Origins of the church - 8 May 2024

Later this month, we will celebrate Pentecost, the festival that we see as the beginning of the church in the world. The beginning of the church is not the work of man, but people do form an inseparable part of the church. Right at the beginning, they were only a small group. When they had to choose someone to replace Judas, they were only 120 together. The church grew rapidly with 3 000 being added on the day of Pentecost. In Acts 2:47, we read that “every day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved”. Despite this, they were still a small group compared to the immensity of the task to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.

Who were they, this small group of whom so much was expected? They were ordinary people like you and me. They were fishermen; the brothers of Jesus, who were probably craftsmen like Jesus; women who followed Jesus, among them Mary Magdalene, who was once possessed by evil spirits; and yes, even a tax collector. In Acts 4:13, Peter and John are called “ordinary men of no education”, and Paul also refers to the believers in Corinth as “few of you were wise or powerful or of high social standing” (1 Corinthians 1:26). Out of this humble group was born a church, which, after 2 000 years, is still active all over the world.

What was their secret? The word church, as we know it, comes from the word “kuriake”, which literally means “belonging to God”. This little group, making up the first congregation in Jerusalem, belonged to God indeed. Each of them was personally called by Jesus and each of them received the Holy Spirit. Jesus promised that they will be filled with the power of the Spirit and this is still true for the church today. To be the body of Christ on earth, means that you and I are bound to Jesus by the miraculous power of his Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, how can we ever thank you enough for holding us so close to you, through the working of your Spirit. Amen