"The Church Learns and Adapts"

            During January, we have been studying the Book of Acts.  Acts provides a history, describing the birth and development of the early Christian Church.  We have used this examination to try and identify four essential characteristics of the early Church.  I have called this four-part series, “Re-Claiming the Essentials of the Early Church” because I believe that the four characteristics identified in this exploration should also be integral to the life of the contemporary Church. 

The first characteristic we identified was that the first Church was a community of faith, in which members loved and supported one another.  The second characteristic was that, early in its development, the first Church realized that everyone has a role to play in terms of service—and, that many are called to lead in various areas where they are qualified.  Last week, we studied the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, who became a Christian convert, and we realized that a third essential characteristic of the first Church was that it  welcomed and accepted everyone because Jesus last instructions to the apostles were to share the good news of God’s love “to the ends of the earth.”

On the fourth and final Sunday in this series, we will examine how the Church learned and adapted in response to its changing pastoral context.  Our focus this Sunday, January 26th, will be the Great Jerusalem Council, described in Acts 15.  The cause for this church council actually came from the early Christians in the city of Antioch.  As Luke, the author of Acts, sets the stage:

Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders.

            In my interpretation of Acts, at Pentecost the first Church is established as basically a spiritual renewal movement within Judaism.  That is, the first converts were already Jewish faithful, who saw Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, as foretold the prophecies of the Hebrew scriptures.  Peter and the original Twelve lived in Jerusalem and would go to preach and teach about Jesus in the Temple. Over time, devout Jews became Christians, and there was no firm distinction between Jews and Jewish Christians. 

            However, more and more non-Jews also heard the Gospel and were attracted to Christianity.  Initially, these non-Jewish were “God-fearer” Gentiles:  persons who had been strongly attracted to Judaism and who studied Jewish scriptures and worshipped in Jewish services.  The Ethiopian eunuch, whose story we studied last week, would be an example of the type of non-Jews who were attracted to Christianity.  Their interest raised an important question:  Did one have to become a Jew first, before becoming a Christian? 

If Christianity were nothing more than a spiritual renewal movement within Judaism, then perhaps one could be required to become a Jew.  The problem with requiring persons to become Jews before Christians, lay in the circumcision requirement which even grow men would have to endure.  Obviously, circumcision on a grown man would be incredibly painful and there was always the risk of infection.  So, for the early Christians this seemed to be a particular onerous burden for a Gentile seeker, who was really just interested in passing through Judaism to participate in Christianity.

Actually, this question of whether Gentiles could become Christians had already been resolved before we come to Acts 15.  As we saw last week, in Acts 8, Philip baptizes and accepts the Ethiopian into the Christian faith.  Also, in Acts 10, we have the story of how God spoke to Peter in a vision, reassuring him that it was appropriate to baptize and welcome Gentiles as Christians.  Later, when Peter returns to Jerusalem, he is questioned about welcoming Gentiles as members of the Christian community.  However, after Peter describes his vision from God, everyone agreed that God intended for the Gospel to be shared with Gentiles as well as Jews.

So, the controversy stirred up in Antioch by Jewish purists had actually already been resolved and the trouble-makers in Antioch were completely out-of-line in their condemnation.  Still, the controversy was serious enough that the Antioch church decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem to clarify whether or not Gentiles can be accepted into Christian fellowship. 

When they arrive in Jerusalem, this first question concerning whether Gentiles can become Christians is easily dispatched:  Of course, Gentiles can become Christians because this is in keeping with Jesus’ last instructions before his Ascension into Heaven to share the Gospel, beginning first with the Jews and then secondly with the Gentiles—carrying the Gospel to “the ends of the earth.” 

