The Secret of a Healthy Church

by Dennis Gladden, By Green Pastures, ©2026

(May 27, 2026) — Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Acts 2:41-42

And so, the Church began.

What a birthday!

The crowd in Jerusalem was festive, celebrating the Pentecost festival 50 days after Passover. A wind gust, fire from heaven, and 120 tongues praising the Almighty in almost every language drew the devout from every quarter, who heard the first gospel sermon, a message delivered by the Apostle Peter.

Before the crowd dispersed, those who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah swelled to 3,000.

The body of Christ was a robust newborn.

This article first appeared on the Institute of Ministry Writer’s Association website. Reprinted by permission.

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But living takes a toll. Bodies age. Would the Church, so vibrant on its birth day, remain healthy?

This was not guaranteed. The Church was born into a hostile environment, and Jesus recognized the danger. “I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matthew 10:16).

He prayed for their safety. “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

Regardless, decline set in.

• Christ inspected seven Asian churches in the opening of Revelation, and five were ailing.
• The church in Galatia was “running well” when Paul founded it, but another message soon bewitched them.
• Another church that Paul founded, in the city of Corinth, was stunted. “I could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to babes in Christ,” he wrote (1 Corinthians 3:1).

The passing years proved the Church was not immune to what befell Israel at Sinai when Moses was cloistered with God on the mountain for 40 days. The people grew impatient with his absence and persuaded Aaron to fashion the golden calf.

“The people have corrupted themselves,” God told Moses.

This risk raises a question: How do we avoid corrupting ourselves as we await the Lord’s return?

The Church was born healthy on Pentecost. How does the Church stay healthy?

The earliest believers answered the question. We see in the passage from Acts 2 that they devoted themselves to four things:

1. The apostles’ teaching

2. Fellowship

3. Breaking of bread

4. Prayer

All four of these activities were equally important. They did not prefer one over the others. The first disciples were single-minded about the things of God.

They learned this from the apostles, who gave themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the word (Acts 6:4).

Christians have a tension that unbelievers don’t experience. The Spirit and the flesh “are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish” (Galatians 5:17).

Life tugs at us. We have household chores, kids to raise, work to do, and family expectations. Meanwhile, our faith adds new activities to our schedule: studying the Bible, fellowship, and prayer. Interests compete for your time and attention.

It takes grace and discipline to manage this tension.

These believers were no different, but they remained single-minded toward the things of God. Believing in Christ meant living a certain way and setting priorities.

Growth is evidence of health. They devoted themselves to the four things that would help them grow in Christ.

1. The apostles’ teaching

There were twelve apostles, but one message. Peter didn’t teach one thing and Thomas another.

• The people in the days after Pentecost listened to all of the apostles. They had no favorites or rivals. They were not like the Corinthians, who divided over their teachers: “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Peter,” or “I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:12).
• The apostles taught as Jesus had—with authority and not like the scribes and Pharisees.
• This is an important connection. The teaching of the apostles began with Jesus, the “Apostle and High Priest of our confessions” (Hebrews 3:1). What the Twelve heard from Jesus, they passed on to the converts. There is a seamless thread of truth from Jesus to the apostles to us.
• There are some today who say, “I have the Spirit; He is my teacher.” The Pentecost converts also had the Spirit, but not this attitude. They heard Peter’s sermon and asked, “Tell us more.”

Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians applies to us: “I plead with you, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

The healthy church has sound doctrine and is not divided.

2. Fellowship

The believers fostered mutual respect. Fellowship conveys

• Participation in the Gospel. They were partakers of the divine nature.
• Cooperation in the work of the Gospel. They made disciples and edified each other.
• Contribution to the needs of others. They “divided their goods among all, as anyone had need” (Acts 2:45).

They didn’t execute this perfectly. The individualism that our culture prizes was evident then, too, and compelled the writer of Hebrews to address those who had stopped assembling (Hebrews 10:25).

Jesus said, “I will build My church.” A building is a collection of materials that are assembled and support each other. Paul picked up on this in his letter to the Corinthians. “We are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s building. Let each one take heed how he builds on it” (1 Corinthians 3:9–10).

A healthy believer is devoted to fellowship with the body of Christ.

So many are quick to tear the Church down. Believers build it up. Are we contributing to its health?

3. Breaking of bread (remember the Lord)

Many commentators believe that breaking bread likely combined the evening household meal with the Lord’s Supper.

Alexander MacLaren said, “When a household sat at table, it was both a family and a church.”

We have come to regard “breaking of bread” as a church affair—the communion service. Regardless, communion reminds us that our faith involves relationships.

• We do not break bread alone. We gather with those of like faith to remember the Lord.
• We gather with the Lord, for He promises to be with us when we meet in His name. We can also expect the presence of the Holy Spirit, who Jesus said “will bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26).

The early church was hearty because the believers continued steadfastly to partake of regular feasts of remembrance.

We need them, too.

4. Prayers

Notice the plural: prayers.

There were seasons of prayer, as indicated in Acts 1:14, when the disciples were in Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit for 10 days.

There were also set times of prayer:

• The 3^rd hour (9:00 a.m.). Acts 2:15
• The 6^th hour (12:00 noon). Acts 10:9
• The 9^th hour (3:00 p.m.) Acts 3:1 and Acts 10:3.

They joined for public prayer at the Temple (Acts 3:1) and held group prayer in homes (Acts 4:23).

These occasions teach us that believers, to stay healthy, do not stuff prayer time when it fits in their schedule. Consistent, scheduled prayer is important. Longer seasons of prayer are necessary. Corporate prayer buttresses our personal time with God.

We don’t outgrow these means of grace.

God birthed a healthy, robust Body of Christ on the Day of Pentecost. This body remained healthy as the believers devoted themselves single-mindedly to sound teaching, fellowship, communion at the Lord’s table, and prayer.

The Church grows by these means and never outgrows its need for them.

Let’s use this Pentecost season to refresh these means of grace among us.