If you were to ask 10 people at your church why the church exists or what it is supposed to do, you would probably get 10 different answers. This confusion leads to frustration for leaders, it causes people to wonder if the church is worth the time and effort, and ultimately, it keeps the church from being all she could be.
Yet, in places like Matthew 28:18–20 and Acts 1:8, we have been given a picture of why the church exists and what it should do.
There is an incredible passage in Acts 2 that I preached on recently that lays out what the church did after Jesus returned to heaven, and the Holy Spirit came upon them.
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. -Acts 2:41 – 47
Imagine, in one day, the church exploded. God’s kingdom broke into the city of Jerusalem powerfully.
But what does this tell us about why the church exists for today?
7 Practices Deririved From Why The Church Exists
1. Expect something to happen.
On the first day the church launched, 3,000 people were saved and baptized. There was an expectation that when Jesus gave his mission to the disciples (Acts 1:8) and said the Holy Spirit would come to help them accomplish it, they expected that to be true and to happen.
They expected that when they showed up, that God would show up. That when they prayed, God would answer. That when they followed after God, they would partner with God in what He is doing.
What if we expected and looked for God to move?
2. They were devoted to teaching.
The word devoted means constant, given over to or a large part of what someone does. The church in Acts devoted themselves to what the apostles taught them; the apostles were those who saw the risen Jesus, many who had walked with him, and heard his teachings on the kingdom of God.
For us today, this means that we need to devote ourselves to what the Bible says. Not what we’d like it to say, but what it says. We need to allow it to shape who we are and who we are becoming.
