Portrait of a Church - Acts 2:41–47 - Sermons from the Baptist Faith and Message

Written by Lucien Coleman

Sermon 8 of 19 Sermons on The Baptist Faith and Message.

The Baptist Faith and Message sets forth "certain definite doctrines that Baptists believe, cherish, and with which they have been and are now closely identified." You may read The Baptist Faith and Message on SBC.net. This sermon series by Lucien Coleman originally appeared in Proclaim! magazine.

Some ideas are just too big to be squeezed into a single definition. That’s true of the biblical concept of the church. In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul described the community of believers as the body of Christ. But the New Testament also describes the church as the Lord’s flock (Luke 12:32; John 10:14); a family (Eph. 2:19; Mark 3:33–35); the true Israel of God (Gal. 6:16); and as a fellowship (koinonia, spiritual commonwealth) (1 Cor. 1:9; 1 John 1:3,7).

Church comes from the word ekklesia, which means literally “the called out.” The church consists of believers whom God has “called out.” One of the clearest pictures of a church in the New Testament appears in Acts 2:41–42, which summarizes five vital functions that shaped the life of the community of Christians in Jerusalem shortly after the unusual events of Pentecost. In these two verses, we find the church regularly engaging in evangelism, teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.

Evangelism

From the beginning, the church took the Great Commission seriously. Making disciples was at the top of the early church’s order of business.

Teaching

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching” (Acts 2:42, NEB). What we know as Bible study was as essential to them as prayer and worship. (In contrast, fewer than one-fourth of the members of a typical Baptist church today attend Bible study on any given Sunday.)

Fellowship

The word “fellowship” in Acts 2:42 translates the Greek word koinonia. The Greeks used the term to describe business partnerships, intimate friendships, and marriage. Paul used koinonia to describe “partnership in the gospel” (Phil. 1:5), and he spoke of the koinonia as a “fellowship of the Holy Spirit”(2 Cor. 13:14). Koinonia also meant sharing in practical ways (Acts 2:45). Christian fellowship is the shared life of the redeemed.

The Breaking of Bread

“Breaking of bread” in Acts 2:42 refers to “love feasts,” fellowship meals that resembled today’s covered- dish dinners. They went “from house to house” (Acts 2:46), because they had no church buildings. Usually, they observed the Lord’s Supper on these occasions, adding a spiritual dimension to their table fellowship.

Prayer

Prayer was the heartbeat of the early Christian fellowship. The church in Jerusalem began in prayer (Acts 1:14). They prayed continually (2:42). They prayed for one another (Acts 12:5). Prayer was a major part of regular worship.

Conclusion: The church is not a place, but a people; not a sacred building, but a band of believers; not an organization, but an organism, whose life is drawn from the living Lord.

About Professor Coleman

Professor Lucien Coleman retired in 1993 after twenty-seven years of teaching Religious Eductation at Southern Seminary and Adult Education at Southwestern Seminary. Before teaching served as a pastor in Kentucky. He holds degrees from Southern Seminary and the University of Kentucky. He and his wife, Bobbie, live in Parker County, Texas. They have three children, fifteen grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

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