Our little fellowship here is just a three months old, and as those here Sunday could see, it’s growing. It’s nice and is encouraging to see the room fill up, but let me remind you what the early church’s growth was NOT about:
1. The head pastor, the preacher or people that practice and labor to bring this service. It’s all about Jesus. The early churches’ leaders were all bi-vocational—tent makers, fisherman, doctors, and so on. They did not have a building. They met in homes, in barns, in the catacombs of Rome—not a structure with the name of the “church” written upon it. The “church”, the ekklesia (ἐκκλησία), was the body of believers, not bricks and mortar and stained glass. Nothing wrong with a building dedicated to Christian ministry, but sometimes folks start fussing too much on the package, and not what’s in the package.
2 It was not about a budget. The apostles asked for each church to select deacons and deaconesses to oversee the distribution of the funds collected—they wisely did not get involved with money. When money was discussed it was in reference to collecting funds for those within the church in need—-widows, orphans, those facing a famine.
3. It was not about committees, chairmen or power struggles. Jesus Himself laid down leadership rules in the church: The leader would be the servant of the rest. The original church was all about fellowship, serving one another, transparency, love—and if needed, discipline, with the intention of bringing the offender back into fellowship. But it was blissfully free of bureaucracy, boards, task-forces, by-laws, etc. Those things might be helpful in a secular organization, but love and a high esteem for others should rule in a church, not a constitution. Jesus gave only one command or rule: Love one another as I have loved you. That’s enough.
I say all of this, because even if we grow much larger, the three things that I just mentioned don’t make a church—in fact, they often complicate a fellowship of believers and dilute the power of that fellowship—even when, by necessity, you have a treasurer, committees, et al.
But here’s what the early church, with thousands of believers, was. And let me add that the original group of about 40 grew to over 30,000,000 in three hundred years.
First, they had a common common faith. Most of the first forty saw Jesus and witnessed the ascension! There was an intimate, first hand faith that must have been incredible! They were different because they knew Jesus and the new members of the church could see it. Now, none of us were at the tomb 2000 years ago, but what will cause others to come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ is our testimony about how well we know Him. And if you are a fraud, or an actor, people will not be inclined to join. People that don’t know God are looking for people to guide them to guide that are sure of eternity or the resurrection. IF you know Him, as Paul did, nothing can keep a fellowship of believers from growing—not even imprisonment, torture or martyrdom.
And where, today, is the Christian faith growing the fastest? In the places where the believers take the greatest risks. Here are the places where more people are coming to Christ than any other place in earth:
1. China2. India3. Indonesia4. Nigeria5. Bangladesh
In China alone, it’s estimated that there will be over 250 million Christians by 2025 – making up nearly one-fifth of its population, and will take over the USA as the nation with the most Christians!
Why the growth in these nations? Well, the work of missionaries, of course, but those that attend these secret, underground churches take great chances of getting caught and jailed. The luke-warm believers are not there—but those that are passionate about Christ. The other four nations have Hindu or Muslim majorities, and yet the church grows by brave, committed men and women who love Jesus Christ and put their lives on the line to maintain fellowship.
I call each of those that attend our fellowship each week to come and join us, because there’s a lot of competition for their time and attention; but not a one of them are risking arrest or physical attack by coming here. People in poorer nations are turning towards Jesus Christ, and Christian fellowship. as they search for answers amidst poverty, political turmoil and intolerance.
Christianity, the largest religion in the United States, experienced a 20th-century high of 91% of the total population in 1976. This declined to 73.7% by 2016 and 64% in 2022.
The second thing common to the early church was their common meal. They ate together after their worship. They ate together and it produced a bond—-they got to know each other—they probably laughed and shared their triumphs and challenges. It gets personal when you share a meal together. In heaven we will feast together—not in private little mansions.
Thirdly, and most obviously, the early church was identified by their common love for each other. They looked after each with a deep, genuine and enduring affection—-not because of some by-law or written covenant—but because of their transformed minds and hearts. They had common struggles and looked out for one another and lived in a very close community. When needs arose, people would sell land or possessions to help those within that community in need.
What about the order of their services?
We know from the descriptions of the early church, that when the disciples of Christ first met, the service consisted of songs of praise, hymns the reading of the “Word”, which could only have been the Old Testament, and sharing about the good news of Jesus Christ. Later, they would also read the letters sent to them by Paul, Peter or other apostles. That was it. No choir, no ushers, business meetings, and as far as I can tell, none of the drama that often marks our services. And friends, what I hope to have here is, as much as possible, a first century fellowship.
