The Doctrine of the Church
A Sermon on Acts 2:42
Scripture
42And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Sermon Description
Unity for the sake of unity is a current cultural movement. The culture encourages unity, to avoid division, to love everyone, and let others live as they please. According to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, this movement isn’t confined to secular spheres of influence. It is also present in local churches. There is a great movement underway among churches to be ecumenical; that is, to focus on fellowship, love, and unity across all denominations rather than focusing on doctrinal differences. It is the idea that fellowship must come before doctrine and this movement needs careful consideration. The foundational issue at stake concerns the teaching found in the Bible about the doctrine of the church. What is a church? What are its objectives and goals? What does it provide and how does it function? As Dr. Lloyd-Jones examines the early church in this sermon from Acts 2:42, he focuses on the importance of correct doctrine for the life of the church. Doctrine is held in high regard and is the most important feature of the biblical text. The apostolic teaching and focus on doctrine must have preeminence and then, following from necessity, comes fellowship within congregations. If fellowship is allowed to reign over doctrine, confusion and compromise is invited into its midst. This allows the thinking and desires of humanity to direct actions, rather than the supremacy of Scripture.
Sermon Breakdown
- The church is a gathering of people who have undergone a profound change as a result of the Holy Spirit.
- These people were convicted of sin, repented, and believed the gospel. They were born again and became new creations.
- The early church gathered together daily and steadfastly. They made the church central to their lives.
- They did not gather together to be entertained. They gathered for doctrine, fellowship, communion, and prayer.
- Doctrine and teaching came before fellowship. Doctrine is essential for unity, correcting error, and safeguarding truth.
- The early Christians hungered for doctrine and teaching. They never grew tired of hearing the word of God.
- Doctrine is necessary to help others come to faith and to grow in faith. Christians must be able to explain what they believe.
- The early church was filled with joy, gladness, and praise. This attracted others to the faith.
- The church today lacks power and effectiveness because it lacks joy, doctrine, prayer, and praise.
- Christians today seem reluctant in their faith and give the impression that church is a miserable duty. This does not attract others.
- When the church is filled with invincible joy and praise, it acts as a magnet to draw others in.
- The church needs revival, power, and a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Prayer is necessary to experience these things.
Sermon Q&A
What Does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones Teach About the True Nature of the Church?
Based on Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' sermon on Acts 2:42, here are key questions and answers about his teaching on the true nature of the church:
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the most urgent matter for Christians to consider?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the most urgent matter Christians should consider is "the nature of the church or the doctrine of the church." He believes understanding what the church truly is should precede discussions about church unity, evangelism efforts, or revival. He emphasizes that before churches can unite, they must first be clear about what a church actually is.
Where does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say we should look to understand the true nature of the church?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones insists we must go back to the New Testament as the only authoritative source for understanding what the church is. He specifically points to Acts 2 as providing "the account of the origin of the christian church as we know her." He rejects approaches that start with the current state of churches and try to modify or accommodate them, or approaches based solely on history or tradition.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the first essential characteristic of the early church?
The first essential characteristic is that the church is composed of people who have undergone a profound spiritual change. These are not people who "decided to join a church" or "take up religion," but people who were "called of God" and experienced conviction of sin. They had been "pricked in their heart" through the preaching of God's Word and had repented of their sins.
What four activities did the early church continue steadfastly in, according to Acts 2:42?
According to Acts 2:42, the early church continued steadfastly in: 1. The apostles' doctrine (teaching) 2. Fellowship 3. Breaking of bread (communion) 4. Prayers
Why does Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasize that doctrine must come before fellowship?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones strongly emphasizes that doctrine must precede fellowship because: 1. It is the biblical order shown in Acts 2:42 2. The Holy Spirit is the "Spirit of truth" who teaches doctrine 3. Only by putting truth first can the church safeguard against error and heresy 4. Without a common doctrinal foundation, there is no true Christian fellowship, only "carnal fellowship" 5. Salvation itself comes through knowledge of the truth
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as a key problem with the ecumenical movement?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones criticizes the ecumenical movement for reversing the biblical order by putting fellowship before doctrine. He states: "The whole of the ecumenical movement is based upon the teaching that fellowship comes first," whereas the Bible places doctrine first. He argues that the movement says, "Don't talk about doctrine. Doctrine always divides," but this approach produces only human fellowship, not true Christian fellowship.
How did the early Christians demonstrate their devotion to the church?
The early Christians demonstrated their devotion by: 1. Gathering together daily, not just occasionally 2. Continuing "steadfastly" in the apostles' teaching and fellowship 3. Making the church "the central thing, the biggest thing in their lives" 4. Being so eager to be with fellow believers that "the difficulty with the early Christians was to send them home" 5. Showing joy and gladness in their spiritual life together
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones say is the ultimate test of a church's spiritual health?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests that "the way to test the Church was to examine its prayer meeting." He calls the prayer meeting "the powerhouse" and "the thermometer by which you can measure the warmth of the life of a church." He challenges his listeners to consider whether they regularly pray for their pastors and for revival power to come upon the church.
Itinerant Preaching
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.