The Essentials

 "And they devoted themselves to the Apostles doctrine and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer...attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, receiving food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved". Acts 2:42, 46 and 47.

I had an opportunity this week to meet with a local minister to talk about some of the major setbacks that we have all faced this year, and it gave us a brief opportunity to touch on some of these in a sobering and essential fashion.

My friend asked me as we parted if I could seek to clarify the issues and needs that this harsh period has brought about further, so, aside from pointing you to some of my other posts (especially those composed and placed here in this last month), let me use the passage above as the rough guide to where we went wrong and, consequently, what we need to do to move back into a role where we are truly serving each other faithfully once again.

These are just my thoughts, so please feel free to add to these yourself, and I'd be more than happy to hear from you on this so we can help and encourage each other in what truly matters as fellow workers for the Gospel.

1.Fellowship.

The glue to our being the congregation of God's people... is to be a congregation, so it's vital that we actually assemble together (Hebrews 10:25). Attending a meeting via Zoom because you have no choice is a temporary solution at best in most cases - it's clear from the pattern we have from Acts 2 onwards that we're meant to grow as part of one another, and you simply cannot do that 'at arms length' (1 John 1:7).

This year has seen this invaluable part of our life torn away for many if not most of us to be replaced by something far less than what it should be. Yes, many churches have tried to continue in some form under the requirements that have been imposed, but this has been far from the blessed and rich manner of being together that should be evidenced and encouraged amongst us - you cannot bind with people in the manner described in the verse above when you're being told not to spend any time with them.

In his work, Life Together (which is a must read), Dietrich Bonhoeffer begins by speaking about the essential nature of the faith being identified as community, where brotherly love is so richly encountered in our lives together. That is what has been severed, and it is imperative that this is renewed vibrantly amongst us if we are to see health return.

2.Worship.

When God is amongst us, working through the truths of those teachings laid down by the Apostles, being evidenced in our 'breaking bread' (sharing the Lord's table and life together), then the natural response and outcome of that will be God's people singing and praying. This manner of worship is as vital as breath to our bodies, and to behave in a fashion in which we exclude this from our times together is to foster ill health amongst us and leave us stunted and crippled in our role as servants of the Lord. Praise and worship is a genuine and acceptable sacrifice to the Lord, whether it be in psalms of hymns or spiritual songs - it conveys the splendour of being children of the most high.

It's clear that Christians are eager to see this amidst their times together - not in some orchestrated fashion (amongst the few churches that can) by a few 'from the front', but as an essential part of the normative service to God in their fellowship.

Gatherings and worship may have been appropriate to suspend for a few weeks at the beginning of this crisis when we didn't know what would unfold, but once that was established last April, the church (as was the case in parts os America), should have begun to move back to its usual pattern of life, making provision where necessary for those who needed to shield at home and within congregations, but allowing the general life of faith to continue.

3.Correction.

One of the key points I and others have sought to make continually for the past year is what the onus of Apostolic instruction means to us in respect to the above in our present circumstances. As my postings and discussions have stated, Paul's aim amongst the saints was often to require them to throw out the 'leaven' of beliefs or practices that had either been imposed or insidiously introduced amongst them from forces outside of the body of Christ if they wanted to return to the faith and genuinely grow as the people of God (see 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians and Colossians for very marked examples of this).

Christianity is established on certain vital imperatives that are non-negotiable, and one of the most essential of these is the freedom we are given to gather, fellowship, worship and serve one another as God's beloved. It is extremely dangerous when we begin to introduce or impose any manner of practice or belief amongst us which interferes (especially when it in realty hinders and wholly prevents) with that freedom.

Here in the UK, this freedom was not won lightly. Through the reigns of four successive monarchs in the 16th century, it took the laying down of many lives to allow the scriptures to be heard and shared freely, and for the church to be able to share in these imperatives, so it is not a freedom we can discard lightly - indeed, it is a vital and defining truth in regards to the nature of our faith, which must not be silenced at all.

This manner of direction has clearly been at best obscured this past year, if not entirely lost in many instances and must be restored to it's central role in our life together if we are to avoid such terrible errors in future.

4.Growth.

The reformation restored the essential truth of the priesthood of all believers. The scriptures make it clear that each of us has gifts and callings to fulfil in our service to God and each other, and it's imperative that part of our life together is the encouraging and facilitating of this manner of service.

This requires a deeper reception of God's work amongst us, so if difficulties and challenges arise, we should be receptive enough to listen and hear when God speaks from amongst us in respect to any necessary corrections or adjustments that are required to keep us all genuinely and faithfully fixed on Him.

We have seen an attitude in this crisis of following the requirements imposed by state without any place for full and proper discussion amongst many congregations of the ramifications of such a position. Because this has usually cut across all of the cardinal realms of living and serving together I've stated above, this has been inherently and comprehensively damaging to the church in respect to both its role and its service going forward from this point.

These are the key realms where I see there are major issues to be resolved.

How do we go about this?

1.Repentance.

There needs to be a full turning back to where we were in respect to our normative service in February 2020, and it needs to commence now. It's clear that, variants not withstanding, the virus is no longer more than a minor trouble in most places, so why isn't that being reflected in our lives together? We need to return to all that God requires and commands of us so we can grow well.

2.Realisation.

We need to see the error of what has been allowed to be treated as acceptable in this period. As stated above, it simply isn't good enough to drop vital parts of what we should be defined by as church simply because the circumstances prove difficult - the Reformers show us that it's when such trials arise that the church needs to respond to match these trials with courage and faithfulness.

3.Re-evaluation.

This year gives us an opportunity - to re-discover and understand what is crucial to our lives as believers and his this must be evidenced amongst us. In the days ahead, ministers and workers should seek to insure that the vitality of the faith is secured by requiring frameworks whereby what we need to feed well in God is continually maintained, whatever trials may befall us.

That's where we start.

Let me know if there's more to say, as we seek to move beyond our 'small corners' back into the light of God's full and amazing care.