Pray for Your Church: The Foundations (3)
According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furnishings, just so you shall make it. Exodus 25.9
When God builds
It is impossible to read about the work of constructing the tabernacle and its furnishings and not know that God had His own plans for how that project should take shape. Five times during the process of building—from design to resourcing to the actual construction of things—God spoke to Moses saying, “Be sure that you build it according to the pattern revealed on the mount.”
The people of Israel had never seen anything like this. A large portable tent and courtyard, lavishly decorated, furnished with magnificent liturgical accoutrements, serviced by members of one of the tribes who were to be dressed in specific garments to undertake highly specific tasks. They’d never seen this, but the pattern God showed them for all the details of length, width, allocation of space, furnishings, decorations, and so forth were so specific that, under the leadership of skilled artisans, they were able to create exactly the facility and furnishings God intended. They built the tabernacle according to the pattern God revealed.
And when all was finished and ready, God showed His approval by coming amid His people and filling their project with His glory. From this we surmise that God will bless and glorify whatever we do in His Name, so long as we do it according to the patterns revealed in His Word.
Does this apply also to the work of building our churches?
How can it not?
The pattern in Acts
Luke described his gospel as a record of the work Jesus “began both to do and teach” (Acts 1.1). In his gospel Luke shows us Jesus at work following a pattern of doing good, preaching and teaching, and making disciples that every Christian will acknowledge is a template for discipleship, a pattern for how to follow Jesus. It’s what Christians have done for centuries: love God, love your neighbor, preach, teach, bear witness, pray, obey God’s Word. This is what Jesus began to do during His earthly sojourn.
The book of Acts could be subtitled, “The Ongoing Work of Jesus.” Luke records how, by pouring out His Spirit into His expectant people, Jesus continued the work He had begun, albeit on a much grander scale and with a broader application. And in the process of recording those early years, Luke identifies a pattern to be followed as Jesus builds His Church as the sign and outpost of His Kingdom.
The pattern is clear: The Gospel is preached and people believe. Cadres of believers begin to gather for further instruction, to share meals, fellowship, and hospitality; to celebrate the Lord’s Supper and receive new friends through baptism; and to make resources available to meet the needs of their group and their neighbors.
These small cadres, meeting in homes, gather as one at least weekly to seek the Lord in prayer and be instructed in His Word. Needs arise. Resources are given and pledged. Teachers emerge and new teachers are trained. Officers are appointed to oversee the work of caring for those in need. Other officers—elders—are appointed to watch over the spiritual lives of the people. Channels of accountability come into being. The world starts turning upside-down.
Under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, mission efforts begin, and before this first generation of new believers has died off, the pattern they began to follow proved its mettle by being multiplied hundreds-fold throughout the Roman Empire. Yes, there was opposition, persecution, even suffering and scattering, as well as natural disasters. But the pattern that emerged in the book of Acts proved resilient and unstoppable.
People kept coming to faith in Jesus. Churches appeared and grew. The Kingdom of God began to permeate all aspects of Roman life and culture.
And the grace and glory of God were visible where these had not visible been before.
The pattern in the New Testament
This pattern continued throughout the New Testament, the last books of which were written toward the end of the first century. What we saw in Acts appears throughout the letters of Paul and the other apostles to have been a pattern approved of by God, because His glory was evident in what they were doing.
Jesus has a pattern for building His Church. As we pursue the work of building our churches, we must not depart from the pattern Jesus approved from the beginning. By some means, the dynamics of power, witness, growth, worship, spiritual life, order, accountability, and multiplication and mission that can be clearly discerned in the New Testament must be preserved and followed.
We must pray that God will allow us to know, embrace, and follow the pattern He has set forth in His Word, the pattern that shows us how Jesus intends to build His Church. For unless we follow that pattern, we may find ourselves like Peter, trying to get Jesus to do His work our way, rather than us doing His work His way.
So pray for your church:
Lord Jesus, Head of the Church,
You are building Your Church by building our church.
Help us, members and leaders alike,
to follow the pattern of church life and growth
You have revealed in Your Word.
Let us fear departing from that pattern,
lest we hear Your rebuke.
And let us daily know grace
to follow You in this work,
and glory to signal Your approval
of this Kingdom-seeking labor.
For reflection or discussion
1. Which aspects of the pattern of the early church do you clearly see in your own church?2. Why is it important that we discern the pattern for building Jesus’ Church? How can we do that?3. What should your role be in helping your church build according to the pattern of the New Testament?
Next steps—Preparation: Reflect on what you see in the New Testament of a pattern for starting and growing a church. As you continue reading the New Testament over and over, jot down insights that pertain to this topic, so that pattern becomes increasingly clear.
T. M. Moore
Give thanks
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
The Kingdom of God
As we are beginning to see, the Church exists to further the rule of King Jesus—His Kingdom—on earth as it is in heaven. But what is the Kingdom of God? Our book, The Kingdom Turn, can help. Learn more and order your copy by clicking here for the book or here for the free PDF.
Thank you.
Many of you are faithful and generous in praying for and supporting Crosfigell and The Fellowship of Ailbe. Thank you. I encourage all our readers to seek the Lord about becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe. It’s easy to give to The Fellowship of Ailbe, and all gifts are, of course, tax-deductible. You can click here to donate online through credit card or PayPal or Anedot, or send your gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
