Foundations of a Healthy Church | July 13, 2025

The Setup: The Very First Thing They Did

Sermon number two picked up right where the ascension left off, with the disciples walking back down from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem to wait, just as Jesus had instructed. Pastor Justin noted that the very first thing this brand new group of believers did, before choosing a replacement for Judas and before anything else happened, was gather in an upper room and devote themselves to prayer, together with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

That gave us the first mark of a healthy church: persistent prayer. When the apostles needed to select a replacement for Judas from among Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias, they did not campaign or debate, they prayed and asked God to show them which man He had already chosen, and the lot fell on Matthias. Pastor Justin pointed out that every major decision in this opening chapter runs through prayer first, never around it.

From there Pastor Justin walked through the day of Pentecost itself in Acts chapter two, when the sound of a rushing wind filled the house, divided tongues of fire rested on each of them, and they began speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Devout Jews from every nation under heaven were gathered in Jerusalem for the feast, and each one heard the disciples declaring the mighty works of God in his own native language, utterly amazed and perplexed by what they were witnessing.

That set up Peter's Pentecost sermon, where he stood up with the eleven and explained that this was not drunkenness but the fulfillment of the prophet Joel, that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh. Peter preached Christ crucified and risen, and the response was electric: about three thousand people were cut to the heart, repented, and were baptized in a single day, giving the second mark of a healthy church, that it proclaims the gospel continually and boldly.

Pastor Justin then moved into the description of that newborn church in Acts 2:42-47, where the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Wonders and signs were being done through the apostles, believers held everything in common, selling possessions to meet each other's needs, and they broke bread together in their homes with glad and generous hearts, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people.

That last line stood out to Pastor Justin: the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. Growth in the book of Acts is consistently described as something the Lord does, not something a marketing plan produces. A church built on persistent prayer, bold gospel proclamation, devoted teaching, real fellowship, and generous, others focused living is a church God chooses to grow.

Pastor Justin was direct that this passage was not meant as a nostalgic look back at a golden age we can never recover. It is a blueprint for what The Crossings should actually look like as we get off the ground, a church centered on Scripture, prayer, authentic community, and bold proclamation of Jesus rather than programs or performance.

This Week's Application

So this week, take an honest inventory of your own life against those same marks. Are you devoted to prayer, to the Word, to real fellowship, and to generosity the way that very first church was? We would love for you to join us this Sunday as we continue walking through Acts together.