7.2 Early Church Patterns
© 2018 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
The most important spontaneous arising of Church by Father for our example in history is the experience of the Church in Jerusalem during its first eight years. The total and overwhelming response to being born again and filled with the Holy Spirit was to move immediately into life together. Everyone wanted to do such a thing without anyone telling them to do it.
The gathering together expressed in the first chapters of Acts was a spontaneous heart commitment arising out from the return of the Lord Jesus bodily upon this earth – now as His Church. This gathering together was the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles flowing out from Pentecost. – Yet as a seed to be planted in human history, not yet as God’s final Tabernacles.
The Inward Reality. When we look at the first eight years of the Church of Jesus Christ, we are not seeking to violate God’s order for His Church – the wineskin. That is, we are not seeking to duplicate the outward form of that Early Church.
Even though the outward forms of the expression of Christ in His Church will vary, still, the inward reality remains the same from one place to another and from one century to another. Church by Father will always contain those expressions that are Father revealing Himself through many. Our hope, in perusing the verses of the first gathering together, is to understand those specific expressions through which Father makes Himself known.
Inhabiting the Site. Let’s list again, then, the considerations we are holding in our minds as we study the early Church. 1. Know the site. 2. Protect the heart of the site. 3. Make social spaces more public and private spaces remote. 4. Preserve the best parts of the site. 5. Extend the structures into the site. 6. Orient the structures for the best views. 7. Make a positive contribution towards the larger area.
Then, the considerations drawn from Romans 8:28-30. 1. Work all things together with God. 2. Build according to the Pattern, Christ Jesus. 3. Know God’s knowing of us. 4. Accept the Determination of God. 5. Enter into all that symmorphy is and means. 6. Embrace many brethren. 7. See as God sees; see all things as finished.
The Early Church. As we consider the early Church, we want to include these points in our thinking. Yet we cannot do that in a rigid manner, by forcing what isn’t in the text. Rather, we want these fourteen points to shape our understanding of God dwelling in His House.
First read Acts 2:1 through Acts 6:7, focusing primarily on those things regarding the gathering together of the church. At the same time, I would strongly recommend that you obtain a copy of Gene Edwards’ The Early Church and read it. I will make reference to particular specifics from the account in Acts, but Edwards will take you into the real life of the first gathering together of Church.
A First Account. Here is a paraphrase from the Greek of Acts 2:42-47.
They were, moreover, steadfastly continuing in the teaching of the apostles, and in fellowship (koinonia), in the breaking of the bread and in prayers (a word that means sharing heart with Jesus). Fear came upon every soul as many supernatural wonders and miraculous signs came through the apostles. All having believed were together and holding all as shared and common, and all their properties and possessions they were selling and were distributing them to all, as anyone had need. Every day they continued steadfastly with the same passion in the temple. Breaking bread as well from house to house, they partook of food in gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord placed (set forth) among them every day those who were being saved.
A Second Account. And here is a paraphrase from the Greek of Acts 4:31-35.
And having earnestly prayed, the place in which they had come together was shaken, and they were all filled to capacity with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God with boldness (parrhesia). And the many who having believed were one in heart and soul, and did not claim any possession as being his own, but were inside the sphere of all common together. And with great power, the apostles were giving testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. Nor was there any among them who lacked; those who owned lands or houses were selling them, and bringing the value of what was sold, placed it (set it forth) at the feet of the apostles. Distribution was made to each just as anyone had need.
A Full Community of Goods. There is no question that these two passages describe a full community of goods, a way of living that continued for the first eight years of the church. All the writers of the New Testament lived together through these years, except for Paul. Luke must have been there because he claimed firsthand knowledge from the start. Only later did Luke attach himself to Paul. Most Christians have no idea of the significance of this time in the lives of these thousands of people; most hardly look at these verses.
Yet I do not advocate a full community of goods in this exact way, but rather, a community together shaped by all present Word of Christ.
A Greater Glory. We are not copying the Early Church. Rather, ‘The glory of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the Lord of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give peace.’ (Haggai 2:9). The glory of this Early Church will not compare to the glory of the Church now in our day. Notice the words “in this place,” – God, inhabiting the site of His house.
God’s divinity is the site of our home, and our humanity is the site of His.
As we look at the Early Church, we are seeing God’s people just beginning to discover their dwelling place together in God. God’s dwelling place in us was not really known until Paul taught His gospel of Christ in us and us His Body. Symmorphy, sharing the same house, always goes in both directions at the same time. You in Me and I in you.
Seven Things Happening. So, let’s list the points happening inside this co-habitation of God and His Church as she became on the Day of Pentecost. And in each of these, we are seeing God inside His people together and the brethren together inside of God.
Inside these two accounts in Acts, we see seven arenas of happening. First is the role of the apostles in the church. Second is the role of the Holy Spirit in the church. Third is fellowship, fear, and prayer. Then, fourth, is the specific development of eating together. Fifth is the even more specific presentation of sharing all property together. Sixth is the impact on the outside world. And seventh is the location or place in which these things happened.
Ministry in the Church. We are finally able to speak of the role of ministry in God’s Church. The reason I have included very little of that picture I now understand clearly. The problem is that ministry in the church has been known inside the definitions of a split-soul God, an arrogant Christ, and a universe perceived to be broken apart by good and evil.
At this point we now know God as Love who restores all to Himself, a Christ who always carries us, and a New Creation that is all brand new. Inside of our present knowledge of Father walking as one Pperson together with us through the connection of every Word that is Christ, we are able to place what the New Testament teaches us regarding ministry in the Church.
The Foundation. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the extreme angle or corner (metaphorically, the secret place) (Ephesians 2:20). The Church is not built upon Christ Jesus; the Church, Christian Community, is built upon the apostles and prophets. We will consider more later of what that means for us now inside the glory of the finished House of God.
