Introduction:
In the New Testament the word “church” that we use in our English translations did not exist in the original Greek text of the New Testament. The Greek word used in the New Testament for “church” is ekklesia (ἐκκλησία). This term appears 115 times in the New Testament. The word “Ekklesia” is a compound of two parts: “ek” meaning “out of” and “Kaleo” meaning “to call” conveying the meaning of “a calling out.”
Scripturally it defines those who are called out of the kingdom of this world with its lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life, and supernaturally reborn spiritually into the life of God’s kingdom which consists, not in feeding the carnal appetites, but in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). It means to be called out of spiritual darkness into the marvellous light of our Triune God (1 Peter 2:9b).
It means to be spiritually reborn from above, that new spiritual rebirth without which no one shall see God or inherit His eternal kingdom (John 3:3). It results in a life that seeks to live differently from those who live in this world and who only live for the things this world offers (Galatians 5:24). It means to become a brand new creation deep down on the inside whereby the old way of sinful rebellious living has gone and the new way of living God’s way has begun, and where all things are of God and not of man (2 Corinthians 5:17)
This spiritual rebirth enables one to live a holy life. Holiness is not some rigorous religious activity or a set of rules we produce in ourselves by the power of our own will, or by seeking to do good works in themselves, but seeking to live a life separated from the way the unsaved in the world live. We do good works because we are saved, not to get saved (Ephesians 2:8-10).
As it is written; “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour, the Messiah Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds (Titus 2:11-14).
Holiness consists in loving our Triune God with all of our entire being and our neighbour as we would love and take care of ourselves (Luke 10:27). It is the love of God shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It is a love that works by faith (Galatians 5:6).
As New Covenant believers in the Messiah our Lord Jesus we are called by God to be witnesses to His saving grace, His infinite mercy and salvation to the unsaved, and to present our entire bodies with its contents (our mind, our affections and our will and bodily appetites) to God as a continuous sacrifice on the altar of our hearts to Him, which is our true spiritual worship given back to Him in light of the mercy He has shown towards us.
We are not to be conformed to this world, or be squeezed into its mould, but to allow the Holy Spirit to constantly renew our mind. In this way the blessed Holy Spirit purifies and purges our fleshly desires, plans and ambitions, empowering us to love and to serve our Triune God, and by this proving His good acceptable and perfect will in our lives (Romans 12:1-2). Only by walking by faith and in step with Holy Spirit can we overcome the world, the flesh and the devil (Galatians 5:16-25).
Holiness then should be the benchmark of every local assembly, wherever the Body of Messiah meet together for mutual edification, and to build one another up in their love and faith, hence, this is where the gifts of the Spirit for public ministry will function (Romans 12 3-7) (1 Corinthians 12:1-11) (Ephesians 4:11-16). The primary purpose and function of the corporate gathering of believers in the first century was to meet for mutual edification. I was never a one man show! (1 Corinthians 14:26-39).
It’s important to note that the English word “church” is derived from a different Greek term, kyriakos, meaning “belonging to the LORD.” This distinction highlights that “ekklesia” primarily refers to the people called out from this world system of ungodliness to edify one another in their faith, rather than a physical building or institution. In light of this what were the marks of the first century Body of Messiah? Let’s briefly look at these…
1. New Testament assemblies were an indestructible gathering of New Covenant believers.
(Matthew 16:18) “…and on this rock I will build My Assembly, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it!”
The Lord Jesus Himself declared that His Body, the faithful assembly corporately, was indestructible because it was built upon the rock of revelation knowledge concerning Him, and that this revelation knowledge was not revealed by man, but supernaturally revealed by His Father in heaven, that He would build His Body the faithful assembly corporately, and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it (Matthew 16:16-18).
In the Greek text it is not speaking about the local assembly being on the defensive but on the offensive, and when the Holy Spirit is in control Satan’s kingdom will never prevail, no matter how hard he tries to stop what God is doing. In this world wherever we see the faithful Body of Messiah being persecuted it is growing in numbers. God does not send persecution and it is the work of the devil, however God will use it to galvanise His people into spreading the good news of the gospel of the kingdom knowing that the gates of hell will never overcome it.
We see this happening in the book of acts after the martyrdom of Stephen when that very same day of his martyrdom persecution broke out against the assembly at Jerusalem. We read where all the believers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria (called the west bank today), except the apostles.
