Early Church Community

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:42-47 (ESV).

Every one without exception, Christians and non-Christians who heard and saw what was taking place in the Early Church, was filled with awe and reverence at the many miracles performed by the apostles. All alike could sense and witness firsthand the powerful hand of God at work in their midst. The early saints experienced true fellowship one with another as they walked in the light of God (1 John 1:7). [For such openness and transparency to occur invariably demands time and every intentional effort to forge and maintain meaningful Christian fellowship, especially in today’s increasingly individualistic society].

The disciples of the Early Church spent huge amounts of time worshipping, talking, ministering and learning together. They had a genuine desire to meet the needs of those in financial difficulty – without any compulsion or enforced sharing. Of their own accord, the affluent believers shared their wealth (in the form of possessions) with their needy fellowmen. At the core of their sharing stems a deep spiritual unity wrought by a common faith, trust and love for the Lord Jesus Christ. A key ingredient of such unity is the believers’ desire to obey and please God – a unanimity based on a cause greater than the individual, viz. for the specific cause of Jesus Christ and His kingdom. Underlying this spiritual unity is a unity of passionate commitment to a divine mission “so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 15:6).