The centrals things

 

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42 ESV

            The earliest Church was quite simple by our standards. They offered preaching/teaching, fellowship, and prayer. These three pillars were sufficient. Ah, but that was a simpler time, they did not know what we know now… No, it seems they knew a good deal more. Our continued insistence that technological advances, or modern versions of ancient heresies, or any such thing has necessitated some new approach is a diversion and an excuse. Sin is still the issue, and Christ is still the only solution. Notice that all that the Church was doing made Christ visibly central. So much that we are encouraged to do today ends up making Christ less visibly peripheral.

            We ought to be weary of any time the Church is told it must do this, or be that in order to fulfill its mission. Otherwise, we be found hauling the philistines’ rubbish and dumping it in our wells of living water for them. Some things are helpful, but in the end man needs only Christ and Him crucified.

            There have been some movements to return to the early Church patterns, but these are marred too much by aesthetics. Creating the appearances of the early Church is a vain pursuit if ever there were one. What we want is the heart. Notice the word “devoted” sometimes rendered, “gave themselves.” These people were engaged, fully engaged. They were not monitoring their involvement, maintaining a balance, they were all in. The Church was not a part of their lives, it was their lives for their lives were Christ’s and the Church was the visible manifestation of His Kingdom. We know they did other things, work, and family; but the church was at the center of it and God was at the center of the Church.

            I am afraid this all seems quite strange to us. There is something missing which would bridge the gap between the reality depicted in scripture and our own. I believe we find it in verse 43, awe. We are so jaded that awe is seldom seen among us. We think we know God so well that we are immunized against awe of Him. Don’t be deceived by the mention of signs and wonders, it was God that inspired their awe as t was God who worked the wonders. We can see this in their practices which looked to God alone.

            If we would go back and do as the Church did at first aesthetic concerns, and matters of programming need to take a backseat as we seek God. We must seek God according to his chosen means of grace whole-heartedly. Our aim must be to know God as He is, awesome and glorious. We must give ourselves to Him, for Him. Amen.

Prayer

            Father be hallowed among Your people, and let us seek You humbly. Do not withhold Yourself from us from us, but show us Your glory. Make Yourself great among Your people, direct us in all we do. Whatever is needed elevated it in our sight, and whatever is unneeded strip it away from us. Have your way with us to Your glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Song

Brethren we have met to worship

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