But although there were no official by-laws or covenants, those joining the fellowship of believers were required to externally obey these four rules:
1. Never drink the blood of an animal.” For the life (soul) of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life. Therefore I say to the Israelites, “None of you may eat blood, nor may any foreigner residing among you eat blood.” (Leviticus 17:11-12. The understanding is that while consuming blood of another creature, you would consumes its life. And that’s forbidden by God. And God said it was an “eternal”, or everlasting, command. So the Christian, the Jew, the agnostic and atheist are under the same command—don’t eat or drink blood.
Paradoxically, Jesus said that if we did not drink His blood—we would have no new life within us. There’s life in the blood, and when we take His blood, at communion, we are taking His life within our bodies!
2. Never eat meat from an animal that had been strangled. That might sound strange, but again, it goes back to two things God made clear in the Old Testament. First, we’re commanded to treat animals, God’s creation, humanely. When they were slaughtered, it was quick and as painless as possible. At the camp, I am careful of who I allow to hunt here. My friend Jerry was always careful to make sure that the hunters here were ethical hunters—-that is, they only shot an older deer and only if they had a clear, clean shot. If they only wounded it, he required them to find the creature and put it down humanly. Strangling an animal is slow and horrific!
But the second reason is that if an animal is strangled, its blood is not released but stays in the animal carcass. So in eating a strangled animal there is great risk in eating blood.
3. There must not be even be a HINT of sexual immorality. You don’t see a lot of pastors, youth leaders, deacons, or elders drinking blood or eating meat from strangled goats, but this command has been broken, more than any other for 2000 years. This was something repeated and repeated. Sex is one of those things that tend to rule the minds of fallen man, but in Christ, we’re supposed to not only b new creatures, but practice self control! A friend of mine, who I have not heard from for more than four decades, called me two days ago. I invited him to join me for my third year at the first camp I attended, a place that inspired me to begin my own can. So my friend and three others journeyed to visit the camp and the owner in December of 1977, after a long drive from Stetson University. While we were there, the director and owner of the camp, a neighbor and friend of none other than Billy Graham, raped my friend. He remained quiet for decades, but it happened. It changed my friend’s life. It was wrong, evil, and from the pit of hell. But it happens——and far too often in the Christian community. Sex is God’s great gift to man. But we’re not animals controlled by instincts, but rather by the Spirit of God Himself! The man that molested my friend was a close friend of Billy Graham. But he was an aberration of a disciple of Christ—I am sure Dr. Graham never knew any of this.
4. Don’t eat things polluted by idols. This is one of the commands we might be strained to understand. But in the ancient world, idol worship was prevalent, especially in places such as Corinth and Rome. Many people believed that food sacrificed to idols gained a special significance. In most cases, meat that was sacrificed in pagan temples would later be sold in the market. For many early Christians, consuming this meat raised spiritual and moral dilemmas. It was a compromise of your witness The early church emerges from a world where the influence of pagan practices was strong, and the Church sought to be distinct and purely devoted to God. In Corinth, especially, members of the church faced pressure from both their faith and the prevailing culture. Some Christians felt it was acceptable to eat food offered to idols, believing that the idols were nothing more than lifeless objects. They argued that since there is only one true God, eating such food would not alter their relationship with Him. On the other hand, others felt that eating this food would jeopardize their faith and lead others to stumble spiritually. This dichotomy created significant tension within the church. Paul addressed this issue directly in his letters. He insisted on the importance of being sensitive to the beliefs of others. While he recognized that food itself did not hold any real power, he also emphasized that the act of eating could lead fellow believers, especially those who were weaker in faith, astray (1 Corinthians 8:9-13).
The point, of course, was not that eating meat, drinking blood, or even being involved in a sexual indiscretion would mean you could not get into heaven—we’re saved by grace, not our behavior. No, the Holy Spirit, who inspired the scripture, was concerned that our behavior and choices might turn people away from Jesus! Is that your concern also? Or are you caught up in your “rights”, your focus on what’s best for you?
As we begin a new year, I challenge you to look at what YOU are doing to add to His Kingdom—by your faith, your actions and your determination in 2025. Stop looking at what others can do for His Kingdom! What are YOU doing for His Kingdom?
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