As this scattering started to occur; Godly men buried Stephen. At this time the faithful assembly at Jerusalem met primarily in their homes as very soon after Pentecost they were kicked out of the temple by the religious hierarchy and forced to meet for mutual edification where they could.
House assemblies were common in the first century. While Saul, before he was a saved man being a high ranking leader in Judaism with the blessing of the Sanhedrin, went from house to house dragging off Messianic New Covenant believers and putting them into prison. However we read where those who had been scattered preached the Word of God wherever they went (Acts 8:1-4).
Today in Islamic countries, such as Iran, Pakistan and Nigeria, and in Communist countries such as China, Russia and North Korea, the faithful Body of Messiah corporately is being persecuted and martyred but growing in numbers and taking the offensive to the very gates of hell! After his conversion when he was writing his letter to the assemblies at Ephesus Rabbi the apostle Paul mentioned that the faithful Body of Messiah corporately would last throughout all generations, for ever and ever Amen! (Ephesians 3:21).
2. New Testament assemblies did not worship in Church buildings or even seek to build them.
(Isaiah 66:1-2) “This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be? Has not My hand made all these things? (Acts 7:47-49) “But it was Solomon who built the house for Him (the LORD). However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne and the earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me, says the Lord, or where will My place of repose be?”
At first, after the Day of Pentecost, the assembly at Jerusalem met in the Temple courts and well as in homes for mutual edification so that every member exercising their gifts in the assembly could edify their fellow brothers and sisters in Messiah. While the apostles functioned as their leaders undoubtedly every believer had their role within the assembly. The gifts of the Spirit flowed generously in the first century assemblies and they never passed away! (Acts 2:42-47).
God had a temple built with living stones and not a man-made physical structure. The apostle Peter writes to the local assembly in his first letter; “As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus, the Messiah. For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame” (1 Peter 2:4-6).
This perfectly lines up with other passages of scripture in the New Testament. Wherever there is an assembly of New Covenant believers that meets together for mutual edification our Triune God Himself is there present with them as they are His living Temple. It has nothing whatsoever to do with a physical building or structures as such (Matthew 18:20) (1 Corinthians 3:16-17) (1 Corinthians 6: 15-20) (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) (Ephesians 2: 19-22). There is not a reference to a church building as such in the New Testament.
While the assembly at Jerusalem conducted their meetings in the Temple courts as well as in their homes the time came when the religious hierarchy at Jerusalem kicked them out of the temple precincts. After this the believers never sought to erect a building as such. They existed in private homes, in the forest, in caves, in warehouses, in cellars and later in the catacombs in Rome, and even in prison and wherever they could find a place to meet.
What happened in the first century to the assemblies is happening today in many countries under the heel of Communism and Islam and will become the norm for the wider Body of Messiah globally before the Lord Jesus comes back (Matthew 24:9-10) (Luke 21:12-19) (John 15:18-21).
The Book of Acts is not only the past history of the Body of Messiah but also the future history of the Body on Messiah. What we see happening in the Book of Acts will happen again but on a global scale. The persecution of faithful New Covenant Messianic believers we see happening in Islamic and Communist countries today is coming to the western nations that historically and traditionally are linked with Biblical Judeo Christianity.
Persecution is coming to countries such as America, Great Britain, and the continent of Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In these days church buildings and denominational structures will not matter. Denominations will not matter when the last persecution comes. The Lord Jesus and the salvation found only in Him and in His promises will be what matters. Faithful New Covenant believers will meet together for mutual edification as they did in the first century.
Historically, the earliest identified church building is located in Dura-Europos, Syria, dating back to around 230 AD. This structure was originally a house converted for Christian worship. By around 300 AD more formal church buildings began to appear, especially after Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in 313 AD. The construction of elaborate church buildings became more common after Constantine’s reign, reflecting the growing status of Christianity within the Roman Empire.
Early church architecture often featured a layout resembling a Christian cross, with various styles evolving over the centuries. In summary, church buildings as such began to emerge in the early third century AD, with significant development occurring after the legalization of Christianity in the early 4th century. In needs to be said that Satan and the gates of hell could not overcome the faithful Body of Messiah through persecution so he applied a new tactic which was to arrange Christianity as the official religion of the Roman Empire under the emperor Constantine.
