Why You Can’t Use the New Testament As a Pattern For How To Do Church Today
I’ve been guilty of it.
I used to look at the New Testament, specifically Acts 2, as THE pattern for how to do church. Within that I’d pull out the concept of small groups, for example, and say, “You see…the Bible says that they met in homes and in the temple courts…and the church grew! Therefore if we begin to meet in small groups and have this ‘two-winged’ concept of church (small group and large group experience) then the church will grow.” The kicker for me was always vv 46-47 where it says:
“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.” -Acts 2:46-47
So, I would teach, “If we do the same thing we can see that kind of crazy growth!!!”
Here’s what I’m learning: Acts is an example of how God worked through the church in that time.
And here’s the main idea: God is always at work doing a new thing. He rarely moves in the same way. Have you ever wondered why? Because then we’d figure out the formula and we could take the credit for conjuring up God and making things happen. Can we learn principles from the NT on how to do church? I think so. Is it THE pattern? I don’t think so.
Here’s what I do know, though: as we rely upon God and seek Him, He will tell us “where” to go and “how” to go. Just like the Israelites in the desert who followed the cloud of God’s presence, so we too are to remain looking for the evidence of God’s presence and movement. When He says go we pick up the stakes in the ground. When He says stop…we plant them in the ground.
So I would stop looking for that magical blueprint that will perfectly reveal to you how to do and grow your church. Instead focus on leaning and listening to God and learning to “be” the church. I think that’s the real pattern that we see in the Bible and the New Testament.
That’s what I’m thinking, anyway….what about you?
[image by Joe Shlabotnik]
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Ok, great title grabber:-)…I think you’ve hit it…I have in times thought much in these lines. The N.T. gives principles but not specifics on how to do church. Culture played a role in how church was done in the N.T. to some degree.
Also to some degree this thought process puts away much of the ideological thinking that small groups, though I still think is essential, is not a magical formula for church growth.
Lastly I firmly agree in relying upon God to lead. God’s leading though is a work of faith, because honestly we don’t know the outcome of what we believe God is leading in.
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Yeah, I think a lot of us have discovered that small groups is not necessarily the silver bullet that cures all. They’re great and I believe very important….but no silver bullet.
Rodlie,
I have thought about this before but you put into words! We’ve tried to force our churches to do ACTS 2 and all we end up with is more frustration. Frustration not because it the members don’t get it, but because I myself wasn’t totally convinced but feeling guilty about going against the Bible mandate!
Share this with Don James and see what he says
God bless
Yeah….we have to be careful with making models THE way….I’m not sharing this with any professors directly!! haha
Hey Rod, I really appreciate that commentary…very eye opening, and lots of stuff to think about.
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It’s a lot for me to think about as well…little bit of a different paradigm.
I appreciate your thoughts. I believe the Holy Spirit does guide us, individually and collectively. I don’t believe, however, that the 21st century church is anywhere close to expressing God’s powerful love as did the 1st century church. When I study Acts, the main issue for me isn’t the issue of “small groups”. Rather, the prominent difference I see between the 1st and 21st century churches is the “city-wide” church concept that was alive and well back then, and totally non-existent today. (Some denominations have a city or district type organization, but I know of no city where the functioning of the “city church” trumps any particular church’s denominational loyalty.) I believe the 21st century church should be following the pattern of submission and unity that we see in the 1st century church. The basis of the New Testament Church’s witness, was the indwelling of God’s spirit which empowered them to love and care for one another. This radical caring became the visible witness of God’s love to the unchurched, prompting them to ask the Christians the essential evangelism question: What can I do to possess your kind of life? In other words, the 1st Century Church obeyed Jesus’ commands in John 17 to be united. And as they did, their supernatural love produced the results which Jesus said would ocur: “..so that the world may believe that you have sent me”, or, in other words, “That the world may believe that Jesus is the Son of God.” I believe that this dynamic relationship of Christians caring/non-Christians seeing, hearing, and believing is best facilitated through the city-wide church model. The 21st century church’s factions and disunity, present an anemic witness, resulting in an ever-increasingly skeptical response from the non-Christian folks who watch us and wonder what God’s love really looks like.
Interesting. Well said, Danny.
Rodlie,
Very interesting post. I’ve always been pondering this powerful display of conversions and the work of the Holy Spirit myself. I’ve even thought if I could get my churches to be like the NT church, then we would have exponential growth like Acts describes. But what I just read in Desire of Ages shifts my view on it a little. I think it was the chapter of the woman at the well. Jesus planted seeds all throughout His ministry all throughout the region and it was those seeds that were harvested in Acts 2! Now I understand it more clearly. But that is not to say we can’t have the same exponential growth like the apostles had…we just have to go about it with the right process. Sow the seeds first, then call for the harvest! Blessings, mate!
Yeah, I agree that ultimately it should follow that process of sowing and then harvesting, but my point was that we shouldn’t expect to use the same methods with the same results….and that what we find in the NT is not the disciples following some pattern that they figured out, but were stepping forward in faith as God led them to use a method….not sure if that makes sense or not…
I would have to disagree with this. Umm well, basically solely based on the fact that small groups last 1 to at most 2 hours and are held, what, once a week? The people in Acts 2 didn’t just get together to study once a week. They shared life with each other. They were brothers and sisters in every sense of the word. Heck no, sunday school, services, and even small groups wont grow a church. Not exponentially at least. It is the community of believers that have this selfless love toward one another, consistently.
I guess what my point is, they lived (and I mean LIVED) for God and his people. Remember when they sold there stuff and sold it among the poor. We wont see growth like that here in America because, frankly, we don’t care THAT much about our fellow Christians.
But, very good topic. I haven’t seen some one take that stance and I agree with you that small groups isn’t the answer. Thanks!
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