THE INFANT CHURCH
Let the Church Be the Church – Part 1
The Infant Church
Acts 1
I want to begin a new series on the topic of the church.
In this modern day, many people do not love or appreciate the church like we once did. I’m afraid many of us have been part of the church for so long that it no longer feels valuable to us — it no longer stands out to us.
Most of us know what it is to be lost, unsaved, and away from God. But many of us have never known what it is like to be without the church. In some ways, that is one of the greatest blessings we could ever testify to. But in other ways, it may cause us to forget — or at least fail to consider — what a gift the church truly is.
So for the next few weeks, I want us to look at this theme:
Let the Church Be the Church.
If we are going to appreciate the church, we must go back to the early days — back to the apostles — and witness the birth of the church.
The infant church of the Lord Jesus Christ was small.
It was new.
It was inexperienced.
Yet they were pioneers. They were thinkers. They were leaders.
Consider their responsibility: they had heard firsthand the command of the Lord to go, preach, teach, make disciples, and baptize new converts. But there were no precedent manuals. No notebooks. No discipleship programs. No podcasts. No church-growth conferences.
And yet somehow, this early group of believers labored so faithfully and effectively that their work has lasted for over two thousand years.
We are Christians today because of their obedience.
But how did they do it?
What was their plan?
I. They Were in Fellowship with the Risen Lord
Acts 1:3–4 says:
For forty days after His resurrection, Jesus met with them. They saw Him. They sat with Him. They learned from Him.
John 15:4–5 says:
The early church understood this: without Christ, they could do nothing.
The church as a whole — and our church included — must take time to see Christ, sit with Christ, and learn from Christ.
Too often when people come into our churches, we spend the first few minutes telling them who we are as a church, what activities we offer, what events are coming up. That is fine to a degree.
But what people need most is fellowship with the risen Lord.
The church can involve them.
The church can instruct them.
The church can help them live the church life.
But the risen Lord will change them forever.
Let’s keep this truth before us:
“The CHURCH was not born out of grief for a dead Christ, but out of faith in a risen Lord.”
II. They Operated in the Power of the Holy Ghost
Acts 1:8 says:
The Holy Spirit has always existed. He is eternal God. But He has not always operated in the exact same role as He does in this present age.
Today, the Spirit works to:
Now historically, here is the progression:
Acts 1:3 tells us Jesus was seen for forty days after His resurrection. On the fortieth day, He ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:9). That left ten days until the Feast of Pentecost — because Pentecost occurred fifty days after Passover.
Acts 2:1 says:
So for ten days, these early believers waited in Jerusalem — just as they were commanded.
Now let’s see the biblical progression.
Passover and the Cross
Jesus was crucified at Passover.
In Exodus 12, the Passover lamb was slain. The blood was applied. Israel was delivered from Egypt — freed from bondage.
That event foreshadowed Christ.
Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb.
His blood was shed.
His blood is applied by faith.
We are delivered from bondage.
We experience salvation.
Pentecost and Power
Pentecost — also called the Feast of Weeks — occurred fifty days after Passover (Leviticus 23:15–16). It was a celebration of firstfruits.
In Jewish tradition, Pentecost was also associated with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
Exodus 19 tells us:
Instruction was given.
Now come to Acts 2.
The Spirit is given.
There is a mighty rushing wind.
There are cloven tongues like as of fire.
And instruction is given — not law written on tables of stone, but empowerment written upon hearts.
At Sinai, the Law was given.
At Pentecost, the Spirit was given.
At Sinai, fire descended on a mountain.
At Pentecost, fire rested on believers.
So Pentecost was not random. It was divinely timed.
Now here is where we must be clear doctrinally:
Those early believers waited ten days for the promise of the Father. But believers today are not waiting for the Spirit to come.
Romans 8:9 says:
The moment we trust Christ, the Spirit of God takes up residence within us.
We are not commanded to wait for Him.
We are commanded to walk in Him.
To be filled with Him.
To produce fruit by Him.
The infant church did not operate in personality.
They did not operate in talent.
They did not operate in strategy.
They operated in the power of the Holy Ghost.
And that is still the only power that builds a true church.
III. They Were Obedient to the Word of the Lord
Acts 1:4 tells us they were commanded not to depart from Jerusalem.
Acts 1:12–13 shows us they obeyed and returned to Jerusalem.
They were fearful. No doubt some were concerned for their lives. But they obeyed.
Today, many want salvation without obedience.
We seek approval for sin.
We look for loopholes in Scripture.
We search for verses that allow sin instead of obeying verses that command against it.
But the power they experienced was tied directly to obedience.
God has always entrusted power to obedient people.
God has never blessed disobedience.
The infant church was obedient to the Word.
IV. They Were United in Spirit
Acts 1:14 says:
Psalm 133:1 says:
We might think, “Times were different back then.”
Perhaps so.
But they still had different personalities.
Different backgrounds.
Different temperaments.
Unity does not mean we all do the same things.
Unity means we do different things with the same spirit for the same goal.
They were in one accord.
They prayed together.
They waited together.
They believed together.
And God moved.
Conclusion
Before the church preached to the world in Acts 2:
They sat with Jesus.
They waited for power.
They obeyed the instructions.
They walked in unity.
Pentecost was no accident.
It was prepared for.
So here is the question for us:
What are we preparing for God to do in our church?
If we want to see God move, then we must let the church be the church.
Let us sit with Christ.
Let us walk in the Spirit.
Let us obey the Word.
Let us live in unity.
And when we do — what happened in Acts will not just be history.
It will be testimony.
The Infant Church
Acts 1
I want to begin a new series on the topic of the church.
