What has been the highlight of your week?
What has been the low of your week?

In the first century, a man named Jesus emerged from the Judean wilderness with an announcement;

“the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel!” –Mark 1:14.

Jesus was declaring that God had begun his plan to take back his world from Satan, Sin, and Death, to undo all that had gone wrong– to recreate the world. Put simply, the Kingdom of Jesus is what life looks like when God is in charge.

Jesus’ good news includes instructions for his would-be followers: “...repent and believe” (Mark 1:14). This is not simply a call to mind your manners and say your prayers.

Jesus’ Gospel is nothing less than a call to change your allegiance. In repentance, we rethink our ways; in belief, we begin learning Jesus’ ways. Those who commit to this new Kingdom and King are called disciples. And the vehicle for which we continue to become more and more like Jesus (disciples) is the church.

The Church is a gathering of people around the bare essentials of faith: prayer, scripture, and mission. And so, we call this gathering microchurch—small church—as we gather around these faith essentials.

When we commit ourselves to practicing the essentials in everyday settings, we create an environment in which we learn to follow Jesus in everyday settings. To learn more about this kind of community, let’s look at Acts 2:42-47 and see how some of the earliest Christians practiced church.

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,  praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

–Act 2:42–47

The Message Paraphrase

1. How did the early church gather? 

2. How is this different from the way you think about church?

3. How do we do this as a microchurch?

Those first disciples of Jesus committed themselves to “the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”As disciples of Jesus, microchurch is how we follow their example. We devote ourselves to the teachings (scripture), the prayers (liturgy), and the breaking of bread (dinner). This is not a new way to do church.  This is the return to something very old. 

Whether you are a long-time microchurch participant or this is your first, consider how this community will be incorporated as a priority into your weekly rhythms. The goal isn’t 100% attendance but consistent faithfulness. This week, ask yourself and/or your spouse or family what changes need to be made to prioritize microchurch.