In an age of podcasts, livestreamed services and teaching available from your phone, is the church still needed at all? The sermon opens with the sharp accusations of a former pastor who now says he does not attend church, and sets them against the account of the first community in the second chapter of Acts (Acts 2). What we find there is not a recipe for the ideal community but four practices, the word, fellowship, worship and prayer, together with a warning about the wishful dream that destroys every real group of people. Listen if you are willing to confront your own image of what church should be.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Acts 2:42-47 Luke describes what the first believers devoted themselves to: the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. What in this description stands out to you most, and why?
- The Greek word translated "devoted themselves" means doing something persistently, with great effort, despite difficulty. What does that tell us about how the early church approached its shared practices?
- Bonhoeffer wrote that whoever loves their dream of community more than the community itself becomes its destroyer. What expectations of church do you carry, and where do they come from?
- The speaker stressed that people do not start the church; God calls His community together. How does this truth change the way you see the church and your place in it?
- The sermon said the Bible leaves no room for a "lone ranger" Christian. Why do you think the fruit of the Spirit is hard to grow on your own?
- Which of these practices is hardest for you right now: reading Scripture together, practicing community, worship, prayer or bearing witness? What small step can you take in it this week?