However, a second question, concerning lifestyle and table fellowship arises from a group of Christian Pharisees.  Although they recognize and accept that Gentiles can become Christians, they question whether Gentile and Jewish Christians should co-mingle in the same faith community; perhaps there should be separate Gentile and Jewish Christian communities.  As Luke describes in Acts 15:

When they [Paul, Barnabas, and the others from Antioch] came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.’  Acts 15:4-6

In Antioch, the question raised by the critics was whether Gentiles converts had to follow conventional Jewish practices, including circumcision, in order to become Christians.  The second concern, raised by the Pharisees in Jerusalem, was whether Jewish Christians would have to become like Gentiles in order to be part of the Christian community.  This was basically a question of Jews remaining loyal to their ancestral traditions, even though they accepted and worship with Gentile Christians, who were not keeping the Jewish traditions.

Peter addresses the assembly by reviewing how God has called him to share the Gospel with the Gentiles.  Then, he asks, “Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?”  

The Biblical scholar, Robert Wall, helpfully observes that “Peter’s conclusion addresses the purity of a Jewish social identity within an inclusive faith community.  If Torah purity demands utter blamelessness and this state is impossible to attain, then the Pharisees’ concern is misplaced even if sincere.  More to his… point is that such a [purity] perspective actually subverts a Jewish identity marked by trusting a faithful God to ‘save us through the grace of the Lord Jesus’ (v.11).”[1]

After Peter has finished speaking, the gathered assembly listens as Paul and Barnabas describe how they have perceived God’s Presence through the conversion of the Gentiles to the Christian faith.  After hearing about the experiences of Peter, as well as Paul and Barnabas, James, who is the new leader of the Jerusalem Church, asks if there is a scriptural warrant that would confirm their decision to admit Gentiles into the new Church, along with Jewish Christians.  James finds a scriptural warrant in the following scripture:

 “After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
   from its ruins I will rebuild it,
     and I will set it up,
so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
   even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.
     Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things known from long ago.”

A strong case has now been made for including Gentiles, based upon Peter’s vision from God, Paul and Barnabas’ experiences sharing the Gospel with Gentiles, and the scriptural warrant from the Hebrew prophets.  At this point, James proposes a compromise of sorts.  He proposes that the early Church welcome the Gentiles without reservation, but that the gathered assembly should write to the Gentile churches, asking “to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood” (Acts 15:20).  Robert Wall notes that the church council basically asks the Gentile Christians to abstain from “four impurities observant Jews associated with the pagan world.”

I believe that the story of the Jerusalem church council in Acts 15 illustrates an essential characteristic of the first Christian Church, which is vitally important for us, today, in the twenty-first century church.  That characteristic is the willingness to learn and adapt to shifting pastoral contexts for ministry.  It has been said that the seven most deadly words for a church are:  “We’ve never done it that way before.”  These seven deadly words certainly did not apply the early church.  Instead, through a process of learning from experiences and studying scripture, the first church was remarkably open to change, if it meant being faithful to the Gospel.  That is, the Church learned and adapted. 

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, January 26, as we reflect upon the importance of the Church learning and adapting as its pastoral context shifts.  During the Proclamation, I will share some ideas about how the current, twenty-first century church may be required to learn and adapt. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[1] Robert W. Wall, “Commentary on the Book of Acts” in the New Interpreter’s Bible,  vol. 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

"The Church Welcomes Everyone"

            During January, we have been studying the Book of Acts.  Acts provides a history, describing the birth and development of the early Christian Church.  We have used this examination to try and identify the essential characteristics of the early Church.  I have called this four-part series, “Re-Claiming the Essentials of the Early Church” because I believe that the four characteristics identified in this exploration should also be integral to the life of the contemporary Church. 

The first characteristic we identified was that the first Church was a community of faith, in which members loved and supported one another.  The second characteristic was that, early in its development, the first Church realized that everyone has a role to play in terms of service—and, that many are called to lead in various areas where they are qualified.