As a result pagan rituals ceremonies, traditions and symbols were ‘Christianised’ and re-packaged with Christian wrapping (a subject in itself). Hence Satan replaced the Jewish temple with the Christian Church building, recreated the Jewish priesthood with the ordained priesthood, separating the clergy form the laity, establishing a hierarchy that set Church policies, structures and where clergy started to preside and minister in local church buildings while the congregations sat in the pews.
Ultimately we are going to see denominational churches and their buildings controlled by secular governments as we see in China and even in North Korea. In the New Testament there are references to believers meeting in homes that were the norm, especially in light of persecution by religious and secular authorities hostile to Christian assemblies. We can summarise references in the New Testament where the assemblies met for mutual edification in private homes.
Early Christians met daily in the temple and broke bread in their homes (Acts 2:46). Paul and Silas visited Lydia’s house in Philippi to encourage the believers after their release (Acts 16:40). Paul mentioned an assembly that met in the house of Priscilla and Aquila (Romans 16:5). The assembly in the house of Aquila and Priscilla was noted as a gathering place for believers (1 Corinthians 16:19). Paul greeted the assembly that met in the house of Nymphas (Colossians 4:15). Paul addressed the assembly that met in Philemon’s home, indicating a local gathering of believers (Philemon 1:2). At a meeting for mutual edification you could have three preachers in the one gathering, not to mention the gifts of the Spirit being exercised among the members present (1 Corinthians Chapters 12 & 14:).
What we see happening today in almost all mainline denominational, evangelical, Charismatic and orthodox denominations is a far departure from how the first century assemblies, the closest to the apostles, met together for mutual edification, and where there was an abundance of spiritual gifts. What we see happening in the first century will become the norm for the faithful Body of Messiah just prior to the Second Coming of the Messiah our Lord Jesus, while structured Christianity with its ecumenical and in some cases its interfaith associations will all go to ‘Babylon.’
3. New Testament assemblies relied totally upon the power of the Holy Spirit and not on secular methods, marketing strategies for Church growth and professional programs to attract the unsaved.
(2 Corinthians 10:3-5) “…For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to the Messiah.
It was John Wilbur Chapman, a well-known Presbyterian evangelist who lived in the early part of the 20th century who said; “It is not the ship in the water but the water in the ship that sinks it.” So it is not the Christian in the world but the world in the Christian that constitutes the danger. Anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it.”
There was a mega-Church some years ago that conducted a survey in their neighbourhood asking people what they wanted to see in a church service as such that would attract them. Well the answers were wide and varied of course. However, wherever do we see this sort of thing happening in the first century and in the entire New Testament? We don’t!
When you review the history of corporate Christendom, especially when there is a spiritual drought and a famine for the hearing of God’s Word, the hierarchy have to come up with a method or a programme or a plan to keep their members in the pews and to attract the unsaved. Now music itself plays a major role in the local assemblies and even though it has a rhythm and a beat to it and evokes an emotional response to God, it will never be out of control where believers meet to edify one another, and where the members of the local body of Messiah are gathered and are corporately filled with the Holy Spirit.
Where the members of a local assembly are being filled with the Spirit corporately, there will be all kinds of psalms, hymns and spiritual songs where the members will be making music in their hearts to the LORD and always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, and submitting to one another out of a reverence for Him (Ephesians 5:18-21).
When you see the Temple worship in the Old Testament you had singers, musicians, choirs and all different kinds of musical instruments and the praises of God’s people were so exuberant at times that they could have even lifted the roof off of the temple if possible. However, there was always order, not frenzied out of control mesmerising heady worship that marked the pagan religions that were very sensual in nature. Idolatry was the major sin in Israel that lead to all of the other sins and that was severely judged by the LORD.
Worship services in the Old Testament were in the context of Temple worship. However in the New Testament in the first century there were no big worship events as such. They did not meet to have a worship service but to edify each other, to share and experience and to exercise the gifts of the Spirit in their meetings, and to sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs together. There is no mention of musical instruments as such, however, there may have been stringed instruments such as the harp but we are not told.
The emphasis was not on each other but allowing others in the gathering to share in the meetings. When the power of the Holy Spirit was really present genuine miracles signs and wonders occurred. These never substituted for the preaching of God’s Word but followed the preaching or prophesying (Mark 16:15-20) (Acts 2: 43; Chapter 3-4:1-20: 6:8) (Acts 8:4-8).
