What is the Church?

Here we go. I have officially bitten off more than I can chew in approaching this subject. There are far more qualified writers, pastors, and teachers, people who have spent their lives scouring the Scriptures for what constitutes 'the Church'. Here are a few definitions I have found in just a cursory glance around my library:

Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears, from Vintage Church:
"The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfill the Great Commandment and the Great Commission as missionaries to the world for God's glory and their joy."

John Piper, from "The Local Church: Minimum vs. Maximum":
"I would define the local church like this: a local church is a group of baptized believers who meet regularly to worship God through Jesus Christ, to be exhorted by the Word of God, and to celebrate the Lord's Supper under the guidance of duly appointed leaders."

Wayne Grudem, from Systematic Theology:
"The church is the community of all true believers for all time."


Charles Ryrie, from A Survey of Bible Doctrine:
"Taking together the features of local churches we see in the New Testament, we might propose the following definition: A local church is an assembly of professing believers in Christ who have been baptized and who are organized to do God’s will."


As is obvious, there are varying definitions of what constitutes the Church. Most definitions hold to some basic truths and either leave it broad for the sake of contextual application or attempt to get more specific in order to rein in certain extremes. Given all of this, I will simply throw my hat into the ring for the sake of discussion. Based on what I have seen and read, I think the most clear description of the church as it was when it was born is found in Acts 2:42-47:

"42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their home, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved."


I have nine points to pull from this passage that, I am convinced, are to be part of the Christian church as we know her. Please bear in mind that this is not meant to be a detailed study on all the Church is or should be. It is not a specific methodology, either. Nor is it a commentary on the current state of the Western church versus the rest of the world. I believe the points are applicable in any setting at any time.

Further, I don't believe this passage is prescriptive, giving us precisely how all things should be done. Since the book of Acts was written by the resident doctor-historian Luke, it is descriptive in nature, showing us how the apostles were being led by God to lead this newly found Church in their particular context at their specific time in history.

With these caveats now expressed, here is what I understand to be the necessary and expected elements in any Christian church:

1) Teaching (v.42)
     The preached and taught Word is a requisite element to any organization wanting to be considered a Christian church.  It is central that God's Word be proclaimed for the sake of instruction, exhortation, conviction, and encouragement. I would add that preaching and teaching occurs in both large and small gatherings. Therefore, while the pulpit ministry is indispensable, there must be teaching and training to smaller groups for the sake of equipping 'the saints for the work of the ministry'.

2) Fellowship (v.42)
     Given where this is placed (next to teaching), 'fellowship' is not the same as 'hanging out'. It is the purposeful coming together of believers for the sake of mutual edification and sharpening. The conversation centers on how we are being molded and shaped by God as well as time in prayer with one another. Fellowship is the place for accountability, including correction and encouragement, in the context of deep relationships.

3) Meals (v.42, 46)
     The phrase 'breaking bread' is used twice in this passage, and therefore seems to indicate two purposes (after all, if each usage meant the same thing, it would be pretty redundant). In one sense (v.42), 'breaking bread' is a reference to Communion as it was during the Passover meal when Jesus first instituted the ordinance. The observance of Communion, remembering Christ's body broken and blood spilled for our sake and in our place, is a prescribed ordinance from the New Testament. It is to be observed regularly.
     In another sense (v.46) it is more likely to mean an actual meal, like when Jesus 'broke the bread' before feeding the 5,000. Sharing a meal involves hospitality. This hospitality extends to fellow believers and non-believers alike. Hospitality should mark the home of the Christian - openness, service, joy, conversation, friendship. This is one way to love our neighbors.

4) Prayer (v.42)
     The early church prayed. The Holy Spirit came during a prayer meeting (Acts 2:1), to paraphrase Pastor Jim Cymbala. The apostles devoted themselves to the study of the Word and prayer (Acts 6:4). The people gathered to pray when Peter was in prison (12:1-5). We also are to pray, and not just individually. Prayer must be part of both the personal and the corporate nature of the church. Thus, it is for the individual, family, small group, and large group. Prayer will saturate the healthy church.

