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The Core Four for a Thriving Church

 Acts 2:5, 14a, 36, 41-47 (NIV)
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 
Peter Addresses the Crowd
14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd:
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
The Fellowship of the Believers
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 
44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 
46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.    
                        ############################################
​     On the day of Pentecost, 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 120 of his followers - both men and women - were gathered together in prayer.  God sent the Holy Spirit to them that day, empowering them to become the Body of Christ.   Each received the divine gift of God’s power within them, so they could share the gospel and live like Jesus in the world.  
      The Apostle Peter the first one to jump up and leave the building, not a surprise at all for those who knew him well.  Once outside he preached before to a huge crowd of Jewish pilgrims.  When he finished his message three thousand people repented of their sins, accepted Jesus as their Savior and were baptized.  Can you imagine the excitement in the crowd that day?   What I always think about is the logistics of moving that many people to a location where they could be immersed in water.  And how many hours did the baptisms take?   Even if all 11 of the remaining disciples helped, that would be over 270 people per disciple!  But can you imagine the joy everyone felt to be part of this day?   Later on, as night fell, everyone must have been exhausted and grateful to lay down for a good night’s sleep.   
     Then came Monday morning.  The much larger Body of Christ, which has already been camping out in and around Jerusalem, returns once more to hear what Peter and the other disciples will share with them.  On that morning the fledgling church of Jesus Christ was born.  They had to start from scratch, setting up a pattern for their worship, ministries and life together.  Peter stood before them and introduced what I think of as The Core Four.  He said that the apostles would teach about Jesus and the Old Testament Scriptures.   Prayer would be another essential activity.   Breaking bread together was the third one, which meant sharing meals together and then having the Lord’s Supper at the end.   Finally there was to be fellowship.
     The crowd, most of whom were 1-day-old Christians, heard these words and then each household, and individual had a choice before them. They had planned to pack up and return to their homes and work after celebrating the most recent Jewish festival.  They had obligations and a life waiting for them.   To remain in Jerusalem and learn to become strong disciples would mean great sacrifices.  And how could they manage food costs and other basic needs if they had no ongoing source of income?  The apostles were not new to having large crowds following them, so they shared how a Christian community can be formed and sustained.   Still, each person there had to consider, discuss and pray about this huge decision.   
    Their answer is found in Acts 2:42; the huge crowd of believers chose to “devote themselves” to the Core Four.  Another Bible translation says they “continued steadfastly”.   A distinctive mark of the early church was their high level of commitment.  They stayed in place and chose to show up at designated times and places to hear one of the apostles teach.  They made learning about the Bible and Jesus their priority.   A verse from one of our hymns celebrates this important instructional time: “How Firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is laid for your faith in his excellent word.”   Having a firm foundation, knowing for ourselves what is contained in the whole Bible, is the responsibility and the wonderful privilege of every Christian.        
       In every generation, the Bible is the core curriculum for the Body of Christ.  It is the essential instructional book crafted for God followers and we are called to be “devoted” to reading/hearing it, so we can better know, and love and obey God.  In my own life, the Bible has shaped who I am, both forming and reforming me.  It has challenged me and comforted me.  It guides my decisions and impacts my relationships.  It refreshes me and gives me strong hope for tomorrow.  The Word of God is living, it speaks to my soul, it connects me with the intimate heart of God.  I pray you will steadfastly read your Bibles and experience its richness for yourselves.  
      Another life habit of the early Christians was prayer.  Traditionally Jews prayed each morning, afternoon and evening.  They prayed before eating and at other times as well.   They would have been taught the Lord’s Prayer by the Apostles and also told that they can speak directly to the Father, ABBA, just as Jesus had taught them to do.  They didn’t need to be inside a Temple to pray formal prayers.   Men could pray, but also women and children, everyone was to be an active pray-er, whether they spoke out loud or were silent.  This was a radical set of ideas, ones that broke down traditions and barriers, that invited all people, not just some, to have conversations with God.   It broke open new possibilities, a new accessibility - so all God’s people were involved.  The people of God there in Jerusalem devoted themselves to prayer.   
         The next new pattern of living was to share meals together, and then celebrate Holy Communion.    Let’s talk logistics again.  Imagine having 3,000 plus people camped out at and around our local fairgrounds.  For an extended period of time.  Needing three square meals a day, plus latrines, garbage removal, laundering needs, and much more.   That took strong organizational skills, just for starters.   What happened was that anyone with needed gifts or abilities stepped forward; they tended to the numerous “essential services”.   What boggles my mind is the food service management.  Imagine bringing tons of food to various food stations, prepping for hours, baking bread, then serving people standing in long lines with their empty plates and bowls.   Repeat that three times a day, or perhaps two times.    Then consider the water that needed to be carried and stored.  All of this was a monumental undertaking, but it was something the Body of Christ gladly devoted themselves to...
     The final priority was fellowship.    For us that word makes us think of socializing, which is enjoyable for Christians.   But in Jesus’ day “Fellowship” was a Greek word ‘koinonia”, and it had a much richer meaning.   It meant being in partnership, having a shared commitment.  What the apostles taught as part of the Core Four for the church - was the necessity that every person be involved and committed to a Christian ministry.   There is an Early church historian by the name of Tertullian who says that the Roman government, feeling suspicious of the early church, sent spies to infiltrate it and report back. One such spy said, “How those Christians love each other, what strong fellowship they have together.”  These spies were shocked but impressed by the Christians- by their love for one another and their commitment to be each be active in ministry.
      What made so much of this ministry to the 3,000 possible was sacrificial giving.   People were generous and gave to any who had need.  There was no selfishness, or hoarding.  If we had had the chance to walk through that crowd, like they were in our own backyard at the fairground, what would we have seen?   What would we have heard?   What might we have felt?
      That early church was a community that thrived.   They each had what they needed in life, none lacked essentials.  There was praying happening at tall times of the day and evening, among a great diversity of people.  There were fresh truths about Jesus and the Bible being soaked up.  Meals were communal and joyful.  Everyone had ways they contributed.  The Fellowship, the participation - was amazing.  All of this happened as they focused on the Core Four.  
      That lesson and invitation is before us as well.   Let us be people who pray every day, alone and with others.  Let’s share meals together and Holy Communion when we can safely distance.   May we each open and read our Bibles so we are transformed more and more into the likeness of Jesus.   And May our fellowship be sweet, because each one among us has ways they want to contribute.   This is how we can thrive, with the help of the Holy Spirit at work within us.  
       As September draws near, I want you to know that there will soon be some opportunities to be an Acts 2 church.  As details come together, I will share those with you.  What can inspire us in the meanwhile is the realization, through the book of Acts and elsewhere, that God always uses ordinary people to do extra- ordinary things to bless and change the world.  Let’s devote ourselves to these four core Christian practices and be ready how and where God leads us - as the Body of Christ - in today’s world.

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