3 Aspects of Church

Devotion to the church

The early Christians were devoted to the church. The key to devotion is not giving up and being all-in. The early Christians likely were rejected by their family, persecuted by society, and excommunicated from the temple. They paid a tremendous price to follow Christ. The only thing that they could hold onto was the church. They were devoted to the church because they were with a group of people that had sacrificed as much as they had to follow Christ. They were devoted to Christ who had paid so high a price for them.

Devotion to church today is not near what it was in the early church. Could it be that we do not appreciate the church as much as we appreciate other things. If you get bent out of shape with a church, you can just go on to the next one. I don’t think this is what Christ had in mind. A church is a family of believers that have Christ in common. We are to grow in love for Him and one another. It is only in love that we will be able to be devoted to the church.

Do exercise about what people want in church and what Christ wants in Church.

3 aspects that should be foundational church.

Devoted to the Apostles Teachings

They didn’t have the written new testament in the first century church. The depended on the teachings of the apostles. This is why the apostles would travel and write letters to churches. People would come to church just to hear the teachings of Christ from the apostles.

Today we have all the apostles teachings in written form. It is the New Testament. Every Christian church should teach the Bible. Just as the people in the early church craved the teaching of the apostles, so Christians today should love the teaching of the Bible.

Not only should the Bible be taught in church, but it should be studied by members of the church. It is not enough to just come to church and be taught the scriptures. A believe r in Christ should study it for themselves. Teaching of the Bible in Church should be a supplement to your own studies. We must be devoted to the study of the scriptures.

Christians should be well versed in the Bible so they can teach others. This is disciple making. You cannot be a disciple maker if you are not devoted to the scripture.

What is your favorite passage of scripture? Why? How does being devoted to scripture help you in everyday life?

Fellowship and breaking bread

Fellowship is the process of building relationship. People in the early church only had one another to count on. It seems like everyone else was against them. The grew to love one another because they needed one another.

This has not changed. We as a church must see that we need one another. Relationships must be established in the church. A healthy church is not built around a pastor, minister, deacon, or a family. A healthy church is one built on relationships holistically in the church. We are to cross barriers and differences for the sake of building relationships. Clicks are not to be a part of church life.

Building relationships takes time. That is why attendance is so important. The more time you spend with a person the more you learn to trust them.

Who have you come to know well as a result of being a part of prospect baptist church? Who at prospect baptist church got you coming to church?

Prayer

Do you remember the last time you gathered with believers just to pray? Or is prayer something you do only before you eat or something your church does only when it needs to transition out of the sermon while the band walks onto the stage? Would you say that prayer plays any meaningful role in the life of your church? If prayer isn’t vital for your church, then your church isn’t vital. This statement may be bold, but I believe it’s true. If you can accomplish your church’s mission without daily, passionate prayer, then your mission is insufficient and your church is irrelevant.

Chan, Francis. Letters to the Church (p. 62). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.

The early church devoted themselves to prayer. They knew they couldn’t exist without it. If God didn’t come through, they could never fulfill the mission He had given them. So they were constantly on their knees together.

“And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.”

In , the early Christians had just prayed for signs and wonders and boldness. Immediately after, the ground shook and they left in boldness! Don’t you at least want to try this? Don’t “church activities” sound pretty boring in comparison? How can we read about the experience of the early church as they prayed and then settle for energetic services? I believe there is something deep in you that would love to pray intensely with like-minded people, hoping to see a supernatural response.

Chan, Francis. Letters to the Church (p. 63). David C. Cook. Kindle Edition.

Prayer is vital to the church. We must be devoted to it in order to see God do amazing things through the church?

If you could ask for anything regarding the church what would it be?