THE EARLY CHURCH DID IT RIGHT!

The early church did it right.  They produced followers of Jesus who had the reputation of turning the world upside down!  The early church Christians are still teaching us how we are to live and grow in Jesus.
Remember, being a disciple is about bearing fruit for the Kingdom of God.  We do that by knowing Jesus and allowing Him to live His life through us.

Discipleship has come to mean something different than originally intended.  Today, many think of it as a seminar or a course of study to be completed.  Most believers have a skewed opinion of what discipleship really is.  So many favor impractical, passive outcomes that do not reshape who we are and how we live.  To most, discipleship results in no difference in their journey with Jesus.

Jesus set the example of what it is to live for God when He walked this earth.  He showed us firsthand what that looked like.  As Frank Viola and George Barna wrote in their book, "Pagan Christianity?", "He began with a community of twelve men and a handful of women who lived a shared life together.  And that community expanded into communities all over the Roman world.  Those communities were the early churches."

Unlike the institutional church of our day, Jesus used interactive and hands-on means to affect change in lives. His sermons, per se, were few and far between.  When He did utilize sermon type lessons they ways led to putting into practice the point of the lesson in their lives.  They fleshed out what Jesus taught.  Wow!  What a concept!

Now, how does this translate into practical personal action that we flesh out?  Simply put, the school of Christ is the community of believers - the ekklesia of God!  You see, we learn Jesus and from one another in a close-knit, shared life community, where every member is free to share Jesus with their brothers and sisters just as the early church did.  It's in this community where every member learns Jesus together, hears Him together and follows Him together.

The Christian life was never meant to be lived outside of the Christian community.  Again, the church is a shared life community under the Headship of Jesus.  There are no lone rangers in this community.  The reality is...we need each other!  This was God's plan from the beginning of His church.

Think about who you are in Jesus.  If you are a believer you are a priest of God, a minister of the Lord Jesus and a member of the glorious body of Christ. Now that ought to excite you!!

Through your commitment to Jesus along with your desire to live with Him forever, you not only have the right but also the responsibility to be a functioning priest, minister and member of the body.  How awesome is that?

There's no question the organized church has veered off course over the past 2000 plus years.  So what shall we do?  As I see it, the only way to truly get back on track is for each of us to get down to business with God and begin prayerfully exploring God's original plan for His church and then be willing to respond faithfully to that plan.  If we do this, we'll see a grassroots revolution spread across our land like wild fire! Then God will get what He has desired for so long.

Until next time, enjoy the journey!

Ray


This blog post is another in a series looking at the practices of churches today and how they line up with the New Testament.  Perhaps this series could be better called, "Kicking Over Sacred Cows". For further reading and research, I recommend the book "Pagan Christianity?" by Frank Viola and George Barna.

I want to thank those of you who are sharing this blog with others.  I so appreciate it.  It's my desire to encourage and challenge believers everywhere to be the church Jesus has called us to be.  Leave the baggage of organize religion and serve Jesus in freedom following the leading of the Spirit as we gather in His name.  Please feel free to continue to post a link to this blog on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or even email it by using the icons below.  Let's see what God will do!