And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:32-33

One of the reasons to study the book of Acts is because it gives you a great view of what the Church looked like in the 1rst Century. Often we hear people debate what is the Church? What does a real Church look like? What are the requirements for a Church? If you study the book of Acts, it will answer all these questions and ideas. First thing to note is the word Church is typically derived from the Greek word Ekklesia which means “group of called out believers” or more simply “Christians” the Church is a community of Christians

So when you first understand that the Church was not an organization or corporation but it was a family, it was a community of Christians who took care of one another. As it shows us in the scripture, the Church was united and everyone took care of each other. Nobody was in need of anything because the Church took care of each other as a family. 

Secondly their faith in Christ was the central foundation that kept them all together. They didn’t become a “member of the Church” for social or political reasons, they were believers and part of the Body of Christ that loved one another just as Christ commanded us to

Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Acts 4:34-35

Notice everyone in the Church , sold all of their possessions and shared the profits among the body of believers. Can you imagine your Church doing this today? Can you imagine your Pastor asking everyone to sell all their stuff and give the profits to the Church to distribute among the members? This shows you how far the Church has strayed from where we were. You would share your money or possessions with your family members, because you love and trust them. But how many people in your Church would you do this for? Alot of Christians won’t even talk to some members of their Church

We need to get back to the Church of Acts, we need to get back to a family of God. How do we do this? Its only through Jesus Christ that we can become Born Again and humble ourselves. This is why studying the book of Acts is eye opening , how far we have fallen as the Ekklesia

Jesus wants us to love one another, to forgive one another, to be a family. Remember if your going to Heaven, your not going alone, your fellow brothers and sisters will be there also. We need to get back to the 1rst Century Church in Jesus name Amen!