Father, help us to remain focused on you and on your Son.
I'm not much of a historian but we can learn quite a bit about what the early church was like from the Bible, not only the book of Acts, but also the letters written to them.
In a lot of ways things haven't changed much. The citizens of a particular country are still selfish and self-centered. They are still greedy for wealth and power. Moral standards haven't improved much either. But how has the church changed?
The first century church must have been an amazing place to belong to. There wasn't huge churches or cathedrals. Neither was there the ecclesiastical hierarchy. They were simple men and women who lived under the ideal that Jesus would come to reward those who believed on him and tried to follow his teachings.
We learn how they had 'all things common'; they shared their possessions and were often meeting in each other's houses taking about the good news. But this became an excuse not to work for some people. They looked forward to Jesus' return, yet as the return didn't come as soon as expected they abused the property of those around them. While others worked and had 'all things common' quickly there arose those who took from the pot without putting anything back. We have to be careful that we don't fall into the same position. There are those at each ecclesia who give prayers and exhortations, who welcome visitors or even clean the hall and make sure the furniture is arranged. Everyone has some sort of job that they do, or should be doing. Sometimes it's easy to sit back and let others do the work.
We also know that they had a good welfare system. The had deacons who looked after the elderly and sick, they took up collections for those in need.
The other aspect that strikes me we've already mentioned but that was the simplicity in which they worshipped Christ. They met in houses, not great big halls or temples and if they couldn't fit because of numbers, they met outside. The service was simple and not as structured as the ones we have these days. If someone had something to say that was of benefit, they said it, but as we mentioned last week, some did have the Holy Spirit and so could speak the words of God directly.
As to their teachings I thing we are on firmer ground. There are some aspects which I don't fully understand (but would prefer to err on the side of caution) but the majority of what we believe is exactly the same as those first-century Christians. We've managed to avoid the pagan influences such as spirit-worship, ghosts and things that go bump in the night. We've also managed to avoid the Norse mythology of Valhalla and the underworld (incorporated into modern Christianity as heaven and hell). But we do still need to keep looking at the scriptures, reading them and trying to live our lives by them. Christianity isn't something we do once then say we've ticked the box and move on, it's something we have to live, day by day.
We have the examples from the early church to look at, but it wasn't alway easy then and things haven't improved much either. We can see the problems outlined in the letters, how arguments and disputes arose, how envy and hatred caused divisions. But just like them we have to work at it as well. And just like them we need to read God's word on a regular basis.
And pray that Jesus will come quickly.