January 22, 2022

Acts 2: 42 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Misapplication may grow from . . . treating biblical descriptions as biblical commands.*

Acts 2: 42 is held up as a template for the modern-day worship service, but let’s understand that this verse is not accompanied by a command to go and do likewise. If it were, the following four verses would surely have to be included and obeyed as well. Per those next verses, we would have to be filled with awe; willingly submit to communal living; sell everything and share the proceeds with the needy; meet together every day and eat together with glad and sincere hearts. How compliant would we be if we had to follow the example of the early church past verse 42?

I wonder: if one of those pioneer Christians could be transported in time and find himself sitting in a pew at First Christian Church Anywhere on a Sunday morning, what would he think? How would we compare?

• Apostles’ teaching – we hear a sermon every Sunday morning. It’s safe to say that most of our preachers, even those who  aren’t as gifted as others, strive to deliver a message from God.
• Fellowship – plenty of opportunities to encourage one another; to learn together; to get to know each other. (It’s      interesting that such a seemingly self-serving activity would appear on this list.)
• Breaking of bread – the fellowship I am a member of teaches that this is referring to the Lord’s Supper, so we participate in it every week.
• Prayer – our worship service includes several public prayers.

So far, our First Century Christian time-traveler might feel somewhat comfortable in our worship service (except for the language barrier and our strange fashions). But what about the things we have added to the program? First, we have already established that they met every day, not just on Sunday morning. Second, there is no mention of taking up an offering although verses 44 and 45 give us an idea of their generosity. Finally, the big one: music. The activity that we have elevated to such an important position in our worship service is not even mentioned as being part of the early church’s routine.

In planning, participating in, and being critical of a worship service, we should beware of twin dangers: 1) turning a precedent into a command; and 2) ignoring a command because we think it is no longer culturally relevant. Take some time to read the Book of Acts and observe the practices and activities of the first Christians. What can we learn from them? 

Most churches today teach and perform what is socially acceptable for the sake of numbers, rather than what is Godly acceptable for the sake of the truth and the salvation of souls.*