R C Chiten Jamir
Scripture: Acts 2: 41- 47
In these verses, we have a pattern for the whole dispensation of what the church should be like. The design or pattern that was made by Christ is to be found in these verses.
Marks or characteristics of a real church
1. The church was spiritually constituted by Christ. It was not the work of man. In Matthew 16: 18, Christ promised to constitute the church. In Acts 2: 41 and 47 we find that it was the Lord Jesus who made the church in Jerusalem. How is a church formed? Well, the gospel is preached, the Holy Spirit convicts the sinners, the word is received, sins are confessed, believe on the Lord Jesus, accept Him as saviour and Lord, then the sinners are forgiven their sins, they are born again in the spirit, a new life starts- the believers become children of God and they are baptised and made members of the local church. (Acts 2: 41, 47)
2. The Church was openly committed to Christ: the people had heard the gospel as Peter had preached it. They were convicted of their sins, had repented and accepted the word. They accepted Jesus and believed on Him. They received eternal life. (Acts 2: 37- 40) Then they were baptised and added to the church. 3000 people were converted and baptised. This was done as commanded by Christ in Mtt. 28: 19- 20. What a glorious testimony this was to the power, grace and love of God.
3. The church was gloriously united in Christ: the key word is “Together”. (verse 44) The people in Jerusalem Church consisted of different nationalities, cultures, language, young and old, different temperament, etc, etc. But having believed in Christ and become members of the same church, all the four walls of prejudices had gone and now they all have become one- live together in Christ. Not only physically but they were all in Christ, united in love by the Holy Spirit. We find the same thing said about them in Galatians 3: 28.
• They grew together: in verse 42, “they continued stead fastly- together they continued to live. 2 Peter 3: 18 say of God’s children as babies. Thus they grew in love, grace and in the knowledge of the word of God.
• They fed on the word together: V 42- “they continued stead fastly in the apostles’ doctrine- ie the Bible. The greatest need on the word of God and to live by it.
• They spent much time together: V 42- “they continued in fellowship”- This is in consonant with what we find in Malachi 3: 16. Do we make friends of God’s children? Do we make friends of God’s children? Do we often get together in spiritual fellowship to praise God?
• They remembered the Lord’s death together: V 42 tells us that they remembered the Lord “in breaking bread”. This was the very heart of their united worship; this should be the heart and hub of the Church and the cross, and if we look up, we hopefully wait for His return.
• They prayed together: V 42 tells us that, “they continued …. In prayers”. To be honest, how we the present generation, have drifted away from this early pattern! If we study the book of Acts we fined the power, privilege and possibility of fervent prayer.
• They shared Christian life together. Do the modern churches have the same grace of generosity that was very apparent among the early Christians?
• They rejoiced together. What exciting reading verses 46 and 47 make! Has our local church have the same love for the Lord, His people, His house and for His word as the Jerusalem church had? Have we as a Christians lost the thrills of being a Christian, the wonder of being saved?
4. This church was dynamically empowered by Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that cannot be done by Christ. Since this church we find in Acts 2, was constituted by Christ, it was empowered by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The believers of this church were filled by the Holy Spirit and they spoke the word of God with boldness. The Holy Spirit filled the hearts of the believers, they were of one heart and of one soul; they had all things in common. The apostles witnessed with great power and boldness because if the Holy Spirit working through them.
The inner life of the church was Christ glorifying, a great light for the people in darkness of sin because the Christmas of this Church were characterised by piety, holy and Christ-like, they lived a life of godliness. They impressed the people and they had the favour with all the people- when people saw them, fear came upon every soul- verses 43, 47. The members of the church were characterised by spiritual power- “many wonders and signs were done by the apostles”- verse 43. In Acts 1: 8, we have the secret of power of the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel and live in the way of the Gospel.
The Holy Spirit is the Power of the Inner Life of the Church:
If we study the church history from the first century onwards, we discover one very striking and specific factor, which was solely responsible for its growth and expansionism. That factor was the Holy Spirit Working through the church as it is now. The commandment of the Lord Jesus – “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15) “Go ye therefore, and teach all natures….” Mtt. 28:19. This is the supreme task of the church; number one spiritual priority the most important thing to be done by the church. And this is can be accomplished only if the Holy Spirit is made to be inner director of the church. Obviously, there is going to be a conflict in the actual working of the church because the directors of the Holy Spirit will frustrate the human desires for human, praise and recognition. The wonder working power of the church lies in the fact that the Christian workers, as enumerated in the Ephesians 4:8, 11, 12, are filled with the Holy Spirit, and fully surrendered to its will with all humility. The Scripture is very clear that God cannot compromise his glory with human pride and carnality. It was in the first century, as it is now, that the Holy Spirit uses those Christians who are fully consecrate to the only thought of bringing glory to the Lord Jesus who is the king of kings and the Lord of lords, now and ever more.
In one of the meetings C.H Spurgeor was to speak, eight young men attended the meeting. Spurgeor spoke to them and asked them if they would be interested to see the healing plant of the church. He led them down the stairway to the basement. He opened the door and quietly told them, “Here is our heating apparatus.” They saw nearly 700 people on their knees and praying for the blessings of the service. CH Spurgeor’s church was always on Fire because of the inner heating system – the prayer. What about our local churches? (Acts 12:5)
Dr. Billy Graham said, “I am afraid that, we in the church are making great mistake by trying to make Christianity popular and pleasant. We have taken the Cross away and substituted cushions.” How true his remarks are! What is Christianity minus the Cross?
A Church was on fire. The fire brigade came and put out the fire. The pastor of the church recognized one of the men and said, “Hello Jim, I have not seen you in church for a long time. Jim answered, “Well, preacher, there hasn’t been a fire in this church for a long time.” The Christians should not take lightly the fervour in the churches.
There is another danger that can make the church negligent about the work of Jehovah (Jeremiah 48:10)
Bishop Hagen G. Wemor said, “We have been dried out of the hot winds of secularism. We, who are to overcome the world, have been overcome by the world. That is the tragedy in the church which seeps out the inner power of the church.
In Isa. 56:10, God talks about his watchman. Who are these watchmen God is talking about? They are the same people as mentioned in Eph 4:8, 11, 12, who are blessed with different gifts of the Holy Spirit. That means the church – the Christians!
The present day picture of the church seems to be an abstract object, generally an onlooker of the happenings in the lives of believers and non-believers alike. In Isa. 56:10, God raises His accusations against the church – the Christians! We are accused of being blind to the world, of being ignorant, dumb – not being able to speak the truth against the evil forces, do not bark at the enemies, that we rather love to sleep; lying down in slumber in the midst of the storms and the ship is sinking. God compares the Christians with the greedy dogs! They are shepherds sunk deep in selfishness, no heart to love, no conscience to understand who do not love and care for the sheep! Can we argue with God that we are not under these accusations? The church must be awaken from its passivity and react positively to the ground realities of life and provide a faith worth living for, follow a God worth worshipping for, a spiritual life worth living, a future worth hoping to live for. The church must make the lives of the people meaningful, worthwhile, purposeful and useful for existence now and for an assured future. The church must seize every God given opportunity to build Nagaland as a real Christian state where both the state and the church should think, express, act and live only for Christ in consonant with the Naga covenant to make Nagaland for Christ. What are the agenda of the Church and the State to make Nagaland for Christ? “Give an account of they stewardship” – Luke 16:2
May God give us a church like the first church in Jerusalem today and make us like those believers.
(The writer is Former Deputy Chief Minister and member, SC.ST Commission)
