Sermon on Acts 2:42c

By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman

This sermon was preached on July 5, 1998

Acts 2:42-47
vs 42c
"A Worshiping Church"

Introduction

Topic: Fellowship
Subtopic: Nearness to God
Index: 1268-1270
Date: 6/1998.101
Title: Buy the Slippers

A father and daughter were especially close. They enjoyed spending time together. If he went for a walk or made a social call, she wanted to go along. But then he began to notice a change. When he asked her to accompany him on errands, she made excuses. As the weeks passed, he became concerned about it.
When his birthday came, she presented him with a pair of slippers she had made. Then he realized that she had been working on them while he was out of the house. "I like these slippers very much," he said gently, "but next time buy the slippers and let me have you all the days. I would rather have you than anything you can make for me."

Beyond any work we may do for God, time spent in His presence must take priority. He desires our fellowship first of all. If our worship is neglected, our work will be deficient.

This is now the fourth sermon on what a Spirit-filled church looks like. Three weeks ago, if you remember, we said a Spirit-filled church is a learning church. She devotes herself to the teaching of the Apostles about Christ. She not only knows that teaching but follows and obeys it as well.

Two weeks ago we said that a Spirit-filled church devotes herself "to the fellowship," to koinonia among members. Such fellowship or koinonia, we said, comes to expression when church members support each other and are one in heart and mind. A Spirit-filled church is a loving and unified church.

Last week we said such fellowship or koinonia also comes to expression in looking after the needs of the poor. A Spirit-filled church is a caring and sharing church.

Today we look at another aspect of the fellowship or koinonia of the early church. We are told that a Spirit-filled church devotes herself to "the breaking of bread and to prayer." This refers to worship. Again, the Greek word for "devote" means "to be loyal to someone; to diligently occupy oneself with something." In other words, those early Spirit-filled Christians spent time and effort on their worship. They devoted themselves to that. We are told that

(Acts 2:46) Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God ...

Did you catch that? "Every day" they met together for worship. Many of us come together for worship twice a week, but those early believers gathered together seven or more times per week. Truly we can say they "devoted" themselves to "the breaking of bread and to prayer."

I Early Christian Worship
A I think we all recognize the importance of worship. Worship – no act is more central to the Christian life. It gives rhythm and structure to the Christian's life; it is the heartbeat of congregational life. Worship is the first act of a new church and the last act of a dying church – for when the worship stops the congregation is dead.

Our text tells us that the Spirit-filled New Testament church devoted herself to worship. What was her worship like? What did she do in worship? In what ways can and should our worship as a Spirit-filled church in the 20th century be like hers?

B Outside of the few glimpses we have in the New Testament, the most complete description we have of early Christian worship comes from the First Apology of Justin Martyr. He writes this:

On the day called Sunday there is a gathering together in the same place of all who live in a given city or rural district. The memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits. Then when the reader ceases, the (pastor) in a (sermon) admonishes and urges the imitation of these good things. Next we all rise together and send up prayers.
When we cease from our prayer, bread is presented and wine and water. The (pastor) in the same manner sends up prayers and thanksgivings, according to his ability, and the people sing out their assent, saying the "Amen." A distribution and participation of the elements for which thanks have been given is made to each person, and to those who are not present they are sent by the deacons.
Those who have means and are willing, each according to his own choice, gives what he wills, and what is collected is deposited with the (pastor). He provides for the orphans and widows, those who are in need on account of sickness or some other cause, those who are in bonds, strangers who are (visiting), and in a word he becomes the protector of all who are in need.
We all make our assembly in common on Sunday, since it is the first day, on which God changed the darkness and matter and made the world, and Jesus Christ our Savior arose from the dead on the same day.

Some of you might wonder if the early Christians sang in their worship since Justin doesn't mention any singing. Justin included singing under Scripture reading and prayer. Every Sunday various psalms were interspersed among the different Scripture readings – these were almost always sung. And, certain set prayers of praise were always chanted by the congregation.

