An Introductory Question for Every Believer:
Do you believe that when the Bible gives us clear instructions—whether from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself or from His Apostles writing under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit—that we, as Christians, are bound to follow them as they are delivered? If your heartfelt answer is, “Yes, my desire is to obey God’s Word in all things,” then this conviction must be applied to one of the most foundational aspects of our faith: the very definition of a New Testament church and its practices.
Many sincere Christians today find themselves in various gatherings, from online meetings to traditional services, assuming these are valid expressions of the church. But does our practice align with the explicit blueprint provided in Scripture? Let us test our traditions against the enduring standard of God’s Word.
Part 1: The Foundation of a Church: The Necessity of Biblically Qualified Elders
The New Testament term for church is ekklesia, meaning a “called-out assembly.” However, not every gathering of believers constitutes a fully organized New Testament church. The defining mark is the presence of biblically qualified leadership.
While we cherish the promise that Christ is spiritually present wherever two or three are gathered in His name (Matthew 18:20), this is a promise for prayer and fellowship, not a blueprint for church governance. A biblically recognized assembly requires a God-ordained authority structure, centered on the office of elder (also called overseer or pastor).
Scriptural Foundation 1: The Apostolic Mandate for Elders
Titus 1:5: “This is why I left you in Crete, so that you might put what remained into order, and appoint elders in every town as I directed you.”
- Exegetical Argument: Paul’s instruction to Titus is not a suggestion; it is a command to complete an essential task. The phrase “in every town” establishes the norm: every local church was to be led by a plurality of appointed elders. A gathering without such appointed elders is, by this apostolic standard, incomplete and “out of order.”
Scriptural Foundation 2: The Non-Negotiable Qualifications for Elders
1 Timothy 3:1-7: “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? He must not be a recent convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil.”
- Exegetical Argument: God, not man, sets the standard for church leadership. These qualifications are comprehensive, focusing on proven character (“above reproach,” “manage his own household“) and spiritual maturity (“able to teach,” “not a recent convert“). This list is a divine filter. A man who simply “volunteers” or is “voted in” without meeting these specific criteria is holding an office Scripture does not authorize him to hold. His authority derives from his conformity to God’s standard, not from a popularity contest.
Scriptural Foundation 3: Authority is Recognized, Not Seized
Acts 14:23: “And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
- Exegetical Argument: The initiative for appointing elders came from the apostolic founders of the church (Paul and Barnabas), not from the congregation itself. This appointment was done with solemn prayer and fasting, recognizing that the choice of leaders is a weighty spiritual matter delegated to the Lord. This contrasts sharply with a modern group where a person simply assumes leadership or is elected by a vote of unequipped believers.
Conclusion for Part 1: An online group or any other gathering that functions without biblically qualified elders appointed according to this pattern is, by the New Testament definition, a Bible study or fellowship group. It is a valuable part of Christian fellowship but lacks the authority structure of a duly constituted local church.
Part 2: The Lord’s Supper: A Covenant Meal for a Covenanted Assembly
Understanding the proper constitution of a church is essential to correctly administering the ordinances Christ gave it, especially the Lord’s Supper. This sacrament is often observed as a brief, symbolic ritual, but its institution and early practice reveal a deeper, more tangible reality.
Scriptural Foundation 4: The Original Context Was a Real Meal
Luke 22:19-20: “And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.'”
1 Corinthians 11:21: “For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk.”
- Exegetical Argument: The Lord’s Supper was instituted during the Passover meal—a deipnon, meaning the main evening feast. The Corinthian passage proves this continued in the early church. The abuse Paul condemns—some getting drunk—is impossible if they were only consuming a thimble of juice. The Greek word for “supper” is deipnon, a shared feast. The problem was their gluttony and division during this communal meal, not the fact that a meal was taking place.
Scriptural Foundation 5: The Command Requires a Physical, Unified Gathering
1 Corinthians 11:17-18, 20, 33: “But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you… When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat… So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.”
