The early beginnings of the Christian Church were little more than a small group of people with a hope of salvation. They were Jews and they practiced the Jewish religion. They attended the Synagogues and observed all Jewish law and tradition. The main difference was their hope in the return of Jesus the Christ. They did not consider themselves to be adherents to a new religion, and their bible was the same one used by the very Jews that had crucified Jesus. .
"And according to the history we have of the very early Christian church, the believers followed the example set by Jesus. They were and they, in turn, initiated communities of believers. The particular gift which each individual possessed and brought to the life and work of the whole was accepted, valued and incorporated into the work of the whole faith community. There was a sense of egalitarianism which pervaded the church and by which the church lived and carried out its responsibilities. And so it continued, probably until about the end of the first Century" .
When Jesus instructed the disciples in the great commission as recorded in the book of Matthew, he was very clear what they were to teach and to whom. He gave them full authority in their evangelism and teaching. Then in the Book of Acts, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." .
As we use the book of Acts to guide us for our biblical model there are several key points to be incorporated into the basic structure. Not the least of these points, the Church must be completely devoted to the teaching of the Apostles. This makes complete sense, because these are the people who were personally taught by the master himself. They were his direct representatives and were truly teaching in the manner to which they had been taught. They were the closest human representatives to God on the planet.