Today there is “water in the ship.” Just as the ways of the pagans infiltrated the nation of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament scriptures, so today we see the pagan ways and practices infiltrating the wider Body of Messiah. There is nothing essentially wrong with modern music with guitars and keyboards and singers to lead the congregation provided the lyrics are Biblical. Some years ago now there was a group that produced a song book titled Scripture in Song where the lyrics were all scripture.
However, when the music, the singers and the worship team and the lights and special effects become the focus of any meeting, and the leaders are treated like rock stars, and the meetings reflect a modern rock concert, then there is “water in the ship.” When assemblies seek to use marketing strategies or techniques to grow a fellowship it grieves the Holy Spirit beyond measure and He does not do the work He should be doing. Not all heady emotionally moving choruses and modern songs are controlled by the Holy Spirit, even when the lyrics are to a degree scripturally sound.
Not all supernatural manifestations are from the Holy Spirit either. We know from the Bible that Satan can produce all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders to deceive even the very elect saints of God (Matthew 24:24), and no believer is exempt from spiritual deception, especially when the emotions are stirred up on the inside. There is nothing wrong of course with emotions being stirred up in a meeting of believers but what is the stimulus?
There are three sources of spiritual power that will be present in every meeting of every assembly.
There is the power of the Holy Spirit who glorifies the Lord Jesus, not Himself, not His gifts or those exercising them (John 16:14). Added to this the gifts or manifestations of the Holy Spirit are always given according to His will and not ours (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).
Then there is the power of Satan who can duplicate genuine miracles, signs and wonders up to a point as the magicians of Egypt Jannes and Jambres were able to do when resisting Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh (2 Timothy 3:8-9). We also know that the man of sin will be revealed following all kinds of counterfeit deeds of power produced by Satan himself (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Then there is the latent power of the soul, which Watchman Nee writes about in his book with the same title, something with a supernatural element to it which he observed during his years of ministry in the the power of the Holy Spirit and suffered greatly for it.
When God created Adam he gave him a tremendous intellect and ability to maintain the Garden of Eden, to interact with the animals and to name them all because Adam had been made in God’s image and likeness including being infused with the ability to operate in the supernatural. Before he sinned Adam had God’s supernatural power directly available to him and with it the capacity to oversee all of God’s creation on earth. Adam’s ability, his intellect, his emotions and his will was centred in God.
Now when Adam sinned, instead of this powerful intellect being focused on God it became focused on Adam himself. He still had a power source in him but it was no longer God’s power but soul power which he retained having been made in God’s image and likeness. At this point I would like to ask you some questions…
Have you ever considered what it is when you watch an emotionally stirring secular movie, or attend a secular stage performance that almost moves you to tears or evokes a deep emotional response? Have you been stirred emotionally by a secular song or music that mesmerises the senses? Have you ever attended a secular meeting where a motivational speaker moves your mind to agree with what he is saying? This ‘power’ to move you mentally and emotionally is not from the Holy Spirit, neither is it necessarily from Satan, but from this latent power of the soul that resides in every human being made in God’s image and likeness but infected by sin where its centre is self and not God.
In many modern church services today this latent power of the soul can be released in a certain emotionally charged atmosphere by a speaker who is operating under this latent soul power which has the ability to sway people emotionally and mentally and to get them to respond in a certain way. This response has nothing to do with the Holy Spirit Himself but everything to do with this latent soul power that resides deep down on the inside of us and which is susceptible to Satanic influence.
This latent soul power is a power that is being released in many churches today. It is not the power of the Holy Spirit, neither is it the power of Satan, as those who are preaching are using the Word of God and having the best of intentions, but it is this latent soul power, and by this the congregation is moved emotionally but are not changed spiritually deep down on the inside. It is so easy to have a string of repetitive choruses before having the speaker. Usually where this is happening the congregation are sitting on pews and in a real sense being entertained by what is happening up front on the stage. Even some good assemblies where the Word of God is preached the leaders can be operating by this soul power and not by the Spirit of God.
Does not Rabbi the apostle Paul write; “the spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets, for God is not a God of disorder but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:32-33). Prophets today are those who draw out from God’s Word what He is saying from the text and are also subject to the discernment of others who have the same gifting. Also it implies that when one is prophesying he is in control of his senses.
There was always order in the first century assemblies when the local Body of Messiah came together to edify each other. All that happened was to be done for the edifying or strengthening of fellow believers (1 Corinthians 14:26-40). We need to discern what is of the Spirit, what is of Satan and what is of this latent power of the soul. We also need to check ourselves when engaged in ministry to the local assembly. This latent power of the soul is a very subtle power to persuade others and if not checked can lead to pride.