            This Sunday, January 19th, we will explore the hospitality of the first Church, which genuinely strived to love and accept everyone.  Our focus scripture is Acts 8:26-28, the story of the Ethiopian eunuch and his conversion to Christianity.  The story begins with Philip who—along with Stephen—was one of the seven chosen to distribute food and other basic necessities to those early Christians who were poor and vulnerable.  (See Acts 6:1-7 and my blog last week, “The Church Serves.”) 

“An angel of the Lord” instructs Philip to go down to a wilderness road, where he encounters an Ethiopian eunuch.  Acts describes the Ethiopian with these words:  “Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.”

At least one book, several doctoral dissertations, and countless scholarly articles have been written about this scriptural passage and who the eunuch precisely was.  Despite the ambiguity, it is important to realize that Luke, the author of Acts, was a master storyteller.  We may be certain that Luke carefully sifted through all of the information available to him and selected certain stories to include because they illustrated what Luke considered to be the key moments and most important attributes of the first Church.  Taking this perspective, we must ask why Luke considered the story of the Ethiopian eunuch so important to his story of the first Christian churches?

            I believe that the interpretive key here is Acts 1:8, where, just before his Ascension, Jesus tells his followers:  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  These last earthly words from Jesus form the outline for Acts 2-8:

1.      Acts 2:1-42, describes how Jesus’ followers received the Holy Spirit

2.      Acts 2:43-7:60, describes how the Gospel was spread in Jerusalem

3.      Acts 8:1-25, describes how the Gospel was spread in all Judea and Samaria.

Our passage, Acts 8:26-38, logically continues Luke’s story of the spread of the Gospel “to the ends of the earth” because, from a Jewish perspective, Ethiopia would certainly count as “the ends of the earth.”

            Although geographically very distant and culturally very different, the Ethiopian was a proselyte to Judaism.  He was most likely a “God-fearer,” Gentiles, “who had been strongly attracted to Judaism, who studied the Scriptures, worshiped in the [Temple] Court of the Gentiles, attended the synagogues, but who had not become Jews.”[1]  Thus, even though he was a devout, spiritual pilgrim, the Ethiopian was significantly marginalized from the rest of Judaism and the Jewish culture.

            The Ethiopian was also marginalized in another important way.  He was a eunuch.  Within the Jewish laws, eunuchs were specifically excluded from the faith community.  For example, Deuteronomy 23:1 asserts:  “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.”  So, the Ethiopian’s physical disfigurement pushes him even further to the margins of Jewish faith and culture. 

            Despite the Ethiopian’s imperfection and marginalization, Luke recounts that the Holy Spirit directs Philip to, “‘Go over to this chariot and join it.’ So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’ He replied, ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him” (Acts 8:29-31).

            The Ethiopian’s invitation to Philip signals a keen spiritual discernment in that he recognizes Philip can serve as his theological mentor.  The passage from Isaiah, which the Ethiopian is reading, comes from Isaiah’s prophecy of the “suffering servant.”  The verses quoted by Luke in Acts are these:

‘Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
   and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
     so he does not open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
   Who can describe his generation?

     For his life is taken away from the earth.’

Robert Wall observes that in the Greek translation quoted by Luke, the last line says that his life was “lifted up from earth.”[2]  Philip uses this passage, especially the final line, to begin sharing the Good News about Jesus, who was lifted up from earth at his Ascension.  When the chariot (really, a carriage) they are riding in comes to a body of water, the Ethiopian asks to be baptized into the Christian faith.  So, Philip baptizes him and the Holy Spirit comes down upon him, to empower him as a disciple of Christ.

            This story of the Ethiopian eunuch is a story about difference—and, how it makes no difference to the people of Christ.  The Ethiopian had so many differences from the first Christians.  He came from a different country, a different culture, a different religion, a different race.  According to the Jewish Law, the Ethiopian should have been ostracized because of his physical disfigurement.  Yet, the Holy Spirit guided Philip to him because God intends for the Church to welcome everyone, regardless of any disqualification we may think that they have.

