1. A Prosperous Church Acts 2:42-47 Part 1
Ecclesiology
A Prosperous Church
Acts 2:42-47
Part 1

2. The best way to evaluate the current version of anything is to compare to the ____________. The characteristics of the church at Jerusalem in the weeks and months following Pentecost are a far more ___________ measure of God’s blessings upon His work through the local church. One might legitimately say that the first church set the __________ for successful church work to this day. This church was birthed in an atmosphere of unparalleled _____________ . (Acts 2:37-41; Acts 4; 6:7) How could the church possible manage such numbers without buildings, organization, and structure?
Modern churches which struggle to maintain the ___________ and scope of multiple ministries would do well to remember the _____________ and genuineness with which the first church functioned. The text identifies nine characteristics which should define the success of a local church. Absent these characteristics, the church is a __________ regardless of its appearance of success.
The Word of God
It is impossible to be Christ-centered without being Bible-based in _________ aspect of ministry.

3. Harmony Among Believers
True Baptists insist upon the ___________ authority of the Word of God. It is final authority in all questions and upon all issues. It is the _______ authority for faith and practice. It is critical to the task.
A genuine desire for the Word of God indicates a genuine relationship with the God of the Word.
Harmony Among Believers
The church is a _____________ of faith. Believers are part of the body of Christ therefore part and parcel of each other. (Eph. 4:15,16) The well-being of any body is dependent upon the ___________ of the parts of the body. (1 Cor. 12:12-27)
A healthy church is one in which the saints enjoy the company of each other.
Worship
The terminology calls attention to the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper, instituted by our Lord Himself by breaking bread with His disciples at the Last Supper.

4. There is and should be no point in the life of the local church at which worship is more pure, more ___________, and more directed than when coming to the Lord’s Table. This is a ___________act of worship.
The vitality, ______________, and integrity of the worship of God’s people are significant markers of the __________ of the corporate faith of the church. It indicates the heart of God’s people. (Psa. 29:2; 95:6; John 4:23-24)
Prayer
Certainly there is no area of spiritual life where faith is more evident and more __________ than that of prayer. Every example of the Bible demonstrates that God’s people are a praying people. The Jews had appointed hours of prayer at the synagogue. (Acts 3:1) A sure indicator of spiritual _________ in any church is absence from opportunities for corporate prayer. Times of extremity call for extended __________ of prayer. A healthy church breeds the level of _____________ in which believers can share burdens and concerns with each other knowing that confidences will be kept and __________ prayer offering in the behalf of those in need. (Acts 12:5) The New Testament is not lacking in admonitions to ______________ prayer. (Luke 18:1; 1 Th. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1-4)