Beginning on the day of Pentecost a new church began to develop . This church was built up on the foundational teaching of Jesus as He walked the earth and the teaching of His Apostles as they were insp ired and led by the Holy Sp irit. Those that became a p art of this new church were called Christians because of the belief they had, and because of this belief certain doctrines were adop ted, forming the basis of what came to be called “the faith”.
At that time, there was one church, and Jesus Christ was the head of it. This church had members who lived in many different cities throughout the lands, and in different countries, but they held to a common faith and a common set of beliefs, which came to be known as the doctrines of the church. These doctrines actually describe what the church believed in and are sp elled out in the New Testament of the Bible.
The faith that the Ap ostle Paul was sp eaking about in his letter to the Ep hesians, when he told them that there was: (Ep h 4:5) “One Lord, one faith, one bap tism,” was that set of beliefs or doctrines that this original Christian church was built up on. This faith was not just faith in Jesus Christ, as some have interp reted this to mean, but was the whole doctrine of Christianity that served as the foundation of the church.
In his letter to the Ep hesians, the Ap ostle Paul sp oke of the “unity of the faith”. This was sp eaking of the church being united in a common belief or a common set of doctrines that was instrumental in holding the church together.
Ep h 4:11 “And he gave some, ap ostles; and some, p rop hets; and some, evangelists; and some, p astors and teachers; Ep h 4:12 For the p erfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Ep h 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a p erfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”:
Paul continued by telling the believers at Colosse, that it was imp ortant to continue, or stay in the faith, and to be settled and on firm ground, convinced that their church was centered on the truth of God’s Word.
Col 1:23 “If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hop e of the gosp el, which you have heard, and which was p reached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister”,
The Ap ostle Paul p reached one gosp el to all the churches he visited, telling them that if anyone, even an angel from Heaven, came p reaching another gosp el, they were to be accursed (Gal 1:8-9). As evidence that he was well grounded in the Word of the Lord, the churches increased in number daily, and p rosp ered.
Acts 16:5 “And so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.”
But there were many warnings in the scrip tures that satan would attemp t to deceive the church in the last days. Jesus said that many false p rop hets would come in His name and would deceive many p eop le (Matt 24:5,11& 24). Paul also testified that because of this, many would dep art from the faith because of not holding to the truth of God’s Word.
1 Tim 4:1 “Now the Sp irit sp eaks exp ressly, that in the latter times some shall dep art from the faith, giving heed to seducing sp irits, and doctrines of devils; “
2 Tim 4:3 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 2 Tim 4:4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
These things have truly come to p ass in these last days. Great divisions have occurred in the church because those who have come to us in the Name of the Lord have not been sent by the Lord to p reach or teach us about His Word. They have come the wrong way. Instead of waiting for the Lord to p rep are them for the ministry, they have accep ted ministerial p ositions before they were ready.
Just as Paul said in Ep hesians 4:11-16: “The Lord gives to the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, to bring all into the unity of the faith.” But by looking at the divisions in the churches today, we can see that the Lord has not sent all of these p reachers and teachers, for there is no unity of the faith among the churches.
This brings us to the very first basic doctrine of the church that the Lord gave us by examp le. As can be evidenced by what He said to His Apostles, it is not enough to be called to p reach; you must be called, prepared and then sent.
The p rep aration of the apostles occurred while they followed Jesus during His ministry. They were taught the truth of God’s Word by the Word Himself, and witnessed in the first p erson the vindication of Jesus’ ministry by the signs and wonders that followed Him.
The apostles learned the Word of God by seeing that Word in action day after day, but they were still not ready to be sent out to p reach. Even with all of that p rep aration of being with Jesus throughout that time, when He commanded them to go out and p reach the gosp el, He also told them to wait for the bap tism of the Holy Sp irit before they went.
Mark “And he said unto them, Go into all the world, and p reach the gosp el to every creature.”
Acts 1:4 “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not dep art from Jerusalem p romise of the Father, which, said he, you have heard of me.”
Acts 1:5 “For John truly bap tized with water; but you shall be bap tized with the Holy Sp irit not many days from now. “
Acts 1:8 “And you shall receive p ower, after the Holy Sp irit has come up on you: and you shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem , and in all Judaea, and in Samaria p art of the earth.”
In order for the apostles to be effective in their ministry, they had to receive the sup ernatural p ower of the Holy Sp irit working signs and wonders, vindicating that they had been sent by God to p reach His Word.
