What makes a Church Service?

This is gonna be a great day. A great day. We have our potluck supper after church and I know that you are all looking forward to that. Hopefully you will all be joining us as we continue, yes continue our worship into the meal. The meal is part of our worship, it continues. The service hasn’t ended when we walk out of here.

That is the way the first church did it. And that is how we are gonna do it today. Because worship in the first century church was more than just a service. It was more than song, song slower song, communion sermon song end. That wasn’t the format of the first church.

The format of the church was family. It was caring, it was learning, it was singing, it was celebrating but it was together, and if someone was missing, it hurt.

Acts 20:7–12 ESV

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.

We get a picture of what it looked like to worship in a Christian, Jesus following church. We see what they did and maybe we can get some pointers.

Acts 20:7 ESV

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

Sunday was the day that they met. This is actually fairly new. Jews would have worshipped on Saturday. This changed because of Jesus raised from the dead on a Sunday. So Christians began to worship on Sunday.

This could be considered a normal worship service except for the fact that Paul (the itinerant preacher) is leaving and really wants to get some things said.

They were meeting at night which would have been usual.

You know that most everybody would have been working during the day. They were working hard. Lots of them would have been slaves. They would have difficult tiring lives. So the gathering that they had could have been difficult. It was a sacrifice to get there. But they wanted to hear these words from this great preacher, Paul, who had been there for the week and was leaving the next day to go to the next place.

They were in someones house which was also the normal thing to do. The place was probably full.

Acts 20:8–9 ESV

There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead.

Acts 20:8 ESV

There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.

So all these lamps were lit. And so here is this stuffy house, full of people, it’s probably hot, its probably smoky, and everyone is probably tired from the day’s work.

Some boy, a lad which would have been between the ages of 8 and 14, named Eutychus is there, and he seems to be one of those kids. If you have ever worked with teenagers there is usually at least one of those kids. He is one of those kids that maybe thinks for himself. Maybe he is trying to be funny. Maybe he is really resourceful.

So, it is late there were many lamps in the place, and there is this guy, Paul that keeps talking and talking and talking.

Maybe Eutychus wants to get some fresh air, he wants to get some room around him. He climbs up and sits in a window. Understand that the window in one of these houses would normally be just an opening with maybe a sheet or a thin lattice. So here he is sitting in the window, and it’s late and Paul is speaking.

And verse 9 says that Eutychus falls asleep and falls out the window and he dies! He dies! During church!

Now I need to tell you that this story gives every pastor just a little bit, a tiny bit of comfort. Paul is one of the most famous preachers in history. In history, spoke to thousands, saw thousands converted. He wrote a third of the New Testament, and someone falls asleep during HIS sermon!

Woo! That makes me feel a little bit better! I know that I have put people to sleep speaking but I don’t know of anyone dying because of it.

I mean a nap is one thing. And we all can agree that we enjoy a good nap right? I have said many times that my Sunday afternoon nap is hardwired into my schedule. It would take a lot for me not to have my Sunday afternoon nap.

But For some of us we have a Sunday morning nap hardwired into our schedules don’t we? Yeah, I see some of you all. I see the mouths open and the heavy breathing. You think I don’t. I heard this one pastor talk about naps and he categorizes naps in church into 3 groups.

For some of us we have a Sunday morning nap hardwired into our schedules don’t we? Yeah, I see some of you all. I heard this one pastor talk about naps and he categorizes naps in church into 3 groups.

He starts with the Hollywood Nap. The Hollywood nap is where your head is down you catch your self and you act like you have been paying attention the whole time. Yes, amen, That’s right! Um HMM! Jesus! Why act folks? Why do you have to act?

Devotional dozers. They try to take religious postures so that no one knows what they are doing. Looking down at the bible, acting like they are reading along and studying with us. Head in the bible. They are very meditative. I have to admit, I have done that one.

5:8–14

When the incarnate Son of God took the scroll from the Father, everything changed. The rule of humanity over all creation had been derailed by the fall and wrecked by the curse (Gen. 1:28; 3:17–19). This rule will be restored, however, through the God-man, Jesus Christ. As a truly human descendant of Adam, Jesus Christ is qualified to fulfill the original calling of humanity to exercise dominion over the earth and to subdue it, restoring the conditions of Paradise throughout the whole world. As the truly divine Son of God, Jesus Christ has the power and authority to fulfill this calling where Adam failed. Don’t miss this! In 5:8 we see the beginning of the process of God putting everything in its right place by placing everything in the right hands.

What a reason to rejoice! In fact, as soon as Jesus took hold of the seven-sealed scroll, everything changed from weeping to worshiping. All creatures in heaven and earth burst forth in praise. Uncontainable jubilation exploded from the epicenter of God’s throne. In one wave after another, creation poured forth praise to the Lamb of God. Why? Because not only is He the Suffering Servant who took away the sins of the world by His sacrificial death (Isa. 53), but He is also the risen, glorified Judge who will execute judgment on the wicked and bestow blessings on the righteous. All authority to judge has been given to Him alone (John 5:21, 22, 27).

