Gathered Worship
Connecting with God – Gathered Worship
Acts 2.42-47 (and Hebrews 10.19-25)
Homegroup Leaders Notes for w/c 19th June 2022
Prepared by The Revd Malcolm Raby
Luke presents us with a cameo of what in means to be a Spirit-filled church in the light of Pentecost. Pentecost was not really the “birthday of the church” for the church, as the people of God, goes back at least 4,000 years to the time of Abraham. Pentecost was when the remnant of God’s people became the Spirit-filled body of Christ.
Read Acts 2 verses 42-47
Question: In what ways was this a LEARNING church?
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching. They sat at the feet of the apostles and learned from them, hungry to receive instruction. The authority of the apostles was authenticated by miracles (43).
A Spirit-filled church submits to New Testament instruction – to submission to the Word of God.
Is this a feature of our church/our homegroup?
Question: In what ways was this a LOVING church?
They devoted themselves to the fellowship (koinonia – from Greek = common). They shared fellowship with God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And they also shared in fellowship with one another in generous ways (44-45).
These are very challenging verses – do they mean that a Spirit-filled church will literally follow this example today?
In the desert at that time, leaders of the Essene community at Qumran (where the Dead Sea scrolls were found) had a rule that all members, wherever they lived, were obliged to care for the poor, the needy and the stranger. But to become an actual member of the monastic community all property and earnings had to be handed in. Some scholars believe this bears a close resemblance to the custom adopted by the church in Jerusalem.
But we need to note that neither Jesus nor his apostles forbade private property and even in Jerusalem the sharing of possessions and property was voluntary. If they broke bread in their homes (46) they must have still had homes! The text also suggests that selling and giving was in response to particular needs, not once and for all.
Even so, we cannot escape the fact that as Christians we are called to generosity, especially towards the genuine poor and needy (cf Deut 26.12). We have no right to evade the challenge of these verses.
Is this a feature of our church/our homegroup?
Question: In what ways was this a WORSHIPPING church?
They devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and to prayer (42) – a reference to the Lord’s Supper on the one hand (probably as part of a larger meal at this time) and meeting together to pray (rather than just private prayer).
It seems that worship was both formal (in the temple courts) and informal (in their homes). For some time Christians attended the temple services (3.1) – but it is unclear whether they continued to offer animal sacrifices (probably not as they grasped what Jesus had done on the cross). “There is no need to polarize between the structured and the unstructured, the traditional and the spontaneous. The church needs both” (John Stott).
Certainly worship was joyful and reverent (46). Public worship should be dignified but it should never be dull. Every worship service should celebrate what God has done for us in Jesus. And the people were filled with AWE – a combination of joy and awe is a healthy balance in worship.
Is this a feature of our church/our homegroup?
Question: In what ways was this an EVANGELISTIC church?
And the Lord added to their numbers …. (47b). Those first Christians were not so preoccupied with learning, sharing and worshipping that they had no time for witnessing. “The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit who created a missionary church.”
What can we learn about evangelism within a local church?
There was preaching; there was the witness of individual Christians; there was an impressive common life and the result …. 47a. But it was the Lord who added to their number! We may have our books, our techniques and our courses on “Evangelism” – but it should all be in humble dependance on Jesus.
Salvation (coming to faith) was linked to church membership. There was no place for individual Christianity.
The Lord added to their number DAILY. There was no “mission strategy” (this does not mean there is no place for initiatives such as the Alpha Course etc) – sharing faith, in word and action, was part of daily life.
Is this a feature of our church/our homegroup?
Do we expect steady church growth, or are we almost committed to gradual decline in today’s world?
CONCLUSION: The passage shows the importance of RELATIONSHIPS:
1 related to the apostles (in submission)
2 related to each other (in love)
3 related to God (in worship)
4 related to the world (in outreach)
“No self-centred, self-contained church (absorbed in its own parochial affairs) can claim to be filled with the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a missionary Spirit. So a Spirit-filled church is a missionary church.” (John Stott) …. Discuss!!
NOTE
There will probably not be time to look at Hebrews 10.19-25 but it is worth noting verses 24-25. LOVE (fellowship love) is a key response to the gospel challenge. It seems that Jewish believers were struggling to break with the Old Covenant, with the Temple and with the sacrificlal system. They were still holding on to the outward forms of Judaism. The writer is encouraging such believers to hold fast to the new things of God, to the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ. These “new things” were to be found in fellowship with other believers where they could love and be loved; serve and be served. We all need to be part of Christ’s Body, the church.
PRAYER
Pray that these characteristics of the early church will be evident in our own church.
Pray for our church leaders as they seek to move us forward as a Spirit-filled church.
Pray for any initiatives that your homegroup might take in the light of this study.