Why should it be any different today? That’s just it, it shouldn’t be. If those men, who say they have been called by God to p reach, really have been called, p rep ared, and sent, then God would be vindicating their ministry and we wouldn’t have the division in the church, or the lack of unity in the faith that Paul sp oke of.
The second very imp ortant doctrine of the early church was the doctrine of water bap tism. Jesus said: “he that believes and is bap tized shall be saved” (Mark 16:16). So bap tism is a requirement to obtain salvation, and is accep ted by most Christian churches. But there are now many different forms of water bap tism in the churches, and this is one of the many doctrinal differences that have divided the church. One says to sp rinkle with water, one says immerse several times in water, one says use one formula as in the name of Father, Son and Holy Sp irit, one says in Jesus’ name, and on, and on.
Many say that because Jesus did not sp ecify any certain way in Mark 16:16, then any way is sufficient and p rop er. But this is not what the scrip tures tell us. If any way was p rop er, then Paul would not have told the p eop le at Ep hesus that it was necessary to be baptized over again (Acts 19:1-6).
Then there are those that say a p erson must be bap tized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Sp irit, just as Jesus said to the apostles in Matthew 28:19. The p roblem here is that they took Him literally, as to mean, use the words of Father, Son and Holy Sp irit, not having the revelation of what the actual name of the Father, Son and Holy Sp irit really was.
But there was no confusion on the p art of the apostles, for they knew that the name of the Father, and the name of the Son, and the name of the Holy Sp irit was the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Peter testified to this when he sp oke of this on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:38 “Then Peter said to them, rep ent, and be bap tized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Sp irit. “
Bap tism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ was the only accep ted way in the original church that was born on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5).
The third doctrine of the faith was an understanding that a new believer received the Sp irit of God at the time of conversion, and they called this the bap tism of the Holy Sp irit.
Through the prophet Joel, God said that He would p our out His Sp irit up on all believers in the last days (Joel 2:28-29, Acts 2:16-18). This p romise was not only for those going into the service of the Lord to p reach, but was for every member of the church, i.e. “sons and daughters, young and old men, servants and handmaidens”.
Along with the receiving of God’s Sp irit at the time of conversion, came certain sp iritual gifts according to His will and what He determined the church needed. These gifts: “the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, the gift of faith, the gifts of healing, the working of miracles, the gift of p rop hecy, the discernment of sp irits, and tongues and their interp retations”, are given to members of the church, whether or not they have received the bap tism of the Holy Sp irit.
The New Testament scrip tures verify to us that all kinds of p eop le received God’s Sp irit after their conversion to Christianity. All of these p eop le were not p erfect and many still engaged in worldly sins, but this had nothing to do with God’s p romise. God’s p romise to p our out His Sp irit on all flesh was conditional only on the p erson believing on His Son, Jesus Christ and being bap tized in His name (John 3:16, Acts 2:38, Gal 3:14,22, Ep h 1:13).
Peter made it very clear on the day of Pentecost what a p erson had to do to receive the Sp irit of God and the p romise of eternal life. He said to “rep ent and be bap tized in the name of Jesus Christ”. That’s it; there is no more to it, no matter what anyone else says. Those that do rep ent of their unbelief, and are bap tized in the Name of the Lord, believing His Gospel, receive the gift of God, which is the Sp irit of God entering into and sealing the believer unto eternal life. For just as Peter said, as is recorded in Acts 2:39: “The p romise is for everyone who believes.” This also confirms what the prophet Joel said.
Acts 2:39 “For the p romise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
Joel 2:28-29 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.
The bap tism of the Holy Sp irit is given to those who have been p rep ared for service. This is a comp lete filling of the Sp irit of God into a vessel that has been p rep ared, sanctified and dedicated comp letely for the use of God in His ministry to p reach His Gospel and teach His Word. Those believers who receive the Sp irit of God when they are converted are the church, and those who receive the bap tism of the Holy Sp irit, are given to the church by the Lord to be the leaders for p reaching and teaching the Word. Paul said in his letter to the Ep hesians: “the Lord p uts certain ones in the church for the work of the ministry to bring all into the unity of the faith.”
Ep h “And he gave some, ap ostles; and some, p rop hets; and some, evangelists; and some, p astors and teachers”,
Ep h (4:12) “For the p erfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: (4:13) Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a p erfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: (4:14) That we henceforth are no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;”
The use that God makes of us is p rop ortionally relative to the dedication and commitment we make for Him. The Sp iritual gifts that we receive are p rop ortional to how we have become p rep ared for His service. John the Baptist tells us that God gave Jesus the Holy Sp irit without measure, but Paul says that the grace we receive is according to the measure of the Sp irit we receive.
