In our churches today, there is often a large group of believers who are calling out for the fellowship to return to the principles of the first Church. In this passage we have a very useful summary of the characteristics of the Early Church:
1. It was a learning Church. The apostles taught and each day the believers discovered more about God and His great love for them.
2. It was a Church of fellowship. In other words, it was united and together: the believers followed the principle that no one was greater or inferior to anyone else: they were all one in Christ Jesus.
3. It was a praying Church. They were able to meet the problems of life because they met with God before they went out into the world.
4. It was a reverent Church. They lived out their lives in awe of God, of His beautiful creation and of His power to change human beings into beautiful people who lived wholly for Him.
5. It was a sharing Church. The early Christians had a great sense of responsibility towards each other. Real Christians cannot bear to have too much when a fellow believer is struggling to have enough.
6. It was a Church where things happened. Signs and wonders were frequent visitors and they learned to expect the unexpected.
7. It was a worshipping Church. In the New Testament there is the undergirding understanding that there was no such thing as a solitary Christian: they all met in fellowship with each other and learned ways of being united despite the huge gulf between many of them: slave and free! women and men! Jew and Greek! All committed to treating each other equally!
8. It was a happy Church: sorrow and sadness had been swept away!
9. It was a Church where onlookers could not help but like the believers there. Real goodness is an attractive characteristic.