How do you know if you are among those who are genuinely converted?
“Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.”
Acts 2:37-41
More now than ever in the face of oppression from great opposing religious forces is genuine conversion in dire need of true understanding. The early church were Christians (Acts 11:26). We need to know how. We need to know what defined a Christian then. We need to be confident in that and we must be as certain as they were. It’s not the first time Christians have faced such fierce opposition and it won’t be the last. In times like these when we cling even tighter to our bible, our brethren, and our church bodies, we begin to ask ourselves strong questions.
Do I have
the faith it takes to withstand such persecution? Do I have the strength and
courage to do what Christ commanded? The
early church did. What did they have?
The early church predated all new concepts we see in Christianity today. The crazy thing is without all the new theology they achieved what we fight to achieve today. They lived in the shadow of the cross. They fearlessly preached the word. With an unselfish heart and liberal hands they had a benevolence program to beat anything seen today or then. They did not tolerate sin. They were united in love by the word and Christ. They were evangelistically zealous. They were true converts to Christ. They were captivating. They were prayerful. They did not hide. Wow! What a magnificent list of qualities! They showed in a body of thousands, in the face of persecution, scattered to the winds characteristics that we can only imagine in place of just a few meeting. How? They were truly converted.
Acts 11:26 lets us know that they were first called Christians in Antioch. “They” are the body of believers that assembled there. That body of believers is the same body that was in Jerusalem (Acts 2:41; Acts 4:4; Acts 8:1-4). We must do what those who were more fair-minded did in Acts 17:11.
“These were more
fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things
were so.”
Acts 17:11
Acts 17:11
We can
only know the truth by searching the word. Everyone in the New Testament and in
the early church did just that. They all came to the same conclusion. 5,000 +
were all in agreement on what it meant to be a disciple of Christ, to be a part
of the body and the authority of the word. They continued to grow never being
stamped out.
We see the preaching
of the gospel happen for the first time there in Acts 2 on the first day of the
week during Pentecost. Three thousand were added that day (Acts 2:37-41). What was the first thing those believers did?
They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine or teaching, fellowship
[See “Fellowship or Relationship”], in the breaking of bread, and prayers. What was so important about Acts 2:37-47?
They were observing everything Christ commanded; the apostle’s teachings. The
apostles only taught what they had learned. That would mean that everything,
even the written word, would be a command from Christ that came from the apostles.
They had only learned from Christ, His commands (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark
16:15-16;Acts 1:15-26). They continued to teach them and we continue to learn
from them today (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Those believers understood that there was no
other name by which we must be saved (Acts 4:11-12). Those believers knew that
if they didn’t preach the word then who could believe??? (Rom. 10:14-17). They
were highly aware that the commission was just as much a command as every other
command. Just like every other command
of Christ they pursued its observance.
They understood
the threefold commission (Matt. 28:18-20). They knew the Mark 16:15-16 was no
laughing matter. There was no other teaching. They had no other influence than
the word. The word is what they lived by. They rejected anything else [See
“Sin! So Grace May Abound?”]. If they were that way, shouldn’t we do the same? That’s why they were so strong. They were
zealous. They only prescribed to the word of God. They only observed what Christ
commanded. They learned what Christ commanded through the apostle’s teachings.
They did nothing more and nothing less. They let no man, religion, creed,
government, culture, society, and or social standing change what they did and
how they lived. How can we do such a
thing? Perhaps we need to be as converted as they were. To accomplish what they
did, we need to observe what they observed. We need to observe only what Christ
commanded and do it will all we have.
What did that look for them and what does
that look like today?
They were a body
who was founded on Christ (Matt. 16:18), Purchased by Christ blood (Acts
20:28), and had Christ as their head (Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 1:18). There was but
one body, one spirit, one hope one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God the
Father, who is over all through all and in all (Eph. 4:1-6; 1 Cor. 12:12-13).