5) Power (v.43)
     Some would use this verse to say that the ongoing, miraculous gifting of the Holy Spirit stopped with the final stroke of the pen in the book of Revelation, using the phrase 'through the apostles' as evidence. While this is a conversation for a post all on its own, one need only look to Paul's writings to the Corinthian and Galatian churches to see that the Holy Spirit was working powerfully outside of the apostles direct contact (1 Corinthians 12-14 and Galatians 3:5, respectively).
     Contrary to this view, I would suggest that a Christian church sees the power of the Holy Spirit at work in it. Primarily, this takes place in the salvation of people, as this is the greatest miracle that can be accomplished. Additionally, He empowers His people to 'will and to work according to His good pleasure'. Finally, the Spirit's power will also be at work in the miraculous gifting of His people at specific moments according to His sovereign will and for the sake of His glory. Examples of this include but are not limited to healing, prophesy, and visions.

6) Community (vv.44-45)
     In the early church, all things were shared. This included property, possessions, food, money, clothes, and the like. Some would say that's how it should be now. I will not here advocate communal living. However, knowing the needs of those close to you - the people you serve with in a ministry, the people in your small group, the people in your neighborhood - and working together to make sure everyone is taken care of is well within reason. And while prayer support is vital, and true fellowship essential, sometimes meeting tangible needs is every bit as important. This requires both a transparency on the part of those in need as well as a willingness to provide from those around the needy. It all boils down to love and trust for the relationships built through our first relationship in Christ.
     As Christians, we are supposed to be 'known by our love for one another'. The world doesn't necessarily see us pray for each other. The world doesn't see the late-night telephone calls and the lunch meetings for counsel. The world does see when the people of God surround someone with love and support through the meeting of physical, material needs. And they are amazed by it.

7) Large and Small (v.46a)
     They met at the synagogue and in homes. Some in the house church movement would say that the New Testament church exclusively met in homes, and therefore so should we. This is an oversimplification to what was taking place at the time the book of Acts was written. There was a necessity to meeting in homes at that time. Further, this text indicates that they did, in fact, meet in larger settings like the synagogue. Therefore, gathering together includes both large group settings, like a Sunday service and/or the occasional special event, and small group settings, like home-based Bible studies or Sunday school. I like the way the people at Mars Hill Church in Seattle refer to this: Air War (big gatherings) and Ground War (small groups).

8) Worship (v.46b-47a)
     Honoring God through our worship is a critical component to any church. Here we see that worship is both from gratitude for what God has provided as well as praise to Him for who He is. It is expressed joy, gladness, and gratitude toward God, the overflow of our hearts welling up with love. Our delight in God, indeed our worship of Him, is expressed from out of our mouths and our lives as the fulfillment of our pleasure in God being God. To quote C.S. Lewis (from Reflections on the Psalms):
     "But the most obvious fact about praise - whether of God or anything - strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise...The world rings with praise - lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game...I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation."

9) Gospel (v.47b)
     The gospel is not simply a message. It is not merely 'good news', though it certainly is that. The gospel inspires mission, the purpose of the Church here on earth, the advancement of God's kingdom (Jesus builds His church, and the gates of hell cannot prevail against it). The Christian church embodies the gospel in such a way, through its impact on the local and global community and the individuals within that community, that there is fruit-bearing evangelism taking place, leading to salvation and the ordinance of baptism - the public declaration of the inward reality of salvation and surrender - being observed. It is telling of and living for Jesus in such a way that the harvest is reaped.

This topic certainly warrants far more discussion (which I welcome especially on Facebook), and I will be posting more as time goes on. For now, I hope that this helps to clarify what can be an ambiguous question regarding the nature of the Church. She is beautiful and being made more so until that day when Christ returns for His bride. Amen, come Lord Jesus!