The first Local Church
By Timothy Glover
After Pentecost, an event took place at the temple gate that captivated the attention of the city. A lame man cried out for alms as Peter and John approached. Peter said, Silver and gold have I none, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6). The beggar arose and began walking and leaping and praising God. When a crowd assembled to witness this occasion, Peter took advantage of the opportunity to preach his second gospel sermon. He explained that the healing of the lame man was by the power of Jesus whom they had killed. He commanded them to Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19). He also reported that Jesus had come to turn them from their wicked ways and having died on the cross, was resurrected from the dead.
The resurrection was denied by the Sadducees who made up the ruling class, the Sanhedrin. They did not believe in life after death. So, Peter and John were arrested and brought before the Jewish council. Once again Peter has an oppor-tunity to teach when they asked him by what power he healed the lame man. The council sent them out to make a ruling among themselves. They could not deny that a notable miracle had been performed. So, they demanded that Peter and John speak no more about Jesus. Peter and John replied, Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge; for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” (3:19-20). The apostles were released and they returned to their brethren where they prayed to God to give them boldness to speak his will.
To add insult to injury, the council was even more opposed because of the popularity of the apostles and their teaching. About 3,000 were added to the church on the day of Pentecost and by chapter four, the number grew to 5,000 men. Multitudes of people were being added to the Lord (5:14, 6:17). Some were even converted from the Jewish priests. This must have made them more angry and determined to regain their power.
The early Christians had to endure poverty and persecution at this time. Many brethren sold their possessions to meet the needs of their needy. Of course, even the first church was not without problems. Annanias and Sap-phira lied and suddenly died by the hand of God. The apostles were put in prison only to be let out by an angel who sent them out to preach more. At daylight the council discovered they were not in the prison but at the temple preaching the word of God. Again, they arrested them. They rebuked them for trying to accuse them of Jesus’ death. After much debate and listening to the advice of Gamaliel, they beat the apostles and released them. But, they continued to preach the gospel. They “must obey God rather than men.”
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