Examining The Early Churches Strengths And Weaknesses Religion Essay

Examining The Early churches Strengths And Weaknesses Religion EssayThe purpose of this essay is to jar against how the church service began 2,000years ago, with a small group of disciples empowered by the sacred life-time, who preached, and taught, healed in synagogue, and e realwhere they went, lives and society was changed in the piddle of the headmaster deliveryman Christ.The Strengths of Early ChurchThe azoic church did not yet start to grow after Jesus ascension by its procl guide en thusiasm. The disciples on the day of Pentecost were all unneurotic in one place. nonp beil of the strength of the first church is their ability to wait on God. Jesus instructed his disciples to wait (Matt 2819-20, Luke 2449) depression for the set apart scent in order to do the work he commissioned them for. The disciples waited until when the Spirit descended on them on the day of Pentecost. The power received at the out displace of the Holy Spirit enabled them to fulfil their mission. Waiting is sometimes part of Gods propose in order to be truly effective.Descent of the SpiritThe apostles and disciples were the first recipients of the outpouring of the feel with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Act 26). They received power to function like Jesus Christ to preach the creed with governing body, with signs and wonders following. The disciples spoke in prophetic speech that people of diverse nationalities equal at capital of Israel recognised their languages, which drew their attention unto God. dents sermon on the day of Pentecost led to revival that caused salvation of over three gm people. Followed by diverse forms of miracles, and healings enhancing the spread of the gospel.The Church was BoldInitially the disciples were very timid. But after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit they were filled with boldness to do mighty works and witnessing effectively. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit shake evangelism and proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. From the day of Pentecost when Peter spoke to confederation of believers the gospel has spread from Jerusalem to Syria, Asia, Europe and Africa. Despite persecutions, oppositions, imprisonments, plots they never relent, they unplowed on moving never dare to go to a crude place to preach the word of God.The Early Church was very piousAnother imageistic of the too soon church was that they are very prayerful, pull to Gods will through prayer (Act 114). As it faces challenges the churches always came together to pray so that healings, miraculous signs and wonders will take place (Acts31-3, 41-10).The Church was in one accordOne of the strengths of the earlier church is unity. The church was one, and there was no proliferation in the body of Christ. There were theatre fellowships where believers met for teachs and breaking of bread. None of the early Christians felt that what they had was their experience they never allowed whatever of the brethren to suffer when ot hers had plenty. The unity brought by the Holy Spirit increased loyalty, loyalty and love for God. Without unity, the church could not have survived therefore they had everything in common. action miraculous signs and wondersSigns and wonders followed the apostles everywhere they went. The healing of the man at the Beautiful door by Peter and John created a stir in Jerusalem that saved five thousand people (Act 31-3). The early Church did much miraculous work through the help of the Holy Spirit as the Lord had done. They confirmed the gospel with great power, miracles and abundant thanks braggy as they spread the good news. A lot of people were attracted to the early church by expressions of Gods power at work.People of PrayerThe early Christians devoted themselves to prayer. They understood that Gods kingdom could only be manifested in its honorable power through fervent prayer. (Act 114, 242, 31, 64, Eph 618). In those days devote Jews pray 2 or 3 times a day and it was the cu stom of the disciples to follow this devotion. Peter and John went to pray at the temple (Acts 31), while Luke and capital of Minnesota did the same (Acts 1616). God rewarded Cornelius for elapseing to hours of prayer (Act10).Weakness of the early churchExternal Opposition The early church was not without its own problem. The church experience both miracles and opposition the same time. There is immaterial opposition from Jewish leaders who became uncomfortable with message of Christian freedom preached by the early believers, which undermined Jewish legalism. Besides the opposition from religious propagate believers found themselves in conflict with tender patterns of the day, because they no thirster enter in emperor worship, refused to take part in bloody papistic sport and pagan shrines. As a result persecution arose, many were exiled, killed, mocked and imprisoned.Jewish and Gentile Conflicts God has no favourite nation or race, he only favours and accepts anyone who tu rns from sin and believed him. The Apostles initially want all people to be saved but did not understand that salvation was no longer restricted to Israel alone, but for everybody. The Jewish-Gentile conflict is the greatest barrier to the spread of religious doctrine in the 1st century. Until the issue was resolved, in council at Jerusalem, it was a barrier. government activity as the early church increased in size, so did her involve and challenges. The new believers were moved by the Holy Spirit to share their stubbornness (Acts 4 32-37). But as the numbers increased, it became difficult for equal dissemination of goods to meet the requisites of everyone. The Hellenist believing widow felt neglected. To rectify this, the Apostles created the slip of deacon to oversee the physical needs of the people. Later we see the pastorale epistle compose by Paul to Timothy and Titus, near the spiritual and character qualification expected for church leadership in order to keep the c hurch from false teachings (1Tim 31-13, Tit 15-9).Dishonesty and rapacity In order to gain recognition Ananias and Saphira lied about their giving to the church. (Moreover any unrighteousness move in the church prevents the working and work of the Holy Spirit). God dealt harshly with the couple in order to key his hatred to all greed, deceit and dishonesty in the kingdom.The Peril of Heresies The early church was not immune against false teachers and heresies. Already Jesus had warned his disciples several(prenominal) times in the Gospels to watch out for leaders who would deliver destructive heresies among Gods people (Matt. 2411, 2424-25). For example the book of Jude was written against false teachers who are distorting the gospel of Gods rejecting traditional Jewish and Christian teaching about morality, advocating sexual licence. In their teachings they denied original apostolic revelation about the person and nature of Jesus Christ (Jude 8, 16, 2pet 2 1-34).Comparism betwee n the early church and the church todayThe early church relied much on the leading of the Holy Spirit to get the gospel to the whole reality, which I believe todays church need to learn from. Paul and Barnabas were commissioned by the Antioch church through the leading of the Holy Spirit, were directed by the spirit of God to specific areas to be a witness on their missionary journey. Our evangelistic or missionary moves should be according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. (Act 13 1-5).Churches today do so many things in the name of the Lord with ulterior motives. Many at times we tend to do what we want in the name of the lord rather than what Gods want. The early churchs motives were pure. Their aim was to spread Christianity as far as they could.Some churches today are being run under the idea of men not of God. The Spirit of God had being relegated or given a minor design in the church. Making many worship centres to lack power thus dry and lukewarm. During the apostolic ag e the early church was established on apostolic pattern. But tragically the church today have deceased from apostolic faith and doctrine but patterned itself according to gentlemans gentleman ideas and modern thought that now proliferate our churches today.ConclusionThe gospel cannot be confined to one corner of the world. Therefore what the early church did is feasible in our generation. The church was bold, filled with power because the early disciples were committed to the childbed of evangelising the world. Churches need to be committed to the work of soul winning and world mission, for example in the west secular humanism has become the prevalent philosophy for many and the church is not immune to all this. We need to be more involved in world issues by ministering to the social ills of our environment, by our evangelistic move.