritual growth. Not long after the addition of the first three thousand, Luke tells us that "many of them which heard the word believed; and the number of the men was about five thousand." (Acts 4:4.) Not long thereafter, the record states: "And believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women." (Acts 5:14.) Still it was God who gave the increase. The apostles and those who served with them were loyal to the truth. They would obey God rather than men. They would go to prison for a principle. They would sell all they had to further the cause of Christ. They had the persistent and loyal cooperation of all the members of the church. Under such conditions, God has always given the increase.
Not only did the church at Jerusalem lack the right to pass on those who became members; they could not judge as to those who partook of the Lord's Supper. When one obeyed the gospel, he became a child of God; as a child of God, he continued steadfastly in all things, including the breaking of bread. As Paul later specified, each examined himself and so ate and drank. They did not have to join anything to have that right. The Jerusalem church was a giving church; the members sold their possessions and laid the price at the apostles' feet. While they did not have to give all, they chose to do so for the cause of Christ. There was no tithing, no pledging, no begging, no modern money schemes; they gave willingly, purposefully; they were willing to spend and be spent.
And they practiced discipline. Ananias and Sapphira are examples of the strictness of discipline. That couple was not punished for giving only part of the sale price; it was for telling a lie, not so much to the apostles, but rather to the Holy Spirit. Of course that was in the beginning, in the days of miracles, and God struck them dead as an example of his wrath toward those who lie. He does not punish with immediate death now. If he did, think what would happen when we say we are giving all we can, or when we sign an income tax statement that we gave ten or fifteen per cent when we know we did not!
Finally, we mention that the Jerusalem church grew in favor with God and with all the people. That does not say that the apostles alone had favor with men. In fact, the record indicates that they themselves did not. Were not some of them cast in prison? The church grew in favor. There has been no strong church where the members were not strong; there has been no favor toward the church where the members did not create the condition. If we do what God says, deal honestly with all men, make friends of those round about us, and radiate Christianity by our lives, we cannot but accomplish that which God is pleased for us to do.