What does the rhythm of a church look like? One of the best places to learn about how the early NT church functioned is found in the book of Acts. The earliest New Testament church first proclaimed the Gospel in the city of Jerusalem and the numbers of those who believed gradually rose (Acts 1:15, 2:41, 4:4). Until the disciples were scattered "upon the persecution that arose about Stephen" (Acts 8:1, 11:19), Jerusalem was the scene of all that took place in the early Church of Christ. 

When we talk about the normative rhythm of the church, I think of how our early brothers and sisters shared everything together. The last 5 verses in Acts 4 gives us a keyhole into their lifestyle. Does that mean we all have to live in a commune? No. Share our houses with one another? No. Or sell property and give it to the church? No. 

What it does mean, however, is that as believers, we have unfettered and accountability access into each other’s hearts and lives. It means we collectively lift up the name of our Savior. We honor the reading of God’s Word, we share a psalm, share a teaching, seek after the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We tend after widows and orphans. We share our faith with those who don’t know the Lord. And, finally, as pointed out in Hebrews 10:24, we provoke one another to love and good works.