            This is the third essential characteristic of the first Church.  As the continuation of the first Church, we in the twenty-first century must be committed to welcoming everyone.

      If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, January 19, as we reflect upon this third essential characteristic of the first Church and what it means to be a welcoming church in the twenty-first century. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[1] Albert C. Winn, The Acts of the Apostles in “The Layman’s Bible Commentary,” edited by Balmer H. Kelly, vol. 20 (Atlanta:  John Knox Press, 1962), 65.

[2] Robert W. Wall, “Commentary on the Book of Acts” in the New Interpreter’s Bible,  vol. 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

"The Church Serves"

            This Sunday, January 12th, I continue our four-sermon series examining the Book of Acts, as we study the essential characteristics of the first Church.  I believe that these four characteristics should also be integral to the life of the contemporary Church. 

We began the series last week by exploring how the early church formed a community of faith.  Their community was defined by five aspects:

a.       They took care of one another, especially in times of crisis.

b.      They worshiped God and grew together in their faith and understanding of discipleship.

c.       They shared friendship and fellowship with one another.

d.      They served those in need; worked for justice; and shared the Gospel.

e.       They were a community defined by joy.

As the story of the first church continues, we learn that the church continued to grow numerically, larger and larger.  However, a problem began to develop as the church grew.  This problem is described in Acts 6:1, “Now during those days, when the disciples were increasing in number, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution of food.”

Biblical scholars Albert C. Winn and William Barclay both observe that a daily distribution of food and other necessities had become a common practice within the Jewish synagogues in  Jerusalem at the time.  As Barclay explains:

In the Synagogue there was a routine custom.  There were officials who were known as receivers of alms.  Two collectors went round the market and round the private houses every Friday morning and made a collection partly in money and partly in goods for the needy.  Later in the day this was distributed.  Those who were temporarily in need received enough to enable them to carry on; and those who were permanently unable to support themselves received enough for fourteen meals, that is enough for two meals a day for the ensuing week.  The fund from which this distribution was made was called the Kuppah  or basket.  In addition to this there was a house-to-house collection made daily for those in pressing need.  This was called the Tamhul, or Tray.[i]

Scholars are uncertain about the distinction between “Hellenists” versus “Hebrews.”  There is consensus that both were groups of Jews who had been attracted to Christianity through the Apostles’ preaching.  It’s most likely that the distinction is rooted in differences in language and perhaps culture.  The “Hebrews” were most likely from Jerusalem and their native language was Aramaic, the same language which Jesus spoke.  By contrast, the “Hellenists” were most likely diaspora Jews who had returned to Jerusalem.  That is, they were Jews, whose parents had fled, or left, Jerusalem at some point for other countries—thus, dispersing.  Although they had grown up in other cultures, these Jews had returned to live in Jerusalem.  Most likely, the “Hellenists” also spoke Greek, instead of Aramaic.  So, there may have been some language barriers between them, as well.[ii]

            At any rate, these were serious charges made by the Hellenists because they raised justice concerns.  The well-being of “widows” and other vulnerable persons—including, orphans, resident aliens, the destitute, and the powerless—was at stake.  Further, these charges threatened the unity of the first church.  When this matter is brought before the Apostles, the recognized leaders of the first church, they address it in the following manner:

 And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, ‘It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait at tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.’ What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. They had these men stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

The word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith. (Acts 6:2-7)

            When the matter is brought before them, the Apostles identify two separate problems.  First, there is the concern to care for all of the needy within the fledgling Christian community.  Second, the Apostles recognize that they cannot adequately manage the growing administrative challenges and continue in the ministry of the Word, telling the story of Jesus and God’s love.  Here, it is important to remember that the Apostles were eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life, teachings, crucifixion, and resurrection.  Most of the growing church were not eyewitnesses and so could not speak from the same experiences as the Apostles.

