|
|
What Is the Church
Supposed To Do?
We
know what many things are supposed to do.
• An army is supposed to fight.
• A band is supposed to play.
• A school is supposed to educate and train.
• A baseball player is supposed to run, throw, and hit.
• A doctor is supposed to diagnose, prescribe, and heal.
• A flower is supposed to grow, bloom, and produce seeds.
• A farmer is supposed to plant, fertilize, weed, and harvest.
• A baby is supposed to eat, sleep, make noise, and spit up.
• A dog is supposed to eat, sleep, make noise, and spit up.
But what is a church supposed to do? Many of us could run through a list
of things our church is currently doing, but is that what the church is
supposed to do? And is that everything the church is supposed to do?
When you look at some churches, you get the feeling you ought to gear
everything around evangelizing. When you look at other churches, you get
the feeling you ought to build a beautiful building and worship God.
When you look at other churches, you get the feeling you ought to get an
overhead projector and study your Bible. Then there are the program
oriented churches that have 100 members and 200 programs.
Then there are fads that hit the church like snowstorms in the Rockies.
One decade, everyone is buying busses and picking up hundreds of
children in the neighborhood. Another decade, everyone is starting
twelve-step support groups. Another decade, everyone is starting a no
tie no problem services.
Are these things right or wrong? Are they complete or partial? Are they
temporal or eternal? When something new comes down the pike, should we
do it or pass it up? How do you know? What should the church do, and how
do we know we should do it?
These are enormous questions, but Scripture gives us some help in
answering them. There is a key passage in the book of Acts which will
give us some guidance. Lets set the stage:
Matthew 16:18
Matthew 28:19–20
Acts 1:4- 9
Acts 2:1-4
Acts 2:37-40
Now they have got to get organized. How do you think they did this?
Continuing in chapter two, we see the description of their activities,
and can get some idea of what the church is supposed to do by analyzing
what the first church did.
Acts 2:41–47
Hidden within this description of what the first church did are clues as
to what we ought to be doing today.
Why Should the Church Worship?
The church should worship because we are instructed to worship and
because the example of the early church teaches us to worship. That’s
Hermeneutics. We know how we aer to act as a church because we have 1) A
Direct Command 2) An Apostolic Example 3) or Natural Inference
Luke writes that the first Christians were “continually devoting
themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer” (v. 42).
These things are at the heart of corporate worship. The phrase
“continually devoting themselves” suggests single-minded faithfulness.
Apparently when these first Christians got together for worship they
were serious about it.
Then he mentions that “everyone kept feeling a sense of awe” (v. 43)
The phrase “kept feeling a sense of awe” could be translated, “fear came
upon every soul.” It does not mean “fear” in the sense of being
frightened of someone. Rather, it means “awe” or “reverence” or “deep
respect.” These people had been deeply impressed with the presence of
God and His work in their midst. It showed.
and that they were “praising God” (v. 47).
However, they were not prune-faced religious scrooges whose very
presence dumped a cloud of gloom on others. Verse 46 says that
“gladness” characterized their activities, and they favorably impressed
all those who saw them.
How should we worship?
We should worship in a way that is culturally relevant without violating
any principle in Scripture. One thing the first churches did was to
worship God intensely, but with contagious joy.
There are several Scriptures that give us additional insight into
biblical worship. For example, David made it clear that our worship
could be enthusiastic and joyful.
Psalm 100
This is no picture of somber dirges being groaned out by stone-faced
corpses who died long ago but have not had the decency to stop
breathing. No, this is a picture of life! This is a picture of joy! This
is a picture of uninhibited praise to God for who He is and what He has
done!
When we look at Nehemiah, we see another example of a worship service.
And what a service it was! The walls of Jerusalem had been destroyed and
rebuilt. At the dedication ceremony of the new walls, Nehemiah, a leader
of the Jewish people, planned a great time of worship and celebration.
Nehemiah 12:27–43
Not all worship services were done on such a grand scale, however; some
were simple and quiet.
On the night before Jesus was betrayed, for example, He met with His
disciples in an upper room where they observed the Passover, during
which time Jesus converted the observance of the Passover to the
observance of the Lord's Supper, or communion (John 13–17). In addition
to observing the first communion, they shared thoughts from Scripture,
prayed, and sang hymns.