In this modern day, many people do not love or appreciate the church like we once did. I’m afraid many of us have been part of the church for so long that it no longer feels valuable to us — it no longer stands out to us.
Most of us know what it is to be lost, unsaved, and away from God. But many of us have never known what it is like to be without the church. In some ways, that is one of the greatest blessings we could ever testify to. But in other ways, it may cause us to forget — or at least fail to consider — what a gift the church truly is.
So for the next few weeks, I want us to look at this theme:
Let the Church Be the Church.
If we are going to appreciate the church, we must go back to the early days — back to the apostles — and witness the birth of the church.
The infant church of the Lord Jesus Christ was small.
It was new.
It was inexperienced.
Yet they were pioneers. They were thinkers. They were leaders.
Consider their responsibility: they had heard firsthand the command of the Lord to go, preach, teach, make disciples, and baptize new converts. But there were no precedent manuals. No notebooks. No discipleship programs. No podcasts. No church-growth conferences.
And yet somehow, this early group of believers labored so faithfully and effectively that their work has lasted for over two thousand years.
We are Christians today because of their obedience.
But how did they do it?
What was their plan?
I. They Were in Fellowship with the Risen Lord
Acts 1:3–4 says:
“To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.”
For forty days after His resurrection, Jesus met with them. They saw Him. They sat with Him. They learned from Him.
John 15:4–5 says:
“Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
The early church understood this: without Christ, they could do nothing.
The church as a whole — and our church included — must take time to see Christ, sit with Christ, and learn from Christ.
Too often when people come into our churches, we spend the first few minutes telling them who we are as a church, what activities we offer, what events are coming up. That is fine to a degree.
But what people need most is fellowship with the risen Lord.
The church can involve them.
The church can instruct them.
The church can help them live the church life.
But the risen Lord will change them forever.
Let’s keep this truth before us:
“The CHURCH was not born out of grief for a dead Christ, but out of faith in a risen Lord.”
II. They Operated in the Power of the Holy Ghost
Acts 1:8 says:
“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
The Holy Spirit has always existed. He is eternal God. But He has not always operated in the exact same role as He does in this present age.
Today, the Spirit works to:
- Convict the lost and draw them to salvation
- Lead believers into truth
- Convict us of sin
- Bring us into surrender and service
- Magnify Jesus Christ
Now historically, here is the progression:
Acts 1:3 tells us Jesus was seen for forty days after His resurrection. On the fortieth day, He ascended back to the Father (Acts 1:9). That left ten days until the Feast of Pentecost — because Pentecost occurred fifty days after Passover.
Acts 2:1 says:
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.”
So for ten days, these early believers waited in Jerusalem — just as they were commanded.
Now let’s see the biblical progression.
Passover and the Cross
Jesus was crucified at Passover.
In Exodus 12, the Passover lamb was slain. The blood was applied. Israel was delivered from Egypt — freed from bondage.
That event foreshadowed Christ.
Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb.
His blood was shed.
His blood is applied by faith.
We are delivered from bondage.
We experience salvation.
Pentecost and Power
Pentecost — also called the Feast of Weeks — occurred fifty days after Passover (Leviticus 23:15–16). It was a celebration of firstfruits.
In Jewish tradition, Pentecost was also associated with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.
Exodus 19 tells us:
- There was thunder
- There was lightning
- There was a thick cloud
- There was smoke
- The Lord descended in fire
- The Law was given
Instruction was given.
Now come to Acts 2.
The Spirit is given.
There is a mighty rushing wind.
There are cloven tongues like as of fire.
And instruction is given — not law written on tables of stone, but empowerment written upon hearts.
At Sinai, the Law was given.
At Pentecost, the Spirit was given.
At Sinai, fire descended on a mountain.
At Pentecost, fire rested on believers.
So Pentecost was not random. It was divinely timed.
Now here is where we must be clear doctrinally:
Those early believers waited ten days for the promise of the Father. But believers today are not waiting for the Spirit to come.
Romans 8:9 says:
“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”
The moment we trust Christ, the Spirit of God takes up residence within us.
We are not commanded to wait for Him.
We are commanded to walk in Him.
To be filled with Him.
To produce fruit by Him.
The infant church did not operate in personality.
They did not operate in talent.
They did not operate in strategy.
They operated in the power of the Holy Ghost.
And that is still the only power that builds a true church.
III. They Were Obedient to the Word of the Lord
Acts 1:4 tells us they were commanded not to depart from Jerusalem.
Acts 1:12–13 shows us they obeyed and returned to Jerusalem.
They were fearful. No doubt some were concerned for their lives. But they obeyed.
Today, many want salvation without obedience.
We seek approval for sin.
We look for loopholes in Scripture.
We search for verses that allow sin instead of obeying verses that command against it.
But the power they experienced was tied directly to obedience.
God has always entrusted power to obedient people.
God has never blessed disobedience.
The infant church was obedient to the Word.
IV. They Were United in Spirit
Acts 1:14 says:
“These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”
Psalm 133:1 says:
“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”
We might think, “Times were different back then.”
Perhaps so.
But they still had different personalities.
Different backgrounds.
Different temperaments.
Unity does not mean we all do the same things.
Unity means we do different things with the same spirit for the same goal.
They were in one accord.
They prayed together.
They waited together.
They believed together.
And God moved.
Conclusion
Before the church preached to the world in Acts 2:
They sat with Jesus.
They waited for power.
They obeyed the instructions.
They walked in unity.
Pentecost was no accident.
It was prepared for.
So here is the question for us:
What are we preparing for God to do in our church?
If we want to see God move, then we must let the church be the church.
Let us sit with Christ.
Let us walk in the Spirit.
Let us obey the Word.
Let us live in unity.
And when we do — what happened in Acts will not just be history.
It will be testimony.
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