As Rabbi the apostle writes; “…For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to the Messiah” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). These spiritual weapons are the Blood of Messiah, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit, the full armour of God, the spiritual gifts, and through prayer in the Holy Spirit and by testifying publically to the grace and power of God to save sinners and to sanctify the saints!
In the first century assemblies there were no gimmicks, smoke machines, fire tunnels, expensive lighting, special effects, overly loud amplification, floating feathers and gold dust, mesmerising music on stage followed by motivational feel good ‘positive’ messages laced with scriptures here and there, neither was there uncontrolled laughter and rolling in the floor in some euphoric emotional state of mind instigated by the hype artistry from those up front.
Even though these things did not exist in the first century human behaviour does not change. What we see today happening in the hyper faith prosperity mega-churches mirrors what we see in the Old Testament where the people of Israel had their spiritual leader hammer out the golden calf, and where the people rose up to play, and to run wild throwing off all restraint. Literally, the Hebrew text says the people “rose up to laugh!” The laughing revival that swept through wider Christendom some years ago mirrored this past event in the Old Testament. After Moses returned from the mountain where he had been meeting with the LORD and saw what was happening God;s judgement fell upon the revelery of the people and around 3,000 died.
The golden calf syndrome is running wild and unchecked in many assemblies today in those countries that are affluent and prosperous and where persecution is not happening. However, things are changing and when the Antichrist comes with his beast empire the gates of hell will be unleashed upon those assemblies that are into money, prosperity and hyper faith.
See; “The Golden calf Syndrome” in this website.
When the Holy Spirit is at work in producing a genuine spiritual revival in any local assembly conviction of sin is the first thing He brings about. When you read about the great spiritual revivals under men like George Whitfield, John Wesley, William Booth, D.L. Moody and many of the Puritan preachers they always gave men and women the law of God and what He required of them before they gave then the grace of God.
In these meetings, where at times thousands were gathered, those who fell down under the conviction of their sins did not fall backwards, but forwards on their faces, and were fully awake and calling out to God to have mercy on their souls. Laughing and hysterics and rolling over and over on the ground were nowhere to be seen.
Giving men and women the law of God before giving them the grace of God was the pattern of the Hebrew prophets, the Lord Jesus and the apostles and the weight of scripture in both Testaments. Anything less is not from the Spirit of God. In any meeting of believers for mutual edification all of us must seek to edify others with the gifts God has given to us and we need to use them in accord with the grace of God given to us to use them.
Rabbi the apostle Paul puts it this way when he writes; “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6-8).
4. New Testament assemblies were led by the Holy Spirit in everything they said and did.
(Acts 13:1-3) “Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.”
In the first century the assemblies walked in step with the Holy Spirit. At Antioch the apostle Paul and Barnabas were exercising a regular ministry along with other teachers and prophets. No doubt that the elders and assembly members recognised Paul and Barnabas’ gifting and apostolic calling however, it was only after the Holy Spirit has spoken through their fellow prophets and teachers that Paul and Barnabas were sent out on their missionary journey by the Holy Spirit.
When the apostles at Jerusalem had to find a solution for the Gentile New Covenant believers who were being told by certain Jewish believers that they had to be physically circumcised to be saved, the Holy Spirit gave the apostles at Jerusalem His instructions. As the apostles and elders at Jerusalem wrote in a letter to the assemblies in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia where the Gentiles were being told they had to be circumcised to be saved; “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell” (Acts 15:28-29). As Rabbi the apostle Paul writes; “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
Today there are multitudes of assemblies whose leaders are fervently praying to be led by the Holy Spirit but there seems to be no answer or solution, especially when they see their numbers dwindling. They may be seeking God’s guidance, however, if they are not seeking to be obedient to what God has already said in His Word, then why should they expect any further guidance from Him.
Rabbi the apostle Paul put it this way in his parting message to the elders at Ephesus…
“Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose (counsel) of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the Assembly of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:25-31).
When any local assembly departs from walking in step with the Holy Spirit He stops walking in step with them. He does not leave them orphans of course, but becomes likened to a prisoner without power to act in their circumstances. God’s will for us individually and corporately as the Body of Messiah is to be regularly led by the Holy Spirit as obedient sons and daughters of our Triune God.
