After the day of Pentecost, the apostles and Jesus other followers were left with an open road in front of them and the power of the Holy Spirit inside of them. Verse 42 of Acts 2 defines for us the fingerprints or markers of the early Church. If we take brief look at these simple markers, we may get an idea of what Church should look like even today.
All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…
The believers gathering in the first Church did not have the New Testament that we are reading this account from today. They were reliant on these men that actually lived and ministered with Jesus to connect the dots for them from the culture, history, and prophecy of the Old Covenant as it was written in the first five books of our Bible ( the Pentateuch ) and the writings of the prophets. They would really have to want to understand this man named Jesus and how He could possibly be the Messiah they were waiting on.
Our faith cannot be a blind statement that we make saying we believe in Jesus without understanding who He was in both His spiritual and His human nature. The only way we can come to that understanding is when God reveals it to us through His Word and the only way, we can know His Word is to read it or listen to it. May we work hard to make sure we hold the marker of Bible Study close to our hearts that we may know we are devoted to knowing Jesus better and better each day.
fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper)
From Genesis to Revelation, we know that God is a God of relationship. If we think about our most powerful and valuable relationships in our lives, they are most likely with someone that we share time and meals with along our way. It is amazing how many walls will come down over the breaking of bread with someone else.
All people have the innate desire to love and be loved and that moves us to be creatures of relationships. In sharing time with one another, may we remember to invite God into those times, and they will always be more special with His Spirit among us.
and to prayer
Prayer was not a new concept to the first Church, but it was now different and new compared to before the death and resurrection of Jesus. Prayer then and today adds the help and power of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is our most powerful and often last used resource.
How many times have you heard someone say “ well, all we can do now is pray ….” And wonder why we weren’t praying in the first place.
Prayer is where we come to God recognizing our sins and His forgiveness so that He may empower us to go out and live for Him in a way that others may see Him in our lives. On our own it is not possible to live a life of witness because the devil is too smart for us and so we continually bring our lives to God in prayer for His power.
Quiet time with God in prayer is important but prayer itself is the most powerful weapon that we have in our lives today. God is still God and eager to hear from us if we talk to Him while driving down the road ( don’t close your eyes for this one ….. ), walking through the park, at work or anywhere …..
We can lift up needs from our spirit to God’s at any time and in any place.
In our confession of faith in Jesus Christ we are His Church and as His hands and feet in this world, may these markers be present in our lives that others will see God’s fingerprints in us.
PRAYER
Please visit our How Can We Pray For You page if you want prayer.
LEARN MORE
Would you like to learn more about Beulah Hill Christian Church? Please check out the Who We Are Page. You can meet our Pastor and find out what the symbol of the Disciples of Christ is and its history.
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