John “For he who God has sent sp eaks the words of God: for God gave not the Sp irit by measure unto him.”
Ep h 4:7 “But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.”
Those who receive God’s Sp irit when they are converted have received the Sp irit with some measure, and have all they need to obtain eternal life. But with dedication and commitment of their lives to the will of God, they could go on to receive the filling of the Sp irit with the bap tism and enter into the Lord’s ministry as He has need in the church.
The fourth doctrine the early church had was that they held all things in common. None of them believed that what they owned belonged only to them, but was to be shared with the entire body, as there was need. In Acts it tells us that they all sold their p ossessions and gave to others, as they had need. In Acts 4:34-35 it tells us that they all sold what they owned and laid the money at the apostles feet, to distribute as there was a need.
Acts “And all that believed were together, and had all things common; () and sold their p ossessions and goods, and p arted them to all men, as every man had need.”
Acts “And the multitude of them that believed was of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that any of the things, which he p ossessed, was his own; but they had all things common. (4:33) And with great p ower gave the ap ostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was up on them all. (4:34) Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were p ossessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the p rices of the things that were sold, (4:35) And laid them down at the ap ostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.”
But we do not hear this p reached in the p ulp its today, because the p eop le would not accep t this concep t. Too much value is p ut on a p erson’s p ossessions, no matter how much or how little they have. Most of the envy and covetous that exists in the world today is a direct result of the disp arity in riches and p ossessions among the p eop le. The Lord said that no man can serve two masters, but this is what the p eop le today are trying to do. They continue to covet the p ossessions they have, envy others for the things that they have and attemp t to worship God in the time that is left.
Mat “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and desp ise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”
Man today is too attached to his worldly goods, trying with all his effort to hold on to what he has obtained and exhausting all his effort to obtain even more than what he has. Man p rays to God to p rovide him with his needs, but doesn’t really think that God will. But this is normal for those who are of this world. But this is not normal for those who are not of this world. Jesus said that His discip les were in this world, but not of this world. In the same way, we are not of this world, and should not center our values on the things of this world.
Jesus told us not to lay up treasures on earth, but to lay our treasures up in Heaven, saying that where our treasure is, there our hearts would be also (Matt -21). He also told one who came to Him to sell all that he had and give the p roceeds to the p oor and he would have treasure in Heaven (Matt 19:21).
Jesus also admonished us to “Give to him that asked you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not away.” Is this the way modern man lives? I think not. For we covet the things that we have and care not for those who are in need. See how our p ossessions hinder our sp iritual growth and testify as to where our treasures really are.
The Ap ostle Paul said in his letter to the Philip p ians: to esteem others better than our own selves and to look on the needs of others not just on ourselves.
Phil 2:2 “Fulfill my joy, that you are likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. (2:3) Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each of you esteem the other better than yourself. (2:4) Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
Let’s be honest with ourselves, if those who call themselves Christians today really believed, I mean with all their heart, really believed the Bible and that Jesus Christ was really soon coming to catch away His Bride, would they be living the way they are? Would those Christians really be so concerned with the things of this life and treating others the way they do? Are they really p utting forth an accep table witness and testimony that their faith is as strong as they would make others believe it is? I think not!
Jesus told us to “take no thought” for the things of this world (Luke 12:22-31). Why should we be so concerned with the things of this world such as: the environment, endangered sp ecies, the p olitical atmosp here in our country, and more p ersonal things such as what are we going to do next year, or what is the best investment for the future? Instead, we should be laying up our treasures in Heaven by doing what God wants us to do according to the commandments He has given us.
We as Christians need to be in one accord, just as the early church was. Looking only for the soon return of Him, and taking care of our fellow man, esp ecially those in our family who are in need.
The early church showed us by examp le how strong their faith was when they assembled themselves in one accord and gave everything they owned to be used by all the church. This was one of their doctrines, taught by the Lord, and then by His Apostles. Through this single act they testified of their faith and where their treasures really laid.
Why should the Christians of today act any different? If we really believe God’s Word and trust God to p rovide for us the things we have need of as the scrip ture states, shouldn’t we testify of that belief through our actions and the way we live our lives? I believe the answer to that is absolutely, YES. But there needs to be injected at this p oint one word of caution. We need to be sure that those who say they rep resent God through their office in the ministry have truly been sent by Him to lead us.
Looking to the scrip ture for some guidance, we see at least two examp les, keep ing in mind that the Word tells us “by two or three witnesses, every word should be established.”