Then in Acts 5:42
So we see from the scriptural examples that there is great freedom in
how we worship. But we are to worship.
Who Is the Audience in Worship?
Worshipers are the “actors” in worship, and God is the audience.
One problem many people face is that they are not able to find a church
they are happy with. It seems that all the great churches are a thousand
miles away. Not everyone has this problem, of course, but it is very
common. Many people respond by not going to church, or by going but
griping about things.
I don't want to minimize the frustration of this. Trista and I have been
in that situation, and it is not as enjoyable as having a church that is
a pleasure to attend. However, when we understand what worship is, we
realize that we can worship even if the church does not do things the
way we think they should be done.
Many people have the idea that it is the church's responsibility to put
on a good show that we enjoy, that moves us emotionally, and that we
feel comfortable with. We see the ministers, and Song leaders and
prayers as the actors on a stage, with ourselves as the audience. If the
show is good, we reward the actors with our approval, presence, and our
financial support. If the show isn't so good, we may reduce our
response. God is around somewhere, but we're not completely sure how He
fits in. For many years, this was my concept of worship.
However, true worship must be seen as a responsibility of each person in
the pew. When worship is understood correctly, each person in the pew is
seen as one of the “actors”, along with the ministers, and Song leaders
and prayers, who are merely prompters and leaders. God Himself is the
audience.
Why I Need to Know This
Worship is not always easy. Sometimes we don't feel like worshiping.
Sometimes we cannot find a church that we like. Other times, we don't
know if the way our church is worshiping is okay in God's eyes. Because
worship is not always easy, it requires a commitment to worship and a
willingness to make our worship better. Also, if we do not understand
how to worship, we may go through the motions, but true worship is not
happening. The better we understand worship, the more likely we are to
be faithful and find it satisfying.
God wants us to worship Him, and we can do so, even if the prompters
aren't as much help as we would like. Assuming that the prompters are
not doing something offensive to God, we can worship. If we direct our
thoughts to God and mean everything that is said, sung, and prayed, then
we will worship.
I remember one time worshiping in a large, beautiful building with
beautiful paintings, stained-glass windows, solid wood pews and a
beautiful pulpit in the center. The ceremony was high church with older
songs being sung in a very respectful manner and the Scripture being
read with force. I had reason to believe, because of what the minister
had said and the attention put forth by those around me that not
everyone meant what they were saying or singing. But they could not keep
me from meaning it. I remember worshiping deeply. I would have been
happier if everyone there had meant what was said, sung, and prayed, but
on that Sunday morning, I worshiped regardless of what anyone else did.
John 4:23-34
Worship is not an emotion. Rather, it is an offering to God. We offer
God our praise, our prayers, our public declaration of the greatness of
His person and His work. Sometimes worship will stir us emotionally, and
sometimes it will not.
In a worship service we primarily give something to God, and secondarily
we receive something for ourselves. We worship God because He is
deserving of our worship, not because we demand to get something out of
the worship experience.
What Should Our Focus Be in Worship?
Our worship should include a dual focus on the greatness and the
nearness of God.
The son of a king has to look at his father in two different ways. He is
both a subject and a child, so he must look at his father both as his
king and as his father. As a subject, the child is required to obey the
laws of the land and be subject to the authority of the king. As a
child, however, he has a closeness and a relationship that go beyond
mere citizenship. He is able to crawl up in his lap and call him daddy.
So it is with us and God. God is our King, and God is our Father. As our
King, we must obey and respect Him. As our Father, we are free to call
Him “Daddy” (which is what “Abba” means in Romans 8:15).
These two different facets of our relationship to God affect our worship
of Him. Sometimes in our worship we call attention to God our King.
Other times, we may call attention to Jesus our Savior. Sometimes we
focus on the greatness of God, and other times we may focus on the love
of Jesus. Sometimes we highlight how far above us God is, and other
times we may highlight how close Jesus is. One is not wrong and the
other right. Rather, they are both aspects of our relationship with God,
and it is legitimate, and even important, for us to balance our worship
between these two facets of our relationship with God.