They were bound in Christ by immersion into His authority by full submersion in
water in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38). Every one of them heard (Rom. 10:17; John 6:44-45),
believed (John 8:24; Heb 11:6; Acts 16:31), repented (Acts 2:38 and 17:30; Luke
13:3), confessed Christ (Rom. 10:9-10; Acts 8:37), were baptized (Mark
16:15-16; Acts 2:37-41; Rom. 6:1-4; Gal 3:27;1 Pet. 3:21; Matt. 28:18-20) and
lived faithfully (Rev. 2:10; Col. 1:19-23). They were of one heart and one soul (Acts
4:32), unified (Eph 4:3), and had all things in common (Acts 2:44; Acts 4:32;
Acts 5:12). It did not matter about culture, status, government, religious etc.
they were all one in that same. They were Christians (Acts 11:26). Christ
wanted them to unify in Him (John 17:20-26.) [See One Heart and One Soul].
There is no other way to accomplish that but by being in Him. What we see here
defines that same group of disciples that assemble for a year in Antioch
(Acts 11:26).
What did they do in those assemblies?
They only had the commands of Christ to observe, His word. It would only be
fair to look there and see, especially if we want to have what they were
promised. When they met there was singing (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19), praying (1
Thess. 5:17), teaching (Acts 20:7), communion (1 Cor. 11:23-29; Matt.
26:26-30), and giving (1 Cor. 16:1-2).
That group in Acts 11:26 met for a year.
How often and when? Well Acts 2 happened on the first day of the week.
In Acts 20:7 they meet on the first day of the week. In 1 Cor. 16:2 they gave
on the first day of the week when they gathered. We see a pattern of meeting on the first day
of the week. That group in Acts 11:26 would have meet in the first day of the
week.
How were they structured?
Christ was the
head (Eph. 1:22; 5:23). Elders were the overseers of each local congregation
(Titus1:5; 1 Pet. 5:1-3; Acts 20:28). Deacons were appointed to the work (Acts
6:1-6; 1 Tim. 3:8-13). Both the elders and deacons are to meet qualifications
(1 Tim 3:1-13; Titus 1: 5-9). Lastly the
body of believers were to remain faithful (Matt. 25:31-46; Acts 2:41-47; Col.
1:19-23; Rev. 2:10).
Christ never meant the walk to be confusing (1 John 2:4-6). God is not a God of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33)
The word is not
meant just for the elite or educated to understand. It is written for anyone to
understand. It was meant for us all to read and study. It is even easy to hear and obey. That’s all
the early church had --hearing and obeying.
They believed and were zealous about their obedience. They were so
confident that they didn’t let anything stand in their way. Did they fall, of
course; we all do (Rom 3:23). There was forgiveness for those who confessed (1
John 1:9). They stuck to the word and
spread it. If they didn’t then there we would have no source of division and no
reason to argue. Have you ever wondered if perhaps they were right and the
Bible has the answers? If we would just stop inserting our thoughts and opinions
in the word, would we be as they were?
Let the word define itself, only let the word be the authority on
Christianity and only abide in it. There
then would be only one body of which we would all be a part of as they were (1
Cor. 12:1-4; Romans 12:3-4; Eph. 4:1-4). Can you find this body of believers
today? Search for the church of Christ (Rom 16:16), check that body of
believers against the word if they ring true with the word, then there is that
body of believers started in Acts 2 still growing. What they had, you can have
today, the promise and all!
Are you genuinely converted to Christ?
(Acts 2:37-41). The early body of believers had not gone through some form, nor
had they merely emotionally responded to sign a decision card, nor were they
joining just another denomination, etc. There was no such thing. Instead they
were deeply convicted, they sincerely repented, and they had been willingly and
obediently baptized. They zealously observed His commands and lived faithfully.
They were first called Christians in Antioch, are you one of them? (Acts
11:19-26)
“Sin! So That Grace May Abound?”
http://stevelynnjohnson.blogspot.com/2014/08/sin-so-that-grace-may-abound.html
http://stevelynnjohnson.blogspot.com/2014/08/sin-so-that-grace-may-abound.html
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