Now, in all this, we are considering an experience that continued for eight years. Thus we see very little working for income during this time. These thousands of people were sustained by those who had property giving their wealth for everyone’s support. At the same time we realize that people’s needs were much less costly in that context than today.
Spontaneous. It is important to understand that the implications of what happened with people as they came into the Church are enormous. First, this movement into life together happened entirely spontaneously; it was the normal and obvious response to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Do we fail to respond in this way because we have never heard the gospel? Consider the demonstration of the Spirit and power through the apostles. Yet spontaneous means purposeful, not mindless. And all the practicalities of how they lived in the fulfillment of daily necessities must come into our thinking. May I suggest that only those who have lived in Church Life can guess at those practicalities.
Urgency. The spontaneous reason every individual person chose to forsake all in order to live together as the Church was the overwhelming urgency filling their beings to KNOW the living God, to KNOW Jesus Sent, and to KNOW Them in the only place They are known – in the Church and among one another. I KNOW what is this same urgency, having responded to God in the same way, for the same reasons, and in response to the same demonstration of the Spirit and power.
Where you dwell, I will dwell – and your people shall be my people (Ruth 1). Most Christians have never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet we must also accept that we have not yet heard it, for we are not selling everything to live in the Church.
Know the Site. Our question is not how we know God and how God knows us, but rather, how did those first believers know God and how did God know them. There was no thought of Nicene theology, no “Trinity,” no “eternal damnation” in anyone’s mind. At the same time, these were very Jewish people, and God had to take specific steps to move them away from Judaism.
What these brethren knew was raw experience. They knew God and God knew them through the immediate memory of Jesus, His life, His ministry, and His words, a Jesus who now showed Himself in power through the apostles. And Tthey knew Oone another, God and believers, entirely in the context of the gathering together.
Apostolic Function. The knowledge of God came through the apostles – And with great power, the apostles were giving testimony of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
Now, although the apostles knew the power of the Holy Spirit through them, enabling them to remember and to share all that Jesus said and did, they did not know Paul’s gospel. In other words, there is a going forward in the knowledge of God that continues to be a function of the apostolic.
Knowing the site, then, corresponds with the last point of Romans 8:28-30, everything is finished, all things are made new. It is the apostolic that calls forth the substance of God into the appearance of Church with great power and in great grace.
The Heart of the Site. The second point is preserving the heart of the site. The heart of the site is neither the foundation nor the structure of the house. Rather, it is outside the construction zone, and everything is built around it so that the most pleasant aspect of humanity/God can be seen and enjoyed by all. The heart of the site for God and for us is the fellowship of friendship. Friendship is neither the foundation nor the structure of the house. Friendship makes everything good.
They continued steadfastly in fellowship, sharing the same passion. This fellowship is the very essence of Father among us, symmorphy displaying itself through koinonia, the essence out from which Wwe, God and us, work all things good.
Social and Personal. The third point is to make the social spaces front and center, and the personal spaces tucked away and safe.
On God’s side, these two aspects are seen in one word, “prayer.” On the one hand is the prayer of the apostles that shook the whole place where they had gathered, God making His Presence apparent. On the other hand is the prayer of the saints, a word that means the private sharing of heart with Jesus. Here is this aspect for the people – And the many who having believed were one in heart and soul, and did not claim any possession as being his own, but were inside the sphere of all common together.
Protecting privacy can be seen in Peter’s confrontation with Ananias and Saphira, protecting the integrity of the individual person from the falseness of pretending.
Fitted Together. Points four and five go together – fitting the structures of the building together with their counterparts in outdoor living spaces that are the best parts of the site.
I see these two points in – they continued steadfastly in the teaching of the apostles – and the breaking of bread. And again, every day they continued steadfastly with the same passion in the temple (where the apostles taught). Then – Breaking bread as well from house to house, they partook of food in gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God.
Word, an apostolic third-feast word, shared together AND meals shared together, the real communion service. Going both ways for God and for us.
The “Best” Views. Point number six is orienting the rooms to the best views. Here is the best view in our habitation of God – Many supernatural wonders and miraculous signs came through the apostles – resulting in fear coming upon every soul.
These people were not playing church, neither were they dancing in meadows weaving flowers through their hair. They were IN God and the demonstration of God was their only view. That view is FEAR – and it means that they regarded nothing else except God and living only inside of Him. The deaths of Ananias and Saphira convinced everyone that we do not want to be playing games with God.
Yet those “signs and wonders” was God seeing and meeting the needs of every individual person.
The Fear of God. Because of the lingering grip of transactional theology in our thinking, some wonder about the deaths of Ananias and Saphira, was God “punishing them” for their “sins”? The answer is NO. Sin is not in God’s picture.
Since the concept of “appeasing God” does not exist inside of God, and since all things that are exist only in God, we must enter into an entirely different conception of everything, but especially of the measurement of Christ. I’m not going to develop this different conception here. The point is that I would know God by all that He speaks, by all that He is, and by all that He does. And when union-with-Christ people question the fear of God, it seems to me that they are stuck in Nicene definitions of God.
Contributing to All. The final point is to design the structures in such a way that they contribute to the larger area around. Having favor with all the people. – And the Lord placed (set forth) among them every day those who were being saved.
Now, we do not think that this approach, “inhabiting the site,” is how we “must” define these passages. Any Godly pattern can be used to similar good results. The purpose is to take apart what God is actually saying to us, so that we might understand and apply it to our everyday life.
Nonetheless, the paraphrase of Romans 8:28-30 in the last session is simply the most complete rendition of our dwelling in God and God in us. And thus it sets all “construction” of the House in the direction of suiting both God and man.