Book of Acts The Model for Christ’s Church

This breathtaking book of a dynamite church invading the hostile world is a beautiful picture. The Holy Ghost saturated this small company of 120 saints, imperfect, but committed, and they turned the world upside down. This model of the church is the only Biblical model and anything else is bound to fail. The world is full of church clubs, social groups, and self-help institutions, named by church names but powerless to redeem souls. These systems are turning to sociological and psychological ideas to empower the church, but the power is flesh power and can only place bandages on sore spots.

We desperately need a fresh "Book of Acts" experience in the church. Anything else will only continue the downward spiral the church world is already experiencing. Why are our leaders and theologians so afraid of the dynamic Baptism of the Holy Ghost? Could it be that we love having control of ourselves and are enamored with our own righteousness and doctrinal schemes? The "Baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire" as John the Baptist described spells the end of self. Self becomes that expression of the sin nature that we daily crucify at the foot of the cross, and our wisdom and righteousness becomes abhorrent and "His glory" and "His anointing" become our delight and joy.

This is the model of His church. The believers are His temple or tabernacle, a skin tent if you please, and He possesses us for His supernatural manifestations. When we are totally surrendered and lost in the cross, then and only then, the Spirit of God begins His work. The early church was a dynamo, but only because it was "His" church. The Spirit of God is calling us back to their model. The Book of Acts must become our Handbook of church life. Seminaries that ignore this manual have no right to call themselves a Christian institution.

The Book of Acts is the one model of His church. Any other model belongs to men.