Don’t miss the order of worship around the throne (5:8). It began with the heavenly worship directors—the cherubim, the highest of God’s creatures. They fell flat on their faces before Jesus Christ as if responding to the biblical exhortation, “Let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6). Then the twenty-four elders, the highest of God’s redeemed, joined in with accompaniment and offered the prayers of the saints, symbolized by bowls of incense. By the way, don’t ever think your prayers are insignificant! Even if God doesn’t answer your pleas for help now, one day when Christ reverses the curse and rights all wrongs, your desperate cries for His intervention will be counted. God never tosses your prayers into a trash bin. He’s storing them up in bowls, and one day He will answer them in ways beyond your imagination. Be patient!

Waves of Worship from the Throne of God

Notice that the cherubim and elders sang a “new song”—a chorus never heard before (5:9). Fresh lyrics … a fresh melody … and a fresh experience of worship. Now look at the purposes for their praise in 5:9–10. In chapter 4 the four living creatures and twenty-four elders praised God for His work of creation (4:11). In chapter 5 they praised Christ for His work of redemption:

• Christ is worthy to take the book and break its seals because of His work of redemption.

• His blood covers every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.

• He purchased people from the hopeless slave market of sin and death and made them kings and priests of God.

The waves of praise don’t end with the elders. As if caught up in rapturous joy, two more groups joined in. First, innumerable angels encircling the throne offered their own response to the new song: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (5:11–12). Then all creatures in every corner of creation worshiped the Father and the Son together for their work of creation and redemption (5:13), while the four living creatures and elders continued their unceasing worship (5:14).

John’s gaze first followed the waves of worship from the center of the throne of the triune Godhead to the extremes of creation. Then John’s eyes returned to Jesus Christ, the worthy Lamb, who raised the scroll and readied Himself to break the seven seals.

Swindoll, C. R. (2011). Insights on Revelation (pp. 104–105). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.I have done that one.

Whiplash dozer. This really is the best one. Then they wake up like nothing happened. Is your neck okay?

But you know as funny as this is, it is actually serious.

When your body is trying to fall asleep even though you aren’t trying to sleep.... When your body overrides your choices by going to sleep it is a warning sign. You see, sleep is needed. It is crucial. I don’t know why we need 1/3 of our lives to be sleeping. Seems to me like a lot of wasted time. I don’t really get why God designed us to need the amount of sleep that we need.

Sleep is the way our body, not just rests, but heals. Your body heals when you sleep.

So Sleep isn’t really a negative thing. It can be if you are just lazy. But Maybe we should look at someone who needs sleep as someone who has damage in their body that needs to be healed. Maybe we shouldn’t be hard on Eutychus.

So when Eutychus falls asleep, maybe it is because his life is damaged. Maybe he’s not rebelling but he is here, he is listening. But he cannot take it anymore. We will come back to him in minute.

But look what is being said here in verse 8 It says that Paul preached til midnight! Midnight folks! I know that I can get long every once in a while. i am usually at about 35-40 minutes. I haven’t gone on til midnight.

But look what else is being said. It says that Paul preached til midnight! Midnight folks! I know that I am usually at about 35-40 minutes. I haven’t gone on til midnight.

I think even Luke is saying c’mon Paul, lets get moving here. He says in verse nine that as this kid falls into a deep sleep Paul talked still longer.

But we know that Paul was passionate about what he was speaking about. We know that he was getting ready to leave and he was probably saying, just let me tell you one more thing. Oh, yeah, let me tell you this too. Oh, wait, I almost forgot...

And most likely there was open discussion. Maybe they were even asking questions which would prolong him even more.

But look, Paul wouldn’t have spent all this time with them unless he loved them. HE wouldn’t have preached till after midnight unless there was actually something in him that made him care.

He wasn’t getting paid overtime, he didn’t have a contract to fulfill. Paul genuinely loved these folks and he loved the message that he had for them and he wanted to tell them everything he knew.

It’s like when you first meet someone you fall in love with. You can talk for hours and hours and hours and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything in that you want to say.

I remember when Rachel and I were dating that I would go over her moms house, we would hang out. We would get something to eat. We would talk, take a walk, maybe watch some tv. Then I would leave and go home and would talk to her on the phone on the way home. Couldn’t get enough of her. Paul loves these people so much and he is trying to get it all out. That is what is going on.

These people love and appreciate Paul too which is why they are all jammed up into this house.

He keeps talking. When does he finally end his sermon? When someone falls out the window and dies! That puts an end to it abruptly doesn’t it? That is what finally got him to stop talking. Eutychus falls out of the window and dies. Everybody freaks and runs outside. He is dead. The word is nekros. Where we get the word necrosis, when tissue dies. He is dead. Luke, who wrote Acts, remember is a doctor and he pronounces him as dead.

He keeps talking. When does he finally end his sermon? When someone falls out the window and dies! That puts an end to it abruptly doesn’t it? That is what finally got him to stop.

Everybody runs down and Paul basically tells everyone to calm down.

Acts 20:10 ESV

But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.”

Acts

God raised Eutychus from the dead through Paul and then what do they do? Did everyone say. “man that was crazy” and leave? No!

