What is the church?

Acts 2:40-47 — And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

And so we have a record of the start of the church, as well as the way the church functioned from its inception. Read that passage again, slowly and digest how the church, the people related and functioned together. Now, how is that different from how we see and do “church” today?  Our context and culture is different, yet there is much to be learned and gleaned from these few verses from the origin of the church.

In our life group, we just finished the section in our book (The Gospel Way Catechism) entitled, “What is the church?” During one of the weeks we spent on this chapter, one of our class members lamented the loss of reliance and focus of life on the church (people). They had lived in a smaller town where life was church centered rather than just one of the activities of the week. This statement resonates with me as this was my life as a teenager and young adult.  

When serving another church, a man came into my office looking for gas money to fill up his truck.  He lived next door to the church in a set of apartments which I had knocked on every door, invited every family numerous times and yet he never wanted anything to do with church until needing money. In fact, I had seen him numerous times sitting on the steps in front of his apartment where he lived.  Each time as I came close to his unit, he would duck inside only to reappear after I was two or three doors beyond him.  On this day, I felt prompted to ask a few questions before giving him money.  I asked what prompted him to come to the church for money when he had never been interested in anything we had to offer prior.  

“Well, my grandmother told me that if you ever have a need, always go to the church and they will take care of you.” I could relate to that grandmother, for this was my experience, too. But there was obviously a difference between this grandmother and grandson. So I asked him about grandma and her church. “Well, she was the one who opened the church, put the coal in the stove to warm the building in winter, and opened the windows to cool things down in the summer.  She was the first one there and the last one to leave.  She knew everyone and everyone knew her.” I responded, “So can you see why your grandma said the church would always be there to take care of needs?”  

As he nodded his head in agreement, I then asked about his connection to a church.  He replied that he hadn’t been to church since his grandmother passed about 25 years prior.  His expectation was that the church would take care of him just like it had his grandmother, but without any investment on his part. I shared with him that the reason his grandmother was convinced and correct that the church would meet her needs was because the church was her family. Unfortunately, he was at best a stepchild and on the outside of the care of the church by his own choice.  

Look back at those verses again and see the communal nature, supernatural love shared from one to another in the early church. This happened because they shared all of themselves with one another, continually. In fact, they continued in this pattern daily with one accord.  And what was the result? Others wanted what/who (Jesus) they had.  Something was quantitatively different about these people.  The love of Christ permeated all their lives and all their time, not just on Sunday mornings for a couple hours.  Can you imagine if we, as the church, reoriented our lives towards each other rather than the occasional intersections of lives we mainly experience today? 

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor