Throughout the New Testament we find descriptions and prescriptions of a healthy church. Acts 6:1-7 describes at least seven qualities of a healthy church.
In part one, we saw the first three qualities of the church in Jerusalem. They were growing, serving, and organizing. The next two qualities to explore are preaching and praying.
Quality #4 – Preaching
The Twelve summoned the whole company of the disciples and said, “It would not be right for us to give up preaching the word of God to wait on tables…But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:2-4
The prayer-saturated ministry of the Word is essential to the health of the church. In the first century, the apostles were alternating between the Temple and individual houses simply evangelizing and explaining the Scriptures. There were thousands of new disciples that needed to learn the basics. The convicting power of the Holy Spirit and hunger for truth and righteousness fueled the preaching ministry of the apostles. These new believers were “devoted to the apostles teaching”.
Today, many are demanding shorter sermons, pragmatic approaches to ministry, and Disney quality programs for kids and families. There’s a lot of room for creativity in our local churches but neglecting the ministry of the Word is detrimental to church health and growth.
If you polled the members of your local church, most would probably be okay with a shorter sermon and a shorter service. Some researchers today would tell you the same. Now, if you ramble on and don’t actually share anything biblical and helpful then they might be right.
But in our rush to please people with more Disney and less discipleship, we may be neglecting those who are truly desperate for a Word from God! We must endure a few yawns even while we are connecting with someone overcome with trials and tribulations. There are many who came hungry so feed them with the Word of God.
Of course, this isn’t just about the length of your sermon. You can tell there is a hunger for God’s Word when there are members asking questions beyond the Sunday service. They are showing up for a small group Bible study; they are asking to be discipled; they are coming in for counseling. The ministry of the Word must be in our main worship gatherings and in smaller settings.
In our rush to please people with more Disney and less discipleship, we may be neglecting those who are truly desperate for a Word from God!
Nathan Creitz
The main preacher along with other Bible study leaders and teachers should always be evaluating the ministry of the Word. And in spite of what was said above, we must not assume that sermon length or service times are immune from evaluation. But generally speaking we need more biblical discussions, bolder proclamation, exegetical preaching, clear explanation, and practical application. Not less.
Quality #5 – Praying
But we will devote ourselves to prayer…They had them stand before the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 6:4a, 6
There are three aspects of prayer that I believe the apostles had in mind: personal, preaching, and public prayer. A healthy church will have leaders and members who are actively pursuing these types of prayer.
1. Prayer for Personal Communion
Thus far, the Book of Acts has described a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit. The apostles are constantly addressing the crowds and exhorting the disciples. But the apostles had also been with Jesus. They remembered several times when Jesus had crowds in front of him but he withdrew to be alone. Jesus’ public ministry was fueled by his intimate communion with his Father. The Twelve apostles are now shepherding massive crowds. But they clearly knew that private communion with the Lord was absolutely essential.
2. Prayer for Preaching Effectiveness
Those early years of ministry in the Word were done exclusively with Old Testament texts. The death and resurrection of Jesus were being interpreted by the apostles through the grid of those ancient Scriptures. The apostles had the words of Jesus and the words of the prophets. They also had the Holy Spirit to remind them of all they had seen and heard. In order to accurately interpret the Word made flesh and the written Word, the apostles relied on the Holy Spirit.
3. Prayer for Public Edification
In the immediate context, the apostles lay their hands on the Seven and pray for their ministry. Earlier, the disciples had gathered and prayed for boldness to witness. These prayers were directed to God but they were also instructive and empowering for the people. As the Lord answered these public prayers the people were encouraged to see God at work in their midst.
Today, there is an even greater need for prayer for everyone involved in ministry (in Word and/or work). We pray to enjoy time with the Lord, to reflect on his Word, and to intercede for others. Pastors, specifically, cannot just prepare “talks” or “lectures” apart from prayer. We must prayerfully spend time in careful study privately so that we can boldly proclaim the Word of God. May we do so for the glory of God and the good of His people.
When a church is growing, it is important to organize so that we can better serve one another. But a healthy church must not neglect the preaching and praying ministry of the Word. We must prioritize spiritual needs without neglecting physical needs. When we do so, we will see the final two qualities of a healthy church: reconciling and reproducing. We will take up those qualities in the next post.