It is interesting also to note that before the day of Pentecost the eleven apostles drew lots to see who should become the apostle to replace Judas Iscariot. It was a human decision they made according to the means they were familiar with. However after the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out upon the 120 in the upper room a personal relationship was established with the Holy Spirit himself who spoke to them and guided them in all of their decisions, and that along with discernment as we see Peter exercising in the case with Ananias and his wife Sapphira who lied to the Holy Spirit and were literally slain by the Spirit (Acts 5:1-11).
5. New Testament assemblies were preaching assemblies and that with boldness and conviction.
(Acts 4:18-20) “And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
(Acts 4:29-31) “And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all confidence, while You extend Your hand to heal, and signs and wonders take place through the name of Your holy servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness.”
(Acts 8:4) “Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.”
Peter and John has seen the Lord Jesus do a miraculous healing of a crippled man who was aged over forty who had been sitting outside of the Temple as a beggar. This event had captured the attention of the people in the temple and what had happened spread like wild fire among the people. Peter used this miraculous healing to preach the gospel of the kingdom centred in the Messiah our Lord Jesus. Repentance was preached before grace (Acts 3:11-26).
Well the religious hierarchy in Jerusalem had “a knee jerk reaction” big time! Their so called orthodox religious spiritually powerless so called authority and man-made religious system was challenged. They had Peter and John put in prison overnight. Even though this happened now there were more than 5,000 saved believers. The next day when Peter and John were set before the religious hierarchy and questioned Peter filled with the Spirit once again testified boldly to the awesome spiritual power and authority God had given the Messiah our Lord Jesus (Acts 4:1-12).
Even after the apostles were censured and told not to preach any longer in the name of Jesus both Peter and John replied; “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:19-20).
After Peter and John were released they went back to the assembly where they were gathered and reported all that had happened. Even though the assembly members felt somewhat threatened by the possibility of persecution they did not give into fear but prayed together. They based their prayers on the word of God (Acts 4:23-28).
After this they did not pray to be protected but that in considering the threats made against them they asked the LORD that He might enable them to speak His Word with boldness and to confirm the Word with signs following (Acts 4:29-30). After they had prayed the whole building shook with God’s power and they were all corporately filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly (Acts 4:31).
Once more the power of Pentecost had been repeated with astounding results (Acts 4:32-37). The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a definite experience, however, even though there is one baptism there are many subsequent fillings (Ephesians 5:18). Whenever a new situation arises, or an avenue of ministry or service presents itself, we must make sure we are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Epilogue:
The marks of a New Testament assembly apply to the Body of Messiah today. The Book of Acts is not just a record of past history but a spiritual and practical blueprint for how any assembly at any time in history should function. Today more than ever the wider Body of Messiah needs to go back to the basics of how the first century New Covenant Messianic believers met together for mutual edification, how they exercised spiritual gifts and edified each other with every member of the body being used as God intended, and how they evangelised and made disciples and exercised the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians Chapter 12).
The Word of God teaches that as New Covenant believers when we meet together for mutual edification that we are to “… hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day (the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus) approaching” (Hebrews 10:23-25).
How can a New Covenant believer stir up or edify their fellow believer and exhort them using the gifts they have been given if that believer is staring at the back of the head of a fellow believer sitting in the pew in front of them? Today more than at any other time in the history of the Body of Messiah we desperately need to reorganise our thinking, to be prepared to change the way we conduct our meetings, provide ample opportunities for mutual edification and allow for the gifts of the Spirit to be exercised in order that every member might build each other up in their most Holy faith giving glory to God.
When the local Body of Messiah is corporately filled with the Spirit of God producing in each member the spirit of love, power and self- control not only will there be a oneness of heart and soul, with that local assembly having a common goal, but also the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace will be kept (2 Timothy 1:7) (1 Corinthians 14:39-40) (Acts 4:32-35) (Ephesians 4:3-6). We need to keep in mind that unity in the Holy Spirit in the bond of peace must always be based on the Word of God as the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth not error, and will never endorse or lead any assembly of New Covenant believers into false unscriptural doctrines and manifestations.
As Rabbi the apostle Paul writes; “But if all prophesy (speak from God’s Word), and an unbeliever or an ungifted man (being one who does not understand the gifts of the Spirit) enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed; and so he will fall on his face (not fall backwards) and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you. What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, and has an interpretation. Let all things be done for the edification of the assembly” (1 Corinthians 14:26).
