WHAT ARE THE MAIN ACTIVITIES OF A CHURCH?

1. What are the main activities of a Church?

a) We have seen that God is looking for those who will worship in spirit and in truth. Of course it is possible to worship God when all alone. It is also possible to pray alone, to preach the gospel alone, or to teach someone without other Christians being present. Why then should we meet together as a church?

b) It is clearly God's will that we work and worship together.

@1. Not failing to meet together,a sis the habit of some, Hebrews 10:25.

c) In the book of Acts we read the story of the church in its early days. There we see the churches meeting together regularly. The new Christians continued in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayer, Act 2:42.

d) Doctrine. The church met together to hear the Word of God. The Scripture is able to make us wise unto salvation, 2 Timothy 3:15. God uses it to sanctify us, John 17:17. The Bible is able to build us up in the faith, Acts 20:32.

e) In 1 Corinthians 12 we learn that all members of Christ's body should help one another. In 1 Corinthians 14 we see how a meeting of the church was carried out. There might be several teachers, verse 26, but all spoke as led by the Holy Spirit and so there was perfect order.

f) Breaking of bread. Before He died, Jesus asked His disciples to do a simple thing to remember Him. He asked them to break the bread and drink the cup until He comes again.

g) It is important that we should remember Him. No one wants to be unthankful or forgetful. The bread speaks of His body given for us. The cup is a picture of His blood shed for us. His death is the greatest proof of His love to us.

h) Peter says all believers are priests, 1 Peter 2:5, 9. We can now enter right into the presence of God, Hebrews 10:19-22.

i) We can also offer sacrifices:

@1. Our bodies, Romans 12;1;

@2. Our praise, Hebrews 13:15;

@3. Our gifts, Hebrews 13:16.

j) The best time for Christians to worship together is when they meet together to break the bread and drink the cup to remember the Lord. How often should we remember the Lord in this way? There is no command about this. But it seems that the early Christians did it the first day of every week, Acts 20:7. The offering of the saints was also taken on Sunday the first day of the week, 1 Corinthians 16:2.

k) Prayer. There is a special promise for two or three or more people who pray about anything together, Matthew 18:19.

l) The business meeting of a church is seen in Acts 6.