Some songs, some worship services, and some churches may tend to
highlight one of the aspects more than the other. The song, “A Mighty
Fortress Is Our God,” by the fiery reformer Martin Luther, focuses on
the greatness and distance of God.
The little chorus, “Jesus Is the Sweetest Name I Know,” focuses on His
love and nearness.
Sometimes not just one song but an entire worship service might focus on
the greatness and majesty of God; at other times the entire service
might focus on the love and nearness of Jesus.
One way is not right and the other wrong. However, regardless of which
tradition you feel most comfortable with, there is a danger. Because
both are true—God is great and majestic and distant and far above us, as
well as being loving and close and always with us—if we only communicate
one perspective, we risk having a lopsided view of God. This
lopsidedness comes not only because of what we say and do, but also
because of what we don't say and don't do.
Through all our worship, we give praise to God for His grace and mercy
to us.
Ephesians 2:8–9
Not because of who we are, but because of who He is, He allows us to be
adopted into His family, and He treats us like His beloved children for
eternity.
If our focus is always on the great and majestic and distant God we are
in danger of never helping our people understand that God is also near,
loving, merciful, and kind.
On the other hand, our Focus is always on God being near, loving, kind,
near, and always with us we will be in danger of never helping our
people understand that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, everywhere
present, majestic, and higher than we are.
The major reason I believe that here are so many different churches in
this area is because we have different opinions of what we like and who
we like and forget about our reason for coming together. The tendency to
prefer our style of worship instead of on God gives rise to traditional
differences in worship service styles.
Examples:
How successful would we be if we went to Belize Central America and
tried to force them to sit on hard wooden pews and sing tightly
controlled classical songs. What if we told them that if someone
responded to the invitation they had to write their response on a piece
of paper and let the minister read it to the congregation. What if
someone had a need for prayer and we told them that we only had enough
time to offer one prayer so that we could hurry and get to the
plantation for lunch?
Probably as successful as they would be if they came to New Hope and
tried to force us to sing 20 songs, and spend 30 minutes on the Lords
Supper while we openly wept thinking about how much God offered us. And
when someone came forward they would address the whole congregation and
every member would have the opportunity to pray for them right there.
And the service would not last 1 hour but 4 hours.
Is one right and the other wrong? Not necessarily. It’s like the great
baptism debate among our brother hood when we first started foreign
missions.
Some said that we had to baptize straight back with one hand raise.
While in Africa they said that it was appropriate for the baptizee to
crouch under the water, and yet in China they baptize face forward.
Which is right? What does the Bible say?
Mark 16:15-16
It says that they need to be baptized and al three ways are appropriate.
In our brotherhood there are several different styles of worship.
1. Formal. In the formal style the emphasis is on the observance of
communion and the sermon.
2. Informal. In the informal style the emphasis is a more spontaneous
worship style. Singing more songs with a 5 minute devotional thought and
time spent in prayer and scripture reading.
Now which one is right and which one is wrong?
No one of these styles is right or wrong. The needs, interests, tastes,
background, and temperaments of people are what create the different
worship styles. If someone has a preference for one style, but finds
himself in a church that emphasizes another style, he should not view
his church as being in the wrong. Rather, he should recognize that the
majority of people in that church have apparently preferred the present
worship style. He might be advised to either accept the worship style or
else change churches, rather than mount a one-man crusade to get the
church to change to his viewpoint.
Scripture makes it clear that Christians are to worship God, but there
is some freedom given to people to worship in whatever manner is most
meaningful to them, as long as certain principles are followed in
worship.
John 4:23
We are to worship in spirit and in truth, which means that we are not to
tolerate hypocrisy or meaninglessness in our worship. And we are to see
out the way that God desires to be worshiped.
1 Corinthians 14:30
And the apostle Paul tells us that everything is to be conducted
properly and in an orderly manner.
But within these general guidelines, we are free to use whatever style
most clearly expresses the heart of any given group of believers. If we
desire more singing that is OK. If we desire a longer time spent around
the table that’s OK. If we would like to hear the word of God read three
or four times a service that’s OK. If we want to have 7 prayers offered
that’s OK.
As long as our focus is on God and the worship of God being in truth and
in order.
