Like many of you, I have been on a journey with the Lord, especially these last couple of years. He has continually brought me back to the early ekklesia, specifically, the first three hundred years of its beginnings. Much has transpired in regard to the cleansing of His bride as of late, with the exposure of church leaders living in sin and the revealing of spiritual and sexual abuses, just to name a few.
My focus is not to go into all of that in this post, but in many ways share what the early ekklesia looked like and how we have drifted from those ancient paths. I believe much of the dysfunction we see today is a result of moving away from the original model, if we want to call it that. The ekklesia grew exponentially in those days, with new believers, not recycled ones. Yes, I might use some sharp or hard language, but understand, I love the Body of Christ, and love always requires truth.
Please, read with an open heart and know everything can be studied and researched. I welcome all dialogue, and if anything I have written is false, I will gladly correct it. May Holy Spirit guide you in reading this.
When we speak of the “early church,” we are not talking about an era of nostalgia or meaningless tradition. We are talking about an explosive movement that began with a handful of Jewish disciples and spread through the mighty, brutal, multicultural world of the Roman Empire. To be honest, I do not like using the word church here because that word, for one, does not mean a people, and it is not mentioned once in the Bible in either Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic. Jesus did not build a church; He built an Ekklesia. I will not go into definitions and meanings in this post. I have defined the two in past posts.
The Ekklesia’s first three centuries were marked by persecution, misunderstanding, diversity, and doctrinal controversy, but also by an authenticity and spiritual authority that made emperors tremble. Emperors such as Nero, Decius, and Diocletian began extensive persecutions of Christians. Christians faced accusations of cannibalism due to communion (eating the body-bread, drinking the blood-wine/juice), incest because of “love feasts,” and atheism for rejecting Roman gods. Yes, those were terrible times to be a follower of the Way. There was no Christian “majority” as we know it today, only a scattered, embattled minority. The world into which the church was born was extremely suspicious, super hostile, and way more dangerous.
So, what made the early church different? Not buildings, they had none. Not programs, they had none. They obviously did not have their governments’ favor; they were considered enemies of the state. What set them apart was a few things that I can think of—first, their radical devotion to Christ. Everything, possessions, comfort, even life itself, was secondary to Christ’s call. Their shared life “And all the believers were together and had all things in common,” (Acts 2:44). Suffering to them seemed to be a normal part of their Christian walk.
Persecution was not an exception but, in reality, an expectation. They believed in an unwavering gospel. The message did not adjust to culture but confronted it. They “truly” believed in the priesthood of all believers. No laity/clergy divide, no platforms or celebrities, and no titles. Every believer was a witness, every home a gathering, every meal a chance to share Christ. They had a disciplined holiness. The call was to “be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:15).
Ok, so here is where I might get some push back, and that’s totally ok. The religious spirits will probably say I am attacking the Bride or causing division. You know, the usual, but honestly, let’s compare what I shared about the early Ekklesia to much of the modern church as we know it. Christianity is now “safe.” It is often shaped by comfort, leisure, and not the cross. Many times we debate programs, styles, and branding, but rarely risk everything for Jesus.
Listen, I have in no way reached the pinnacle of Christianity if there is such a thing. I am flawed like most and have given in to these very things many times as well. I have come a long way and still have quite a way to go. We have become, in many places, an institution or organization more than a movement. We build platforms, and they built altars. We collect attendees/supporters, they made disciples. We fight for influence, celebrity status, spotlight, etc, they died for truth.
I think a great question is, “What must change?” Well, we need to recover our apostolic DNA. A return to the patterns and priorities of the New Testament, like devotion to prayer, which seems to have taken a back seat to music we now call worship. It seems like everything we do in these buildings comes before or is prioritized over prayer. We must share life together, which is hard to do when the congregants don’t have a personal relationship with their leaders because they are too busy or too important. We must become courageous witnesses. We need to open our homes and spread the table while being the most hospitable we can be. We must also share in the suffering of others. We must reclaim costly discipleship.
What do I mean? I mean following Jesus must once again mean death to self and life for Christ, “no matter the cost.” We must renounce celebrity, comfort, and compromise. The early church had no celebrities, only martyrs and servants. We must embrace persecution. I like many believers today believe the days of cultural Christianity are coming to an end. We must learn to rejoice, not retreat, when we are misunderstood or opposed. We must rediscover spiritual authority. Not in titles or office, but in the spirit’s power and a life fully surrendered to Jesus.
So, how do we return to those ancient paths? Well, we start small and deep. The early church grew from homes, not stadiums. We build smaller, more authentic gatherings where lives intersect. We actually make disciples, not members or ministry financial partners who get perks the more they give. We focus on multiplying mature, surrendered followers of Christ, not consumers or spectators. We practice radical generosity and accountability by sharing our resources. We call each other to holiness. We practice discipline as an act of love. We preach the unfiltered gospel that says God is love but also just. Yes, there is more to the gospel, but hopefully you get my point. We refuse to water down the message for cultural acceptance. We once again prioritize prayer and the Word.
The Ekklesia moved forward on its knees, not on its social strategy. We embrace suffering as formation. We should not fear loss. In many ways, it should be expected, and I believe it is tied to the words of Jesus, “In this life, you will have tribulation,” (John 16:33). We must let it purify our faith. Ultimately, we return to our roots, the ancient paths.
Beloved, I do not consider myself a prophet or prophetic, but I do believe the years ahead will not be easy. Based on what many in the Body of Christ are seeing, the West is about to face pressures it has not known in centuries. Those who only know Christ as a cultural figure or on a surface level will fall away. But those who burn with first love fire, who count all as loss for the surpassing value of knowing Christ (Philippians 3:8), will shine.
The early church was not perfect, but it was pure. Its power was not in its influence but in obedience to the Lord.
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