            To address these twin concerns, the Apostles decide to delegate authority to others who can administer the food distribution.  The wording which Luke, the author of Acts, uses here can be misleading to the contemporary ear.  He quotes the Apostles as saying, “it is not right that we should …wait at tables.”  In the modern context, this could be interpreted as a condescending rejection of more menial tasks.  Actually, the Apostles were sharing their power and authority. 

            As the Biblical scholar John Wall observes, the Apostles are “willing to share their spiritual authority—which the redistribution of goods symbolizes… .Before this crisis the Twelve acted only in collaboration with the Holy Spirit; now, the community’s growth and ethnic diversity prompts the realization that their performance standards have not been met.  Their mature recognition signals the redistribution of their authority to others within the community.”[iii]

            The Apostles establish three criteria.  These new administrators should be (1) persons well regarded and trusted by the faith community; (2) full of the Spirit; and (3) wise, meaning possessing some skills at administration.  When the seven are selected, the Apostles “prayed and laid hands upon them,” thus conferring their authority and power upon the seven elected administrators.  The story continues by saying that “the word of God continued to spread; the number of the disciples increased greatly in Jerusalem…”.  Note that credit for the continued growth of the church is given to “the word of God” and not to the Apostles, personally.

            At this point, we can take a step back from this passage and examine the essential characteristic of the first church, which it describes.  This characteristic is that God calls each of us to a special role within the life of the church.  Of course, the roles and tasks have greatly diversified since the time of Acts.  Today, the church needs persons equipped with many different skills and abilities to fill many different roles.  For example, the typical church needs persons with IT skills, financial skills, social media skills, marketing skills, pastoral care skills, skills at repairing expensive and complicated machinery, as well as skills at teaching, preaching, and, yes, waiting on tables.

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to join us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, January 12, as we spend some time reflecting on our own individual skills and talents and what roles God may be calling us to fill in the contemporary church. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[i] William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles in “The Daily Study Bible Series,” edited by William Barclay (Philadelphia:  The Westminster Press, 1955) 50.  See also Albert C. Winn, The Acts of the Apostles in “The Layman’s Bible Commentary,” edited by Balmer H. Kelly, vol. 20 (Atlanta:  John Knox Press, 1962), 55.

[ii] See Barclay, Winn, and also John Wall, “Commentary on the Book of Acts” in the New Interpreter’s Bible,  vol. 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

[iii] Wall.

“The Church as Community”

            Happy New Year!!  I return with my sermon blog, after a long Advent-Christmas-Vacation hiatus.

            I’ve decided to begin this new year with a short, four-sermon series examining the Book of Acts (Henceforth, “Act”).  I have entitled this series, “Re-Claiming the Essentials of the Early Church, A Study of Acts.”  Acts provides a history, describing the birth and development of the early Christian Church.  I intend to use this series to try and identify the essential characteristics of that early Church, and I will assert that the four characteristics which we discover should also be integral to the life of the contemporary Church.  We will examine the following four themes:

January 5 – “The Church as Community”

Acts 2: 43-47

January 12 – “The Church Serves Those in Need”

Acts 6: 1-7; 7:54-60

January 19 – “The Church Welcomes Everyone”

Acts 8:26-38

January 26 – “The Church Learns & Adapts”

Acts 15 (Selections)

            This Sunday, January 5th, we start with the beginnings of the Church, just after the disciples and early followers received the Holy Spirit and the Apostle Peter preached the first Christian sermon (See Acts 1 & 2.)  At that point, the early Christian Church settled into a pattern of life in Jerusalem.  They formed a close community of faith, initially led by the original disciples—excluding Judas, who betrayed him.  Here’s how Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, describes this new faith community and their practices:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)

The model of community depicted at the end of Acts 2 is one defined by five core characteristics:

1.      They took care of one another.  Luke writes that they “had all things in common…and [would] distribute…to all, as any had need.”  Please note that the early church was not a model of communism.  Communism includes the common ownership of the means of production.  Luke does not say that the first Christians earned their income through shared “means of production.” 

