Could we really stand the early church?

A number of churches these days clamor for a return to the days of the first century and the simplicity of the early New Testament Church. In one sense I see the draw, the nostalgia after all of returning to the simplicity of where it all began. But I'm not sure we would enjoy the "going back" as much as we think. For starters, there were the challenges that came from a transition from an all-Jewish congregation to that of assembly that was increasingly Gentile. Add to this, there was the necessity felt by most to meet daily for prayer, fellowship, and the sharing of meals. And then there was the shared responsibility for the needs that came upon the brethren. It could be housing, it could be financial, and it was often food, but it was always real and immediate; and it reminded them of the precarious nature of their existence under a pagan power and the faithfulness of their God. Widows with no husbands, and children with no family became the care of the local church, not the local government and through all of this, the church grew exponentially. So now, you might ask, what great program was offered to draw the masses into this new cultural phenomenon? The program was fairly simple to describe, and from the start, a challenge to deliver. It consisted of four constituent parts which remain the same for any church today. The church may involve itself in other activities, and obviously the passage of time has added to the list, but if an organization is to be known as a church biblically, it must be characterized by the following four activities:

1. There must be teaching. The Apostles were ground zero for getting the church off the ground but the teachings of Jesus and those of these apostles would become the main curriculum for the church going forward, anticipating the completion of the canon of Scripture.
2. There must be fellowship: They first met daily, shared their "bread" and their lives, and became a family. Their responsibility to one another did not end when they departed from the meeting on Sunday evening, it continued and deepened into a "oneness" that built them up as they grew in their faith walk.
3. There must be worship. Luke calls it "The breaking of bread" in Acts 2:42, but it amounts to worship; recognizing the value of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as the keystone for everything else that takes place. They likely sang from the Psalter, raised their voices in praise but the central task each time they met was to give "worth" and honor to the Lord Jesus and the Heavenly Father.
4. And finally, there was prayer. I grow weary of the excuses offered as to why we don't gather for prayer. Forget for the moment the importance of Wednesday evening prayer and answer for yourselves, if not Wednesday, then when, and if not gathering on this day, what is our plan for ascertaining the needs of those we claim to love and then exercising ourselves unto Godliness for the purpose of interacting with God and growing through the shared burdens of others.

So there you have it, the church calendar in a few paragraphs. I wonder for all of our sophisticated plans for church growth if we have considered the most basic of all necessities which is to give people what they need most in life but can never achieve in any other human organization.

That's why I love the church.
Walk wisely