And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers…And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
Our verses today feature our earliest record of the church’s worship following Pentecost, giving us several essential elements of worship. First, note that the earliest Christians devoted themselves “to the apostles’ teaching.” This practice shows us the importance of reading and teaching the Word of God in our worship services, for the Apostles’ teaching comes to us today only in the canonical Scriptures. Second, and most importantly, during the Apostolic period, the early church was devoted to “the prayers.” The early church was a praying church, and prayers were an integral part of early Christian worship. This is not surprising. After all, the first Christians were mostly of a Jewish background, and prayers were an important part of synagogue worship. David wrote many psalms as prayers to be read and repeated during prayer times. Solomon prayed at the temple’s dedication. We often think of prayer as a spiritual discipline for private worship and devotion, and so it is. But, prayer is also a public devotion that is to be a part of corporate worship. When we sing hymns or pray in unison, let us do so with our hearts and minds fully engaged. And during the pastoral prayer, let us think carefully on the pastor’s words and ask the Lord for the prayer to be answered. These are marks of a true church. But, they must be tested finally against the teaching of Scripture, which is the sure instruction of the Apostles and the inerrant Word of God. Protestants have traditionally agreed on two marks: the right preaching of the Word and the right administration of the sacraments. The right preaching of God’s Word is an obvious mark of the church. Without faithfulness to the foundation of Christian belief, no group can rightly call itself Christian, let alone a church. Church creeds and confessions of faith statements help us to determine whether a particular church accurately preaches the Word. Sacraments are visible words of God, so their right administration also marks a true church. The earliest Christians affirmed these two marks of the church as our verses attest to us. God’s Holy Word and sacrament, rightly administered, must be our emphasis today. True churches are identified by their faithfulness to the Word of God, not by size or influence in the community. A church that hears and obeys Scripture cannot help but reach out to the society around it, but the mere presence of programs or a gathering of professing believers does not necessarily mean a church is present. As believers, let us call our churches to remain faithful to God’s Word and to administer the sacraments rightly and regularly.
Source: S C Ball May 30, 2023
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