Unity, Prayer, and Authority in the Early Church

The first thing that characterized the church in the early days was obedience. They had instructions from the Lord and though they didn't want to wait around who had witnessed the resurrection of Christ wouldn't be eager to go out and spread the news everywhere and yet they were biting now at the bit eager to go nevertheless they stayed where they were told to stay they waited and they waited obediently. [00:03:08]

Beloved we cannot stand alone we need each other we need the support of Fellowship the mutual encouragement the strength of prayers of the community in which we are involved I was excited this morning to watch 47 people become a part of this congregation that tremendously strengthens who we are as a body there's that many more people to pray for each other to encourage for each other to be mutually supportive and that's what happened in the early church. [00:07:03]

They continued with one Accord in prayer and supplication they gathered together for prayer you remember our Lord when he cleansed the temple from its commercialism reminded the people that his father's house was to be a House of Prayer so the church in its first century formation in the beginning week of its existence is found gathered together in unity praying. [00:08:16]

Mary as a member of the first church I can't help but think of Mary's magnificant where she he says my soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit doth rejoice in God my savior her son was her Redeemer she wasn't co-redemptrix with him she was there with the rest of the disciples as part of the gathered church praying four and two her own son. [00:10:48]

When we look at the gospel record we realize that Jesus had many many many more disciples than the 12 he had the 70 that he sent out on a mission on one occasion and here Luke mentions 120 Paul talks about 500 who were Witnesses of his resurrection because the term disciple mothas in the Greek simply means student or learner Jesus was a rabbi going around the countryside Gathering students who followed after him. [00:11:23]

The Apostle is the ambassador who is commissioned by a king or a ruler who has given designated authority to speak in his name and with his power in the ancient world if a king sent an apostolos one who was sent an apostle as his Emissary his word was the word of the king carry the authority and the weight of the word of the king. [00:15:21]

There are people running around this country today not even far from where I'm speaking now who claim for themselves nothing less than Apostolic Authority but beloved there aren't any Apostles in the biblical sense running around like Mary or Sanford or the world because no one would meet the criteria established here in the New Testament for Apostolic succession. [00:16:10]

The early Church by the end of the first century the sub Apostolic fathers clearly understood the difference between their Authority and the church and the authority of the original Apostles because after the last Apostle died there were still teachers there were ministers there were preachers there were evangelists but no more Apostles. [00:25:59]

For now for today we get a little glimpse of the life of the church in its pristine Purity obedient unified praying searching the scriptures submissive to Apostolic Authority that should be in front of us all the time as we seek to build this church. [00:26:49]

The disciples now trying to understand all that had transpired before them probably remembering the discussions that Jesus had with those on the way to Emmas when he began with Moses and went through the whole Old Testament and showed them how the things that they had witnessed in Jerusalem had to happen they had to come to pass because each one of these things had been in detail predicted centuries before by the Old Testament prophets. [00:18:59]

The method that they chose here according to the book of Acts is that they made nominations they went through their body and they selected two possible candidates and then they threw the dice toss the coin chose Lots over who would be election now that may seem that the early church are the ones who originated the state lottery that's not what they were doing here. [00:20:31]

The third Criterion which was Far and Away the most important was to be an a Apostle one had to be commissioned directly and immediately by Christ himself just as in the Old Testament for anyone to be a prophet they had to be called by God that's why the prophets in Antiquity would give the information in their books like Amos and Jeremiah and Isaiah of the circumstances of their call where God directly and immediately set them apart to be prophets. [00:23:08]