Is the Church in Acts a Model for Christian Living?

We must always remember that although the Bible was written for us, it is not written directly to us. So, we should expect to find that at least some of the teachings in Acts apply differently to us than they did to Theophilus and Luke’s other original readers.

Many Christian groups have looked to Acts for a model of Christian living that should be precisely followed in every age. Unfortunately, when well-meaning Christians fail to account for the discontinuities between the first century and our day, they often try to apply the teachings of Acts in inappropriate ways.

For instance, some branches of the church insist that even today a separate filling of the Holy Spirit must always be manifested by proclaiming the gospel in different languages or tongues. Acts 2:1-4 teaches that the Holy Spirit was poured out in dramatic, miraculous ways on the day of Pentecost. Similar events occasionally occurred in Acts, but only as a direct result of the work of the apostles. What is constant in Acts is the fact that every believer receives the Holy Spirit in order to be transformed in his character and to be a witness. What is not constant in Acts is the presence or absence of particular manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

In a similar way, in Acts 5:42 we read that the church met in private homes. On this basis, some Christians have insisted that the church today must meet in homes and not in church buildings. Now of course, there is nothing inherently wrong with the church today meeting in homes. But we must recognize that these practices were conditioned upon the circumstances of the first-century church.

Having described some discontinuities between Luke’s day and ours, we should turn to some significant continuities between the first century and the modern world.

Luke’s record of salvation history reminds us that we serve and testify to the same Lord Jesus Christ that the apostles and early church served. Each Christian is empowered by the same Holy Spirit who was present in the first century. And we do all for the glory and honor of the same Father. Our Triune God has not changed.

Besides having the same God, Christians today have the same goal that the church had in the book of Acts. In the book of Acts, God’s purpose was to build his kingdom in Christ through the apostles. Of course, this task of kingdom-building will not be finished until Christ returns in glory. So, the goal of the modern church is still to conform to God’s mission of building his kingdom in Christ.

Finally, modern Christians are called upon to proclaim the same gospel as the church in the first century. No matter how much the world changes, one thing remains constant: human beings are fallen in sinful rebellion against God and alienated from him, desperately in need of redemption. We all need the same salvation. And that salvation is available in Christ, as he forgives our sin and brings us into his kingdom. This gospel remains the same for all people in all places and all times. All people are called to repent of their sinful rebellion and to trust in Christ.

In many ways, the book of Acts serves as the doorway between the time of Christ and the time of the modern church. It explains how Christ’s person, work and teachings were understood and applied in the early church, and it lays the foundation for the ways modern Christians are to understand and apply those same ideas in our own lives.