 
To put it simply and directly, we are seeking, by God's grace,
to become a church that reflects the character of the church
described in the New Testament. Luke describes the early
church in Acts 2:42-47:
|
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the
prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many
wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
And all who believed were together and had all things in
common. And they were selling their possessions and
belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any
had need. And day by day, attending the temple
together and breaking bread in their homes, they
received their food with glad and generous hearts,
praising God and having favor with all the people. And
the Lord added to their number day by day those
who were being saved.
|
There are five aspects outlined here to which we are seeking
to conform our lives as a church: the Word of God, the
community of the church, the worship of God, prayer and
outreach.
The Word of God
We learn first that the early church devoted themselves to
the apostle's teaching. The church's supreme task is to teach
and preach the Word of God. Anything and everything else we
may properly do as a church is subordinate and subsidiary to
that task. Luke begins with the teaching of God's Word
because the Word of God is the soul of the church. The
teaching he has in view is the teaching of the Scriptures (of the
Old Testament in his context, of the Old and New Testament in
ours). This supreme task is a double responsibility for the
church. It is the task of the church both to build up its
members in the faith and to bring the gospel to those who are
outside the church.
The Fellowship of the church
Next, Luke speaks of the church's devotion to the fellowship.
In this reference, he is speaking of the community of the
people of God in the context of the church. This concept of
fellowship includes all aspects of the expression of brotherly
love, including mercy ministry, and missions. The fellowship
aspects of the apostolic church are described in some detail
in verses 44 and 45.
The Worship of God
When he speaks of the breaking of bread, Luke is referring to
the Lord's Supper which was central to the gathered worship of
the church. The church is never more centered on her calling
than when she is gathered to worship her Lord. Worship is the
fuel that fires all our service, and it is the end to which all our
other activities should lead. We desire to be a community that
is truly devoted to the Worship of our God.
Prayer
Luke finally records that the church devoted itself to prayer.
Prayer is the means by which God's people exercise their faith,
claiming his promises; and it is the means by which we
demonstrate our dependence. Apart from Christ, we can do
nothing. Pray calls us to demonstrate our confident trust in
God who alone can do abundantly more than we can ever
imagine.
Outreach
Luke concludes his description of the early church by noting
that the Lord added to their number day by day those who
were being saved. When a church commits itself to be what
God has called the church to be in both its words and deeds,
then the world will see Christ in us. Our verbal witness
(evangelism) must be set in the context of a genuine church as
defined by God's Word. then we will see the Lord add to His
church as he has promised.
|
|
