What does the church do?

Main Idea: The church exists by God’s design for the purpose of equipping believers, evangelizing the world, and edifying the saints. We do that primarily by preaching and preserving the integrity of the Gospel.

Introduction: It is generally pretty well agreed that the church is suffering a season of decline. This could be for a number of reasons. First, it could be because we live in a very pragmatic world. We are not usually interested in what is faithful, but in what “works.” Another enemy of the church can be individualism. We tend toward individual rights and individual faith, etc.

Enemies of the Church

Pragmatism—Replacing the clear exposition of the Bible and the evangelism of the world with human-contrived attempts to gather a crowd.

Individualism—Replacing the communal worship of the Lord with a private faith that is contrary to the Bible.

Their devotion was continual

προσκαρτερέω —to persist obstinately

Present Participle indicating the ongoing commitment.

Same word is used in as “to stand ready.”

Mark 3:9 NASB95

And He told His disciples that a boat should stand ready for Him because of the crowd, so that they would not crowd Him;

So, the disciples “stood ready.” But what were they “stand[ing] ready” for?

They devoted themselves to the teaching of the Apostles.

They came to recognize the Apostles as the authoritative teachers of the doctrine of Christ.

Ephesians 2:19–20 NASB95

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

The teaching of the Apostles was preserved in written form, recognizing it as being the very words of God given by the Spirit.

Anti-intellectualism and the fullness of the Spirit are mutually incompatible, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Nor did those early disciples imagine that, because they had received the Spirit, he was the only teacher they needed and they could dispense with human teachers. On the contrary, they sat at the apostles’ feet, hungry to receive instruction, and they persevered in it. [John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts: The Spirit, the Church & the World, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 82.]

John R. W. Stott, The Message of Acts: The Spirit, the Church & the World, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 82.

The church today has received “the traditions” and are tasked with stewarding them.

2 Thessalonians 2:15 NASB95

So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions which you were taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter from us.

2 Thessalonians 3

2 Thessalonians 3:6 NASB95

Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

1 Corinthians 11:2 NASB95

Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

1 Corinthians 11:2 NASB95

Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you.

These “traditions” appear to involve the meaning of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection as understood from the Old Testament and how that impacts believers today.

They devoted themselves to the fellowship

κοινωνία means “to share” or “to associate in close relationship.”

seems to be explanation of this “fellowship.”

It is also possible that the next two activities of devotion were themselves the “fellowship.”

Nonetheless, the fellowship they had with one another was bound to the fellowship that each shared with God.

1 John 1:3 NASB95

what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 13:14 NASB95

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.

They devoted themselves to communion

The “breaking of bread” may mean that they simply shared meals together. However, this would be an odd way to communicate eating together. In all likelihood, this is in reference to the act of communion, or the Lord’s Supper.

There is some evidence that their observation of the Lord’s Supper was divided into two parts: a fellowship meal with one another and more formal observation of the Lord’s Supper.

As a memorial, communion indicates that there is a mutual fellowship that we have because we eat from the same Body. , in part, rebukes the Corinthians for their failure to be mutually devoted to one another during the observation of communion.

They devoted themselves to prayer

προσευχή gives us the posture—they prostrated themselves before God.

The definite article is used in the OL here, indicating that their prayers were not always extemporaneous, but were sometimes liturgical.

Further, it may be that they had set times of prayer—much like the Jews—throughout the day. They were assured that their brothers and sisters were praying for them throughout the day.

Table Talk

1. In what ways is church today similar to what we see in Acts? In what ways is it different?

2. From the four activities to which the early church was devoted, which one do you enjoy the most? Why?

3. In what way can you help strengthen the church’s practices of these activities?