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OW did the salvation of the 3000 on Pentecost look? I mean, if we get past the sermon and the statistics, what did the ministry of the gospel look like? And beyond that, when the church commenced to doing churchy things (even early on), what did that look like? Do the activities of the church today resemble the activities of those primitive disciples? I'm looking here in the book of Acts for some key principles that should logically still be found in our churches today.
The first thing I notice here is the teamwork that was present from the very beginning of the church. "Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer" (Acts 3:1). Of course, they did! This was not a new strategy even, but it is an important one. The second noteworthy activity of this new church (and specifically the leadership of the church) was prayer (Acts 3:1). We will find repeatedly in the book of Acts that prayer was a primary activity of the church. It is the grease which lubricates the cogs of God's grace.
The trait of the church that stands out most (to me) in this chapter though is the value of one soul. Peter (who had spoken to thousands) was not too busy, or too self-absorbed, or too important to stop to minister to a single lame man. Just like Jesus ministered to the multitudes but also to individuals, the church has this same obligation, opportunity, and privilege today too. Peter and John were even on an important spiritual endeavor (going to a prayer meeting), and yet they paused long enough to care for one who was in need.
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