In Acts 2:45, where the scrip ture says that the p eop le sold their p ossessions and divided them to everyone that had need, it also states that many signs and wonders were done by the apostles, verifying that God was working through them.
Also in Acts 4:32-35, where it again states that the p eop le sold all they had and gave to the apostles to p rovide for all, it also states that God’s p ower was working through them.
We need to be sure that the man or men that we p ut our trust in were actually sent by God to be our shep herd on this earth. The way we can be sure of that is the same way that it was in the early church days, that God vindicates their ministry with signs and wonders occurring. God does not change; what He did in the beginning, He will do today. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and today and forever.
The fifth doctrine of the church was the act of p rayer and fasting. Why is p rayer and fasting so imp ortant? Without it we limit the p ower of God in our lives. Look throughout the Bible, the many times that God p erformed great things among the p eop le. Why did all of these great things of God hap p en? They happened because the p eop le made a p ractice of p raying and fasting.
We hear all of the ministers p reaching about all of the things that God is doing among us, but do we really see the things hap p ening like they did during the early years of the church? I do not think so. And why is this? Because the p eop le today do not fast and p ray like they should.
In Isaiah chap ter 58, where God is talking to the p eop le about fasting and the reasons for fasting, He says that you should fast so your p rayers will be heard on high, so that God will hear your p rayers.
Now I’m sure that God hears our p rayers when we do not fast, but how much more imp ortance would He give them if we fasted as we p ray? How much more would our p rayers mean if we got down to business and made a sacrifice to show God that our p etition was urgent and we were willing to go that extra mile to get results?
Fasting and p rayer go together; throughout the Bible we see the results obtained because God’s p eop le did this. Even Jesus showed that p rayer and fasting together were imp ortant when He told His discip les that certain demons could only be cast out by p rayer and fasting (Matt 17: 21).
Right after the bap tism of Jesus, He went into the wilderness and fasted and p rayed for 40 days, so that He could be sure that He was in contact with the Father. The new church fasted and p rayed so they could obtain guidance from God (Acts 13:2). The centurion, Cornelius, fasted and p rayed so he could get in contact with God (Acts ). The Ap ostle Paul had all the men on the ship, which was taking him to Rome, to fast for 14 days to obtain help from God (Acts 27:33). The Ap ostle Paul, right after his encounter with God, p rayed and fasted to obtain guidance in his life (Acts -19). On and on throughout the scrip tures we see results obtained when men seeking something from God fasted and p rayed.
Jesus verified many times in the scrip tures, that p rayer and fasting would obtain visible results from God (Matt 6:6, ). Both Jesus and His discip les set the examp le that p rayer and fasting was necessary to obtain the results from God that they were asking for. Why should it be any different today?
The church today does a lot of p raying and very little if any fasting and obtains a lot less from God than they would if they made the sacrifice that was made by the early church. The p eop le today do not think they can do without a meal, as though they worship their own bellies.
But if we are earnest about contacting God, and insuring that He hears our p rayers, then we better make up our minds to make the sacrifice that is necessary. If we really want to hear from Heaven and have God sp eak to us and answer our p rayers, then p rayer and fasting are necessary to obtain results. The scrip tures from Genesis to Revelations testify of this fact and have set the p attern for us to follow.
The sixth doctrine of the early church was one that they not only believed in and taught, but also one that they lived. Their daily lives were a testimony to this doctrine that the Lord gave them. This was, in a few words, to observe all that the Lord commanded them, but consisted of a way of life that must be described in more detail than a few words will allow.
Jesus commanded the apostles to go forth into the entire world and to teach the p eop le to live their lives as He had given them an examp le with His. This typ e of life was one of humility, gentleness, meekness, goodness, p eace and faith.
Mat 28:19 “Go therefore, and teach all nations, bap tizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Sp irit”:
Mat 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.” Amen.
Jesus gave His followers a lot of commandments when He was here on the earth, and most of them have been taught as major doctrines in the various churches. But some of the more basic things that He taught, which are equally imp ortant as the major doctrines, have not been adhered to as they should have been. These teachings had more to do with how a believer should live his life on a day to day basis and in doing so would set forth a living testimony of the Sp irit of Christ in their lives and glorifying the Father who was in Heaven. This is what Jesus was referring to when He said to “let your light shine before men”, and was what the Ap ostle Paul was sp eaking of when he said to “walk as children of light”.
Mat “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Ep h 5:8 “For you were sometimes darkness, but now you are light in the Lord: walk as children of light”:
Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, described someone who was living in the Sp irit as having certain qualities that set them off from the world. These qualities He called the fruit of the Sp irit, meaning that these traits would show forth in those who were truly living a Christian life. These same qualities were seen in the life of Jesus during His earthly ministry.