Now we asked the question, “What is the church supposed to do?” and I
believe that worship is a correct answer, but worship is only one of the
things a church is to do.
Teaching The Scriptures
I once read that James Earl Jones, that actor with thunder in his voice,
wrote a poem for school when he was a young boy. It was a very good
poem, and his teacher thought he had copied it. James protested, so the
teacher said, “All right, if you wrote the poem, recite it to me.” Jones
recited it verbatim. The teacher was convinced, and went on to encourage
Jones to expand his talents.
That story struck me, because I have written many poems, but I couldn't
recite one of them if my life depended on it. I have a friend who often
recites poems and other things he learned as a child in school. There
are some things I have memorized repeatedly and still can't remember
them very well. If that incident had happened to me instead of James
Earl Jones, I would probably still be sitting in the principal's office.
Knowledge is a tricky thing. It is hard to gain it initially and it is
hard to keep it. I once heard the true story of a couple who, after a
long and difficult labor, were blessed with their second child, a
daughter beautiful and perfect in every way. Later, in the hospital
room, the husband looked tenderly at the new little life in his arms
with tears in his eyes. Then he glanced up at his wife, who expected him
to utter something truly poetic. Instead, he asked, “What's her name
again?”
Perhaps you've never done anything that bad, but how many times have you
hit your head against a brick wall because you didn't know enough to
solve a problem you were facing, or groped for something that you used
to know but could no longer remember? We all struggle with gaining
enough knowledge and then retaining it.
And where is it any more difficult than in learning the Bible? Many of
us are familiar with the stories of the Bible and vaguely familiar with
some of the verses in the Bible. But just let us get into a conversation
with someone about what the Bible says regarding a particular issue, and
our mind goes blank. It is as though we had never read the Bible.
Our problem goes back to something Solomon said in Proverbs 22:17–19
Ah, there's the trick. Most of us have only become generally familiar
with the Bible, but Solomon says that we should study the Bible well
enough that the information will be “ready on our lips.” That is, we
should know the Bible well enough that we can remember it and talk about
the information. Using that measure, many of us do not know the Bible
well enough.
Jesus was the perfect example of knowing the Bible well enough to use it
like a spiritual laser beam. In Matthew 4, after His baptism by John the
Baptist in the Jordan River, Jesus went out into the wilderness where He
fasted for forty days and nights. Then Satan came to Him to tempt Him to
sin, hoping that He would not begin His ministry as the Messiah. Satan
tempted Jesus three times, and each time Jesus quoted a passage of
Scripture in His defense. For example, Satan said, knowing that Jesus
would be extremely hungry, “If you are the Son of God, command that
these stones become bread.” But Jesus answered him and said, “It is
written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceeds from the mouth of God’” (v. 4).
If, when we are tempted to sin, we could remember a Scripture passage
that specifically addressed the issue we were facing, we would find it
much easier to withstand the temptation. For example, when we are
tempted to watch something on television that we ought not to watch, if
we knew Philippians 4:8 well enough, its words would pop into our minds:
Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is
pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any
excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on
these things (NASB).
It would be very difficult to have this verse in your mind and watch
most television at the same time. That is how Scripture becomes most
valuable, when you know it so well that specific verses come to your
mind in life's situations. This will only happen as we become serious
and dedicated students of the Bible.
Why Should the Church Teach the Scriptures?
The church should teach the Scriptures to help people master the Bible
well enough to mature spiritually.
A church that only sings and offers prayer to God is like a ship that
has a sail but no rudder. Yes, it is going somewhere, but is it going to
the right place? Truth is foundational to Christianity.
John 8:32
An expressive, exuberant Christianity is not sufficient. Everything we
do must be rooted in the truth.
John 17:17
If we are to grow spiritually we must be grounded in the truth, in the
word of God. That is why we read, in Acts 2:42, “and they continued
steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.” Without the foundation of
biblical instruction, Christians will not mature spiritually, and
neither will the church, corporately.
2 Timothy 3:16–17
If we want to be complete (or “mature”), and if we want to be equipped
for every good work, we must depend on the Scripture. We must be founded
and rooted in the truth of the word. Everything that the Christian
should know, should become, should do is based in the Scripture. A high
view of Scripture, which must include a deep commitment to mastering its
teachings and allowing its teachings to master us, is essential to all
that God wants for His children.
