Acts 2:42-47. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The most important reason God called us as His church is to worship Him. This calling is not incidental; it is foundational. From the beginning, God’s desire has been to dwell with His people and receive their worship. As He declared through the prophet Isaiah, “The people I formed for myself, that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah 43:21). Worship is not simply one aspect of the Christian life—it is the very reason for our existence as God’s people. Everything else we do as the church flows from this central purpose.
Therefore, the church of Christ must urgently restore the blessing of worship in the lives of all believers. In our performance-driven and distracted culture, true worship is often reduced to a weekly event or an emotional experience. But biblical worship begins with hearing and responding to the Word of God. The believers of the Early Church devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching because they understood that the Word is the voice of the living God—active, powerful, and able to transform lives (Hebrews 4:12).
Where the Word flows regularly and abundantly from the pulpit, the weary are renewed, and the spiritually lifeless are revived, just as the dry bones in Ezekiel’s vision rose to life and stood as a vast army (Ezekiel 37:1-14). This is not symbolic language alone—it is a spiritual reality the church must recover and live in.
As God’s Word takes root in the lives of believers and bears fruit, people begin to witness its fulfillment in their own circumstances. Faith grows. Trust in God deepens. Hope is restored. The Word becomes more than information—it becomes the foundation of transformation. This is how the Word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power in the Early Church, not through human strategies or persuasion, but because people witnessed the living power of the Word at work. As the church lives under the authority and power of Scripture, it becomes a light to the world and a refuge for the broken.
Worship is also an intimate fellowship between the Father and His children. It is a sacred encounter in which we not only offer ourselves to God but also receive from Him. In worship, we are reminded of His unconditional and unchanging love. This love does not depend on our performance or worthiness, but flows from His nature. As we respond in thanksgiving, our distorted identity is restored, and our lost authority as His children is recovered. We cease striving to earn God’s favor and begin to rest in the joy of being His beloved, living as bold witnesses of Christ.
As we rediscover who we are in Christ, our hearts, desires, and lives begin to change. We begin to desire what God desires. We are moved to obey His Word—not out of fear or obligation, but out of love. We begin to love one another as Christ has loved us. This love creates true fellowship, where believers share their lives, support one another, and live with the favor of all the people. This kind of unity, however, is not something we can manufacture. It is not the product of effort or agreement, but the gift of God’s Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can empower us to transcend our differences, overcome prejudice, and maintain the bond of peace.
Whether we are gathered in the church building or worshiping in our homes, one truth must remain at the center—the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is what Scripture refers to as the breaking of bread. It is not just a ritual, but a living remembrance of the gospel. The cross is where reconciliation happens—not only between God and humanity, but among people, families, and nations. The gospel is not just good advice—it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).
When we embrace the gospel as our own—”my gospel” (Romans 16:25)—we live out the threefold office of Christ. We reconcile the world to God because Jesus is the True Prophet who led us to the Father (John 14:6). We overcome the forces of darkness because Jesus is the True King who broke the power of Satan (1 John 3:8). We bring healing to our communities because Jesus is the True Priest who offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice (Mark 10:45). And when Christ is exalted in this way, the Lord will add to our number daily those who are being saved. Evangelism becomes the overflow of a worshiping, unified, gospel-saturated church.
Prayer sustains all of this. Prayer changes everything. Throughout Scripture and especially in the book of Acts, we see that when the church prayed, God acted. He poured out the Holy Spirit, healed the sick, opened prison doors, multiplied disciples, and transformed cities (Acts 1:14, 2:42–47, 3:1–10, 4:23–31, 6:1–7, 12:1–24, 13:1–3, 16:13–15, 16:25–34). Every major turning point in the early church was preceded and accompanied by prayer. Prayer was not a supplement to the work of God—it was everything.
So we must become a praying church once again. We must intercede for our pastors, our leaders, our children, our schools, our workplaces, our cities, our nation, and the nations of the world. Prayer is not the last resort—it is the first work. When we pray, we align ourselves with God’s purposes and unleash His power into our world.
And by the Holy Spirit’s power, we must be ready to minister to those suffering under generational spiritual problems and family curses. These are not imaginary or psychological issues—they are deep-rooted spiritual realities that require spiritual solutions. The church must rise as the body of Christ to heal the broken, restore the oppressed, and block the disasters afflicting our cities and our world. We are not powerless spectators—we are watchmen on the wall:
I have posted watchmen on your walls, Jerusalem;
they will never be silent day or night.
You who call on the Lord,
give yourselves no rest,
and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem
and makes her the praise of the earth. (Isaiah 62:6-7).
Prayer. Father, help us—Your church—to recover the full blessing of worship, the joy of true fellowship, the authority of the gospel, and the power of prayer. Awaken us to our identity and calling. Empower us to live not as spiritual beggars, but as sons and daughters of the King. Let us be the people You formed for Yourself, that we may declare Your praise. In Jesus’ name, Amen.