Wednesday, December 12
Read Acts 2:42. What were some of the elements of early Christian worship?
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship” (Acts 2:42, NKJV). From the earliest moments of the church, worship has been characterized by the centrality of the study of the Word of God given to us by the apostles. The first Christians were faithful in studying the Scriptures for what it said about Jesus the Messiah. They were in constant fellowship to share with one another the blessings God had given them and to encourage each other in their spiritual walk with God. In the Word they mined the sacred truths that became the foundation of their message to the world.
What What do the following passages say about the importance of studying God’s Word in fellowship with other believers?
2 Kings 22:8-13
Acts 17:10, 11
2 Timothy 3:14-17
“Wherever the truths of the Gospel are proclaimed, those who honestly desire to do right are led to a diligent searching of the Scriptures. If, in the closing scenes of this earth’s history, those to whom testing truths are proclaimed would follow the example of the Bereans, searching the Scriptures daily, and comparing with God’s word the messages brought them, there would today be a large number loyal to the precepts of God’s law, where now there are comparatively few.” - Ellen G. White, The Acts of the Apostles, p. 232.
We are a united people because of the truths that we proclaim, truths that we find from the Word of God. This was true of God’s church in the early days, and it is true of it today. The study of God’s Word forms the core of both our worship to God and our unity as a people who have been called to proclaim the three angels’ messages to the world. When we come together as a family to fellowship and worship, the Scriptures speak to us words from God to guide our lives in preparation for our mission and for Jesus’ second coming.
How firmly grounded are you, from the Bible, in what we believe? That is, are you grounded enough in it to where you could, like the three Hebrew boys, stand firm in the face of death?