If this is true, then the church must instruct its people in the truth,
and we see that the first church did. “They continued steadfastly in the
apostles' doctrine [or teaching]”
What was the apostles' doctrine?
We don't know for sure, but it would have included everything that Jesus
taught. Much of this would be found in the Gospels. In addition, it
would have included their teaching of the crucifixion, resurrection, and
ascension of our Lord, as well as His charge to go into all the world
and preach the gospel.
So, whatever the apostles taught, the first church continued steadfastly
in it. We see the importance that the early church placed on the truth
when, in Acts, chapter 6, a complaint arose among some of the Jews that,
as they lived in a temporary communal condition, some of the widows and
orphans were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food. They
wanted the apostles to fix the problem.
Indirectly, they did.
Acts 6:3-4
The study and teaching of the word was of such priority that they would
let nothing keep them from the responsibility.
If I am going to live a balanced life myself and if I am going to be
able to help make my church a better church, I need to know what the
responsibilities of the church are. Otherwise, I suffer, the church
suffers, and those we might have helped suffer.
If we are to maintain the priorities of the New Testament church, we
must place a powerful priority on the preaching of and instruction in
the word of God. It is not enough to be vaguely familiar with the
stories of the Bible. We must know the spiritual principles and truths
so well that we are able to guide and order our daily lives and
continuous thoughts after the truth of the word. If a person or a church
is not well instructed in the Scriptures, they are easy prey to false
teaching, to discouragement, to imbalance, to wrong steps taken in
ignorance, and to forgetfulness. If you want healthy sheep, the shepherd
must make sure they are well fed. So a second priority for any church,
after worship, is instruction in the word.
Instruction must be kept in balance. Just as vegetables are good for
you, and essential to overall health, if you eat nothing but vegetables,
you will not be healthy. You must balance vegetables with other things
for a complete diet. The same is true with instruction. We must stress
the critical importance of biblical instruction, but in doing so, we
must never give the impression that instruction is all there is.
As crucial as good instruction is, it is only part of what a Christian
needs, and only part of what a church should do. A church that studies
so hard that it does nothing else is like a ship with a huge rudder but
no sail. If it ever got any wind, it might know exactly, precisely where
to go. But there is no sail, no life, no energy. If you want to get
someplace in a sailboat, you must have both rudder and sail.
Why Should the Church Promote Fellowship?
The church should promote fellowship because Christians need each other
for support to live the Christian life.
Look at the description of the Christians in the first church in Acts 2.
They “continued in fellowship,” they “were together.” They took care of
each other, whenever anyone had need. They continued “with one accord”;
they “broke bread from house to house.” They lived as part of each
other's lives.
There appear to be two issues involved in the matter of fellowship.
First is the fact that they spent time with each other, enjoyed each
other, and drew strength from each other.
We are becoming more and more isolated. In the not-too-distant past, our
houses had front porches where people sat and visited when they had the
time. Now, we have back patios with fences around them. We used to leave
our doors unlocked. Now, we barricade ourselves behind iron bars and
security systems. We used to visit with others when we had the chance.
Now we turn on the television. We are becoming more and more isolated.
It affects even those in the church. We tend to be so busy that if
anyone drops by unexpectedly, it interrupts us from something important.
We do not have the normal communal life that used to be part of American
culture. Yes, there are enough problem people out there that we cannot
turn the clock back. But as a result, we have developed a living pattern
of isolation that not only protects us from dangerous people, but it
also cuts us off from the very people we need in order to live a
balanced and healthy life.
The image of a body was well chosen by Jesus to “picture” the collection
of Christians called the “church.” A body has many different members,
very unlike each other, yet when they fit together, they form a “whole”
that works quite well. A Christian was never intended to function alone
spiritually, any more than an eyeball was intended to function alone
physically. Christians are created by God to be healthy only as they are
in good relationship with other Christians. Solitary confinement in
prison is one of the worst possible forms of punishment because people
need other people. So if a church is going to function normally, if it
is going to have biblical priorities, if it is going to have healthy
members, it must encourage, promote, and champion fellowship.