Gal “But the fruit of the Sp irit is love, joy, p eace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, () Meekness, temp erance: against such there is no Law.”
Someone does not automatically exhibit these qualities when they are first converted, but become evident as that p erson develop s into a mature Christian by p utting into p ractice those things that Jesus commanded them to do. When a p erson is first converted, they do not automatically have the nature to love their enemies, or be changed into a p erson with a gentle, meek nature. These qualities become evident as a convert begins to do those things that develop that kind of nature.
Let’s look at just a few examp les of what Jesus commanded His followers to observe, keep ing in mind that these have absolutely nothing to do with a p erson’s salvation, but have the p urp ose of causing God to receive glory through His Sp irit influencing a believer’s life.
Mat “But I say unto you, that you should resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.”
Jesus tells us not to op p ose an evil p erson or one that is threatening to do us bodily harm. This is a lesson of humility, meekness and humbleness. Jesus said for us not to fear those who can harm or kill the body, but only fear the one who can destroy both the body and soul (Matt 10:28). Would this be difficult to do? Sure it would. But what would this be saying to the p erson threatening to do us harm or those watching on? It would be witnessing to them that we were p utting our trust in the Lord and glorifying Him. Should we not keep in mind that no harm can come to one of God’s children unless He allows it? If God would p ermit someone to harm us, would it be right to op p ose God by op p osing or resisting that p erson? Remember the story of Job. Satan could do Job no harm until God allowed it. God is not a resp ecter of any p erson; what He would do for Job, He will do for any of His children.
Another of Jesus’ commandments was:
Mat -41 “And if any man will sue you at the Law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. And whosoever shall comp el you to go a mile, go with him two miles.”
Here Jesus is telling us to do more than what we have to do, more than what is exp ected of us. I like to call this “going that extra mile” for someone. Doing just a little bit more than they exp ected you to do just to show them the goodness of God that is in you. If we only do what is exp ected of us, we are no more than a p aid servant, doing what we are getting p aid for. If we go that extra mile for someone, when they do not exp ect us to do it, what will that be saying to them?
Won’t that be telling them that the love of God is in our heart and this is the way we exp ress our love and thanks to Him for what He did for us? Certainly it will.
Then Jesus said:
Mat “Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you turn not away.”
Now we’re really going to strike home. Jesus said to give to him that asks you, and He did not qualify it in any way. He did not say to give it only if you ap p roved of them or what they were going to do with what you gave them. Then He said if someone wanted to borrow something, we should loan it to them, whether they returned something the last time or not - no matter whether we trust them or even know them.
Remember what He said about covetous. Do we p ut too much value on our p ossessions here on earth, or are we working on p utting up treasure in Heaven (Matt -21)? Satan has deceived us into thinking that it is imp ortant for our well being to hold onto the things we p ossess in this life. But the Lord says that if another p erson has a need, p rovide them with what they ask for. Remember what the Lord said in Matt 25:35-40; give to them that are in need and you shall receive your reward.
Jesus also had much to say about how to treat a neighbor. But let’s not be confused about what a neighbor is. A neighbor is not necessarily someone who lives next door. As He clarified in His p arable in Luke 10:30-37, your neighbor is the one that is in need. By showing mercy and being charitable towards this p erson, you are obeying what Jesus called the second greatest commandment of loving your neighbor as yourself (Matt -40). Paul continued this teaching in the churches by saying: “As we have op p ortunity, let us do good unto all men” (Gal ).
Jesus sp eaks to us of living a life full of comp assion, gentleness, goodness, meekness, and temp erance, which are qualities we are not born with, but must develop through interaction with others. He tells us not to op p ose those who are evil, to give to those who are in need, to show mercy to those who need help, to help the p oor and the afflicted and to go that extra mile for someone when it is not exp ected of you.
If He was standing here with us today, He might say the same thing as He did during the days of His earthly ministry: “why do you call me Lord, and fail to do the things I say?” (Luke 6:46).
All these things that He said to do are against the nature of things in this world, but are normal for those who want to be like Him. When we were born into this p hysical life, we learned the things we know and p ractice, because it was human nature to do so. But if we have been born again into the sp iritual realm, we need to develop those qualities that we will use in the life hereafter, and we can only do that with p ractice.
Did the early church p ractice these things? Without a doubt they did. For if Jesus taught these things, we can be sure His Apostles did too. If it was right then, then it certainly would be the right thing to do now.
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