  Instead, his words focus more on how the first Christians took care of one another’s physical  needs, such as having sufficient food, clothing, and shelter.  Biblical scholar John Wall points out that Luke seems to have the Hebrew “Jubilee Year” in mind as he writes this passage.  A “Jubilee Year” occurred every 50th year, when the agricultural land is given a “rest” and property—which had been sold or taken as compensation for debts—was returned to its original owners.  Wall writes, “According to this biblical pattern, the redistribution of proceeds from sold property reflects the social character of God’s kingdom, where all share equally in the good gifts of God.”[1]

However, it seems implicitly clear that the first Christians cared for one another’s other dimensions as well.  Indeed, they cared for each other spiritually, emotionally, and socially.  In other words, they  were fully focused on caring for each other’s complete wellbeing.

2.      They sought to worship God and grow spiritually, together.  Luke records that the first Christians “spent much time together in the temple.”  For the Jewish community, the temple was their place to worship, but it was also a place to engage in study of the Tanakh (scriptures) and other sacred texts.  So, the first Christians spent much time worshipping God and seeking to grow in their understanding of faith through the study of Hebrew scriptures and the teachings of the Apostles.

3.      They shared friendship and fellowship with one another. Luke observes that the first Christians shared common meals and fellowship in each other’s homes, savoring this time together with great joy and gratitude.  In his Commentary on Acts, Albert C. Winn observes that these fellowship meals probably included a worshipful component, a forerunner of the Sacrament of Holy Communion: 

“We cannot escape the impression that these common meals included sacramental fellowship with Jesus himself.  They looked backward to the table fellowship they had had with him in the flesh.  They sense his presence even now in the Spirit in their midst.  And they looked forward to the feast in the Kingdom which he had promised (Luke 22:16).[2] 

4.      They helped non-Christians and shared the good news about Christ.  I’m inferring that they helped even those who were not Christians because they earned the goodwill of those around them.  They also shared the story—the Good News—of Jesus Christ, resulting in more and more persons deciding to join their faith community and become Christians.

5.      They were joyful.  Luke describes the early fellowship meals as occasions where the first Church share food “with glad and generous hearts.”  Building on this description, William Barclay observes, “It was a happy Church ...  Gladness was there.  A gloomy Christian is a contradiction in terms.  The joy of the Christian is not necessarily a boisterous thing; but deep in the heart of the Christian [person] there is the joy that no [person takes] from us.”[3]

As we begin this series on the essential characteristics, I will suggest that this example of the first Christians in Jerusalem provides a model of the type of churches we are called to become in the twenty-first century.  That is, one of the essential characteristics of the church, then and now, is that God calls the church to be a community of the faithful.

If you live in the Lincoln, Nebraska area and do not have a place of worship, then I invite you to begin this new year by joining us at Christ United Methodist Church this Sunday, as we begin our reclamation of the essentials of the early Church, through a study of Acts. 

Christ UMC is located at 4530 “A” Street.  We have three worship services on Sunday mornings at 8:30, 9:45, and 11:00.  The 8:30 and 11:00 services feature a traditional worship format and the services are held in our Sanctuary.  “The Gathering” at 9:45 is held in our Family Life Center (gym), and it is more informal and interactive.   

Come, join us.  Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.

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[1] John Wall, “Commentary on the Book of Acts” in the New Interpreter’s Bible,  vol. 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

[2] Albert C. Winn, The Acts of the Apostles in “The Layman’s Bible Commentary,” edited by Balmer H. Kelly, vol. 20 (Atlanta:  John Knox Press, 1962), 42.  However, John Wall disagrees in his, “Commentary on the Book of Acts” in the New Interpreter’s Bible,  vol. 10, (Nashville, Abingdon Press, 2002), CD-ROM Edition.

[3] William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles in “The Daily Study Bible Series,” edited by William Barclay (Philadelphia:  The Westminster Press, 1955) 26-27.