What did they do? They broke bread. They ate a meal.

They continued the worship service, they kept going, that’s what they did. What did they do? They broke bread. They ate a meal.

This service, this church would have been typical in that they would have gathered together, they would have been in close proximity to one another. They wouldn’t have been spread out all over the place. They would have eaten together. That was church, that was the gathering. It lasted a long time.

They actually recognized two different types of meals. There would be the love feast and there would be the Lord’s Supper.

There would be the love feast and there would be the Lord’s Supper.

The love feast was something that was a real meal. Everybody contributed to it. Everyone brought something. Guess what? It was a pot luck. They had a pot luck Sunday! We are having a pot luck Sunday.

There was a family spirit that existed in the church. I am so glad that we are having our LOVE Feast today after the service. Or, should I say that the meal is actually a continued part of the service. It really is. It’s still part of worship because the body of Christ is still together.

Those first century Christians were not just coming in, singing songs, listening to a sermon and leaving. No, the gathering was a huge, if not the most important part of their week. It was gathering and spending time with one another.

It is doubtful that you could be anonymous in a first century church.

And just to throw this in there. I am just as guilty as everyone else in this area, that we are so “to ourselves” and when we feel like being with people then we will be with people. We are so to ourselves.

The second meal that a gathering would experience would be the Lord’s Supper, where Jesus is celebrated as the the bread and the blood.

The Message of Acts b. Some Principles of Christian Worship

And the evidence is that the Eucharist, as a thankful celebration of the now risen Saviour’s death, very early became the main Sunday service, in the context of an agapē, that is, a ‘love feast’ of fellowship meal.

So this is basically what church looked like. We get a picture of some of the main elements that are included in the service. Now we don’t see every element that represents services and its likely that some of the elements of this service aren’t listed.

You will notice that they don’t talk about singing songs in this meeting but it would be highly unlikely that they didn’t sing. They probably did sing. Singing praises to God and about God were part of regular worship. So they would have sung, even if it isn’t mentioned here.

There is no mention of an offering but Paul would normally be collecting for the church in Jerusalem so giving would have been an important part of the life of the Christian. We do see some other elements about the service that are just like our worship services today.

Common things that happen at worship services.

1. First of all, they gathered together in unity. They met. They assembled and were blessed because of it.

Hebrews 10:25 ESV

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

And it wasn’t complete unless everybody was there.

There is a strength that you receive when you gather together. You really do get blessed by being with your fellow Christian.

The church got together and they wouldn’t have missed it. I do think that too often we look at our gathering together as something that is optional. I don’t want to beat anybody up this morning but when you miss meeting with one another you miss out on something. Something that is very important that you cannot get anywhere else.

And this doesn’t have anything to do with numbers, or giving or anything like that. There is something about Christians getting together, being around one another, loving one another that is beneficial to you and to those around you. When you are not here you are missing out and we are missing out because you aren’t here.

Another important aspect of our gathering is the

2 are learning through the teaching of Scripture.

This is such an important part of the church. Hearing and learning about Scripture. It’s God’s Word and

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16 ESV

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

Paul was teaching and they were learning. The teaching of Scripture has to be part of the church service.

So that is why the teaching needs to be centered on Scripture. And Paul was teaching and they were learning. The teaching of Scripture has to be part of the church service.

There is another facet to the worship service that is crucial but we don’t think about it much. Some people don’t think about it, but it is important.

The recognition of something supernatural happening. When we get together to worship something supernatural happens. It really does. Any time the Lord is in our midst it is a supernatural thing. He inhabits the praises of His people. That is supernatural. If we have a God who is outside of nature why is it so hard to accept that He is moving in and around us and performing miracles all of the time? Why is that so hard to believe?

Mark 10:14–15 ESV

But when Jesus saw it, he was indignant and said to them, “Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Matthew 18:2 ESV

And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them

How do children receive gifts? With open arms!! Happily. They take it. gimme! That is how we are to understand God and the fact that he is a supernatural being shouldn’t bother us and we shouldn’t be surprised when something supernatural happens and we shouldn’t explain something supernatural away either.

The boy Eutychus falls out the window and dies and the worship service, the teaching stops until he is back with them. We can’t finish until Eutychus is back. Paul goes and grabs him and the Lord raises him up and they go back to the worship service, the eating of the meal. Only person Paul rose to life.

They get to see Paul who is a guest speaker today and they hang on his every word.

This is what I have for you today. It is important for us to be together. There may be some that are tired and there may be some that are afflicted, that are just barley hanging on. There are folks who maybe are about to fall out of a window. We don’t want to move on until you are taken care of.

Together we are the body of Christ and we are here to encourage one another. We are here to love one another. We are here to serve one another. We are here to express the truths of God to one another and tell about what He has done for us.

And that extends beyond Sunday mornings. The body of Christ extends well beyond Sunday morning.

Today we are going to continue to worship through eating a meal together. You know you can do that right? The meal we eat together is still worship. So talk to one another about the goodness of God. Encourage one another because that is what God wants you to do.

Supernatural

Fellowshiping