The first part of an early Christian worship service was open to all, including strangers, who might be converted by the preaching. The second part of the service – the part involving the Lord's Supper – was open only to the baptized, so the unbaptized had to leave. We know from Paul's letters to Corinth that the Lord's Supper included not only the bread and wine but an entire meal. As part of the meal, neighbors who had quarreled made peace.

We wouldn't want to imitate all New Testament worship practice. Some early Christians, for instance, did some odd things, like baptize for the dead (1 Cor 15:29) or get drunk at the Lord's Supper (1 Cor 11:21). Then again, the early church did some brilliant things, like regularly including Communion, the Scriptures, and the sermon in worship. And this she maintained despite persecution, heresy, and her spread to faraway corners of Asia, Africa, and Europe.

C At its heart, early Christian worship was centered on God: His praise, His honor, His glory, His Word. First and foremost early Christian worship was koinonia with God. The songs, prayers, and gifts were all directed towards heaven. Scripture tells us they were "praising God" (vs 47).

Topic: Worship
Subtopic: False
Index: 3928-3951
Date: 10/1988.29
Title:

On one occasion Thomas K. Beecher substituted for his famous brother Henry Ward Beecher at the Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, New York. Many curiosity seekers had come to hear the renowned Henry Beecher speak. Therefore when Thomas Beecher appeared in the pulpit instead, some of the people got up and started for the doors. Sensing that they were disappointed because he was substituting for his brother, Thomas Beecher raised his hand for silence and announced, "All those who came here this morning to worship Henry Ward Beecher may withdraw from the church; all who came to worship God may remain."

The New Testament church didn't have this problem. She gathered together everyday for the worship of Almighty God. Every day she enjoyed koinonia with God.

Compare early Christian worship to the entertainment mindset we see today. Worship today is understood by many as a visit to an attractive site to be made when we have adequate leisure. For some it is a weekly jaunt to church. For others, occasional visits to special services. Some, with a bent for Christian entertainment and sacred diversion, plan their lives around special events like retreats, rallies and conferences . We go to see a new personality, to hear a new truth, to get a new experience and so, somehow, expand our otherwise humdrum lives. We'll try anything – until something else comes along. What happens is that we too often try to please ourselves in worship. When this happens our worship becomes man-centered rather than God-centered. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

Compare early Christian worship also to another mindset we see today – what I call the churchless Christian. Many so-called Christians today think they can be Christians without the church and worship. In theory they are right; but in practice they are wrong. The early church shows us that Spirit-filled believers want to regularly gather together for the worship of God. They not only wanted to, but they needed this. They needed a time of public koinonia with God. They needed a time in which their hearts and souls could be lifted up with those of other believers to the throne of God.

II Balanced Worship
A The Spirit-filled New Testament church devoted herself to worship. This worship was well-balanced. I can point to three things.

First, though their worship was focused on koinonia with God it also included koinonia with each other. Our Scripture reading says, "All the believers were together ... Every day they continued to meet together ... They broke bread in their homes and ate together ..." (vs 44,46). In worship the believers had a chance to rub shoulders with fellow believers, to encourage one another, to pray for each other. When they got together they had a chance to laugh and cry and visit and eat with each other.

Again, contrast this with what we see today. In every church there are a certain number of members who want nothing to do with the other members. They stand in their own cliques and never make room for others to join. Or, right after the service they make a beeline for the exit without saying a word to anyone. And then there are members who are ignored, overlooked, or forgotten by the other members; you often see them standing by themselves with no one willing to talk to them.

Do you remember when Rev. Adams led our service and preached on greeting one another with a holy kiss? Though he didn't use the word, he was talking about the importance of koinonia with one another in worship. Let me tell you, my brothers and sisters, this kind of koinonia is necessary too. People need koinonia with God when they worship; but they also need koinonia with fellow believers or else they won't come back regardless of how pure our worship may be.

