Acts 4:33
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.
I love studying the early church because it gives great insight into what is needed so we can build a great church in our communities like the early church did in theirs. To those who think their country is too far gone to build a church in their day, let me remind you that the early church was in one of the darkest days of history, but they built a great church. Sin was rampant; the attitude was evil toward those who God was using to build this early church to the point they had them killed. They built this early church at a time when most would say it could not be done. However, it is in the darkest of times when God’s power built great churches. The greatest churches were built in times of struggle and not in times of ease. Several things were present in this early church that caused it to grow to become a great influence in their day.
First, there was great prayer made in this early church. Acts 4:31 says, And when they had prayed. This early church was a church of prayer. No church will be built without great prayer. Not only did the believers pray privately for God to bless their church, but they prayed corporately as a church for God to give His power to use them to reach the lost. You cannot see a great church built without great prayer.
Second, there was great power on this early church. From the day of Pentecost to the last we see about this church, God’s power was on this church. God’s power is on a church because His power is on the individuals of that church. A church will never know the power of God if multiple individuals do not have God’s power on their lives. It takes more than just one person to have God’s power; it takes many people to have God’s power on their lives for great power to be on their church. In other words, you contribute to whether your church has great power by whether you have God’s power on your life.
Third, there was great witness by the early church. The early church was a soul winning church. God does not need to empower a church that does not have great witness. The early church was known for witnessing to the lost daily. Your church, which includes you, should be a church that is going after the lost daily. A church that has daily witness will likely see people saved daily.
Fourth, there was great boldness in the preaching of God’s Word by the early church. Acts 4:31 says, and they spake the word of God with boldness. God’s Word was preached without fear of what the people thought. Great churches are not built by avoiding parts of God’s Word, but they are built by preaching God’s Word with boldness. All of God’s Word is vital to building a great church; therefore, all of God’s Word should be preached without apology of who it offends.
Fifth, there was great giving by the early church. There was nothing sacred to this early church that kept them from giving to God through their church. One of the monickers of a great church is the great giving of the members of that church. You cannot have a great church if the members of that church won’t give. You cannot ignore that this early church sold possessions and lands to meet the needs of the church. A church that is willing to give all so their church can reach the lost is a church that has a heart for God, and it results in that church being a great church.
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