The early Christians were known for their way of life.
The way they lived and loved revealed who God was to the world around them.
Their lifestyle was countercultural, yet honorable. It was separate but inviting. The early Christians offered a new way to be human. A way to live a flourishing life, in relationship with God and with others.
The early Christians were able to live this way in a culture that was, in many ways, counter to the ways and teachings of Jesus.
On their way of life, the Epistle to Diognetus states:
They are in the flesh, but they do not live after the flesh. They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven. They obey the prescribed laws, and at the same time surpass the laws by their lives. They love all men, and are persecuted by all. They are unknown and condemned; they are put to death, and restored to life. They are poor, yet make many rich; they are in lack of all things, and yet abound in all; they are dishonoured, and yet in their very dishonour are glorified. They are evil spoken of, and yet are justified; they are reviled, and bless; they are insulted, and repay the insult with honour; they do good, yet are punished as evil-doers. When punished, they rejoice as if quickened into life; they are assailed by the Jews as foreigners, and are persecuted by the Greeks; yet those who hate them are unable to assign any reason for their hatred.
Before the Church was an Institution, it was a Way.
As Jesus stated:
I am the way and the truth and the life. (John 14:6 NIV)
Jesus is not only the way to the Father. He is the way to live.
In Jesus, we see how we are called to live.
As a people who are in the world, but not of the world.
This was an emphasis for Jesus, His disciples, as well as the entire early church community.
Let’s look at three ways the early Christians lived out their faith.
3 Ways The Early Christian Lived Out Their Faith
Devoted to teaching
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching…(Acts 2:42 NIV)
The early Christians gathered regularly to listen to the Scriptures and learn from them.
They devoted themselves to understanding what God had to say about their lives and their world. And from that understanding, they were able to live out the teachings of Jesus.
Their devotion to the Apostles’ teachings empowered them with the knowledge and understanding needed to represent Jesus. Especially in a world that did not align with the ways of God’s kingdom.
Table-based fellowship
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…(Acts 2:46 NIV)
For the early Christians, the table was the centerpiece.
At the table is where Jesus had spent most of His ministry, so it also became their focus as a church community.
The early Christians gathered around tables to fellowship, break bread, and pray for each other. The table was where their faith worked its way into their real lives, affecting how they interacted with God, each other, and the world around them.
As Alan Kreider writes in his book The Patient Ferment of the Early Church:
At the heart of early Christian worship was table fellowship.
For the early Christians, the table represented the grace of God. It was the place where all could come together to break bread, build each other up in the faith, and welcome outsiders into the family of God.
Radical generosity
They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:45 NIV)
Another core part of early Christian life was radical generosity.
From the outset, the early Christians prioritized the giving of their possessions to provide for those in need.
Whether it was houses or land, early Christians were intent on welcoming people into the family of God and ensuring each person did not live in lack.
Author Randy Alcorn writes in his article “Generosity as Witness” from Tabletalk Magazine:
There is a long history of Christian generosity as a powerful witness. The Roman emperor Julian had an interesting complaint about early Christians: “The impious Galileans support not only their own poor but ours as well; everyone can see that our people lack aid from us.” The theologian Tertullian said, “It is our care of the helpless, our practice of lovingkindness that brands us in the eyes of many of our opponents.”
Aristides, an unbeliever, was sent by Emperor Hadrian to spy out those people called “Christians.” His words to the emperor have reverberated through the centuries: “Behold! How they love one another.”
For the early Christians, radical generosity was a key part of how they lived out their faith.
Their generosity not only provided for their brothers and sisters in the faith, but revealed to the world the radical generosity of God.
Dive Deeper into the Life of the Early Church
At AWKNG, we are passionate about making Biblical education accessible to all, with no exceptions.
Which is why we’ve created a library of online courses and resources to help you deepen your knowledge and understanding of the Bible.
If you’re interested in the life of the early Church and how the early Christians lived out their faith, be sure to check out our online course Early Church History: From Christ to Constantine (AD 33-325).
In this course, Dr. Justin W. Bass will take you on a journey following the early Christians from the fisherman Peter and the Pharisee Paul to the conversion of Constantine the Great, learning the early Christians’ evangelistic methods, church and household practices, distinctive morality, apologetic arguments, and theological development.
You’ll learn about the most important events of the early Church. such as:
- Nero’s persecution of Christians
- The destruction of the temple in AD 70
- The empire-wide Christian persecution of emperors Decius and Diocletian
- Constantine’s conversion
- The Edict and Council of Nicaea in AD 325
This course is a great way to deepen your understanding of the early Church and learn how the practices of early Christians are important for our lives today.
To learn more about the course or to sign up, click here.