B The second example of the balance of the early church's Spirit-filled worship was that their worship was both formal and informal. It took place both "in the temple courts" and "in their homes."

I find it surprising that the early Christians worshiped for a while in the temple, but they did. They did not immediately abandon what might be called the institutional church. Nor, did they abandon all Jewish practices. We know, for instance, that the early Christians continued to observe the Jewish Passover. But they did not celebrate the Passover in memory of the deliverance from Egypt. Instead, they remembered the sufferings of Jesus, the true Passover Lamb. It also appears that they attended prayer services in the temple:

(Acts 3:1) One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer--at three in the afternoon.

At the same time, the early Christians did not participate in the temple sacrifices; already they realized that these had all been fulfilled in Christ's great sacrifice.

The formal temple services were supplemented with more informal and spontaneous meetings in the homes. There they broke bread together, ate together, prayed together, laughed and cried together.

Some people today abhor spontaneity and lack of structure in worship. Others hate formal structure and tradition. The early Spirit-filled church shows us there is room for both at the same time. There is no need to polarize between the two. The church needs both. It is always healthy when the more formal and dignified are complemented with the informal and exuberant. After all, this is the way it was in the Spirit-filled church of Acts. Their koinonia with God and each other in worship was both formal and informal, structured and unstructured.

C The third example of the balance of the early church's Spirit-filled worship was that it was both joyful and reverent. There can be no doubt about their joy, for they are described as having "glad and sincere hearts" (vs 46). The Greek word translated as "joy" indicates an exuberant, overflowing joy, a joy that simply has to be expressed in things like singing, lifting up hands, clapping, dancing, and so on. Of course, they had plenty of reasons for joy: God sent His Son into the world, He died for their sins, He was raised for their justification, He rules from Heaven, and He sent the Spirit which renews and equips and fills with joy.

When we think about it, every worship service should be a time of joyful celebration for the mighty acts of God through Jesus Christ. In our worship it is unforgivable to be sad and dejected, with long faces, when God has done so much for us in Christ.

At the same time, those early Christians were dignified and reverent in their worship. We are told that "Everyone was filled with awe" (vs 43). God was in their midst, and they knew it. They bowed down before Him in humility and wonder and awe and fear. And, as I already said, in their worship those early Christians were "praising God" (vs 47).

Again, some today want nothing but dignity in worship. Others want to throw away dignity and reverence and have only joy. The early Spirit-filled church shows us we don't have to choose between the two. Again, there is room for both. Again, both are needed. After all, this is the way it was in the early Spirit-filled church. Their koinonia with God and each other in worship was both joyful and reverent.

D Balanced worship. Worship that includes both koinonia with God and with each other. Worship that is both formal and informal. Worship that is both joyful and reverent. Let me tell you what that means for us in the Trinity United Reformed Church today. Balanced worship means we can start with a moment of silence before God but we can also spend time greeting one another. Some of our members associate the organ with reverent and formal worship; others, for some reason, associate the piano or the flute or whatever with less reverent and less formal worship; balanced worship means we can use both the piano and the organ in worship. Balanced worship means lively songs can be interspersed with more somber songs.

Conclusion
I came across this quote this past week. It comes from a Gordon Dahl. He says,

Topic: Time
Subtopic: Right Use of
Index: 3626
Date:
Title:

Most middle-class Americans tend to worship their work, to work at their play, and to play at their worship. As a result, their meanings and values are distorted. Their relationships disintegrate faster than they can keep them in repair and their lifestyles resemble a cast of characters in search of a plot.

That's a sad commentary on much of what passes for worship today.

My brothers and sisters, a Spirit-filled church is a worshiping church. In fact, she devotes herself to worship. In her worship her first focus is koinonia with God. And, in her worship she keeps a sense of balance between koinonia with God and also with each other, between the formal and informal, between joy and dignity.

I ask you: are you a Spirit-filled Christian?; are we a Spirit-filled church?

You can e-mail our pastor at: Pastor, Trinity United Reformed Church

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