The Power We Have Received From GodSample

Power to be a powerful church 

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching

and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the

prayers.”

There is no better summary of the church than Acts 2:42-47. Acts 2 begins with the creation of the church and ends with the character of the church. Acts 2:42-47 is God’s portrait of the church. This is what God wants every church to look like, not so much in details, but in values and focus.

The passage begins in verse 42 with the essential characteristics of a good church: teaching, community, worship, and prayer. The church in Jerusalem was devoted to these four things. First, they were devoted to biblical teaching. It is impossible to be a healthy, God-pleasing church with any other foundation than biblical teaching. If you are looking for a church, find a church where the pastor and the leaders believe the Bible is God’s word, not man’s word. Find a church that preaches biblically rooted messages, not motivational speeches with a few Bible verses. Find a church that is focused not on knowing the Bible, but obeying the Bible.

Second, the Jerusalem church was devoted to fellowship and community. They shared their lives, their hearts, their struggles, and their joys. They loved together, they served together, and they suffered together. They did life together, not as lone rangers. They met in large group celebrations at the temple and in small group communities in homes. Find a church that deeply believes in authentic community.

Third, they were devoted to the breaking of bread, or worship. Breaking bread refers here to communion, which in many ways is the high point of worship, when we joyfully celebrate Christ’s

sacrifice for our sins. From Acts 2:42-47, one gets the strong impression that the early believers, having fallen in love with Jesus, were now caught up with love, wonder, and praise. Find a church that is full of worshippers of God and not just workers for God. Find lovers of Jesus.

Finally, the early church was devoted to prayer. That was their power source. That was the engine that drove everything else. All through the book of Acts, you see that the early church was devoted to prayer. No wonder God showed up and did remarkable things. 

Find a church that is devoted to prayer because they are desperate for God. This is what God wants every church to look like. This is what God wants your church to look like.