The Early Church

Acts gives the only scriptural account of the early church. Throughout, the activity of the Holy Spirit is preeminent. The assemblies are seen as and act as one body—“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4).
Peter and John go up from Jerusalem to lay hands on the Samaritans and they receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:14-17). We do not find Jewish and Samaritan churches separated on national lines—“For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13).
There are no independent churches in the book of Acts. What seemed good to the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem is likewise recognized in Antioch (Acts 15:28, 31). “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:3).
Conversely, the separation of the early church from that which is Jewish is clearly unfolded. Individually the believer is found in an entirely new position, “he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). Corporately, the church is quite distinct from Israel, “we have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. … Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach” (Heb. 13:10, 13). Far from being mystical statements, their application is practical. In Ephesus we see Paul separating the disciples and meeting with them in a location distinct from the synagogue (Acts 19:9).
Upon Paul’s final departure from Ephesus, he warns the Ephesian elders of attacks from without and divisions from within (Acts 20:29-30).
Paul’s return and captivity at Jerusalem prefigures what has happened to Paul’s doctrine in Christendom. Finally, Paul’s voyage from the Fair Havens to Melita give us a striking summary of the history of Christendom (Acts 27). Though the boat is shattered into countless pieces, Paul is preserved, and a few (perhaps just Luke and Aristarchus) are found with him (Acts 27:2). Not one principle laid down in this book is made obsolete by present circumstances.
Sadly, there are many today that don’t know the land they are about to enter (Acts 27:39). The church has entirely forgotten her heavenly calling—that her Head is Christ in glory—and has settled down in this world.