The second issue is that they took care of each other. If anyone had a
need, the group as a whole met it.
I know of very few churches who are able to take care of each other the
way the early church did. Trying to function like the early New
Testament church in this regard is an overwhelming challenge.
We should help people with legitimate needs. We cannot let the abusers
of the system keep us from being sensitive to the needs of those who
really need our help and would not abuse the system. Each local church
must decide for itself how it will meet this mandate, but meet it we
must.
Why Must the Church Minister to Others?
The church must minister because of the needs of Christians within the
church as well as the needs of those outside the church.
The first church in Acts ministered very naturally, as an overflow of
what God had done for them. The Holy Spirit had done some very
remarkable things among the first Christians in Jerusalem, and thousands
of people believed the powerful message preached by Peter on the day of
Pentecost. These Christians then ministered to one another,
fellowshiping, breaking bread together, and dividing possessions to meet
one another's needs. But in addition to all that, they reached out to
those who had not yet heard. They continued to visit the temple,
presumably telling others about their experience, since “the Lord added
to the church daily those who were being saved”
Of course, the church is given much more complete instructions later on
in the New Testament regarding its ministry. The apostle Paul wrote in
his letter to the Galatians, “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us
do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith”
(Galatians 6:10). We minister to one another, and we minister to those
who are not of the faith. This is the pattern we see in the first
church.
In ministering to one another, there is the long list of “one anothers”
that we described as our Job description a few weeks ago.
In ministering to non-Christians, of course we are to evangelize them
Matthew 28:19–20
Later, in Acts chapter 4, Peter was again preaching, and they were
arrested, jailed, and warned not to preach the name of Jesus anymore. Of
course they did.
Acts 5:41–42
In The Bride, Chuck Swindoll makes four observations about evangelism
and outreach in the New Testament:
1. Evangelism was never limited to a church gathering.
In fact, it occurred there least of all. The church gathered to be
instructed and to worship. The church scattered to help, affirm,
encourage, and evangelize. Today we often get it reversed. We think the
church gathered ought to evangelize. The church can be thought of like a
football team. They only huddle long enough to get the plays. Through
the week, we run the plays.
2. Evangelism was always initiated by the Christian.
We cannot assume that if someone wants to become a Christian, he will
come up to us and ask. That rarely happens. So Christians initiate the
contact.
3. Evangelism was usually connected with another unrelated event or
experience.
As the early Christians went about obeying Christ, it created
opportunities for them to share their faith, and when they did, people
came to Christ.
4. Evangelism was never something anyone was forced into or manipulated
to do.
Christians did not force themselves on non-Christians. Almost without
exception, people were treated with tact and respect. The power of the
ministry is the Holy Spirit. As He leads and we follow, caring for
people, becoming interested in their world, their personal concerns,
other people are attracted to Christ and want to hear our message.
When Christians demonstrate love to one another, and a care and concern
for others in general, it provides a powerful backdrop for evangelism.
In Saints and Snobs, Marion Jacobsen writes of this connection between
caring and evangelism:
If any group of Christians who claims to believe and practice all God
has said in His Book will face up to their personal responsibility
within the family of Christ, and to the real needs of Christians around
them, their church will impress its community with the shining goodness
of God's love—to them AND among them. Such a transformation probably
would do more to attract others to Jesus Christ than any house-to-house
canvass, evangelistic campaign or new church facility. People are hungry
for acceptance, love and friends, and unless they find them in the
church they may not stay there long enough to become personally related
to Jesus Christ.
People are not persuaded—they're attracted. We must be able to
communicate far more by what we are than by what we say
Over the past few weeks we did not get a complete picture of what the
church today should do. But it does give us a fundamental picture. The
early church worshiped God, giving him not only their public praise and
worship, but also their own lives in response to God's offer of
salvation through Jesus. They taught themselves in the word, using it as
the foundational knowledge for faith and life. They fellowshipped,
living in unity and harmony, caring for the physical, spiritual, and
emotional needs of one another. And they ministered to one another and
sought to evangelize the world. If this was their pattern in the
earliest days, we might do more today, but we certainly ought not do
less.
|