- Exegetical Argument: The phrase “come together” translates the Greek word synerchomai, which means to physically assemble in one location. Paul’s entire correction hinges on this physical unity. The command to “wait for one another” (v.33) is nonsensical in an online setting where people log in at a set time. It is an instruction for a single physical gathering where the body acts as one. A virtual meeting cannot fulfill this command.
Scriptural Foundation 6: The Authority to Administer Comes from the Lord through His Church
1 Corinthians 11:23: “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you…”
1 Corinthians 4:17: “…my ways in Christ, as I teach them everywhere in every church.”
- Exegetical Argument: Paul’s authority to instruct the Corinthians on the Supper came directly from the Lord, and he “delivered” this tradition to the church. This ordinance was entrusted to the church, under the oversight of the elders who guard the apostolic teaching. Therefore, the authority to administer the Supper is not independent; it is derivative. It flows from Christ, to the Apostles, to the established churches they founded, and is guarded by the elders of those churches. A self-appointed leader of an online group has no standing to administer a covenant meal for a body that is not a biblically recognized assembly.
Conclusion for Part 2: A virtual “Lord’s Supper” fails the biblical test on authority, context, and the fundamental meaning of “coming together.” It is an invalid observance. The common church practice of a wafer and juice, while a departure from the fuller meal context, is valid when administered by a true church with qualified elders within a physical gathering, as it retains the essential elements of authority and corporate unity.
Part 3: Interpreting Acts 2:42 Correctly: A Snapshot, Not the Entire Blueprint
A common defense for informal gatherings, like online groups, is the claim that they fulfill the description in Acts 2:42.
Acts 2:42: “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
The argument is made: “We have teaching from the Bible (the apostles’ teaching), we have fellowship online, we break bread (in our way), and we pray. Therefore, we are a church according to Acts 2:42.”
While this verse provides a beautiful and essential snapshot of the early church’s life, it is a grave hermeneutical error to use this descriptive passage in isolation to define a church, while ignoring the prescriptive instructions given later in the epistles that detail its necessary structure and authority.
1. Acts 2:42 is Descriptive, Not Exhaustively Prescriptive.
The Book of Acts is primarily a historical narrative—a description of what the early church did. The Epistles (like 1 Timothy, Titus, 1 Corinthians) are primarily prescriptive—they contain commands for how the church must be organized and governed for all time. To build a doctrine of the church on Acts 2 alone is like looking at a photograph of a family eating dinner and concluding that a family is defined solely by that activity, while ignoring the legal and relational structures (marriage, parenthood) that actually define the family unit.
The four activities in Acts 2:42 are the vital signs of a healthy church body, but they do not describe the skeleton—the essential structural framework that gives the body its form. The skeleton is provided by the prescriptive texts on eldership.
2. The “Prayers” in Context Reinforce Physical Gathering.
Regarding the claim that their online prayer time fulfills the “prayers” of Acts 2:42, we must again look at the context. The “prayers” (ταῖς προσευχαῖς – tais proseuchais) in Acts consistently refer to structured, corporate prayer in the Temple or in homes (Acts 1:14; 3:1; 12:5). It signifies the united prayer of the physical assembly.
While praying together via technology is a wonderful practice for fellowship, it is not a substitute for the corporate prayer of a physically gathered covenant community under authority. The “prayers” in Acts 2:42 are one activity within the broader context of a physically unified body. To pluck prayer from that context and use it to justify the absence of the other biblical requirements (eldership, physical gathering for the Supper) is to misuse the verse.
3. The “Apostles’ Teaching” Itself Commands Church Order.
This is the most critical point. The very “apostles’ teaching” to which the early church was devoted includes the commands about church governance found in the epistles. The Apostle Paul, whose teaching is part of this apostolic foundation, explicitly commanded the appointment of elders (Titus 1:5) and gave detailed instructions for worship and order (1 Corinthians 11, 14). Therefore, a group that claims to be devoted to the apostles’ teaching but ignores the apostles’ commands regarding eldership is, by definition, not truly devoted to the apostles’ teaching. They are selectively obeying only the parts that suit their current practice.
Final Conclusion: A Call to Loving Obedience
This examination is not meant to question the sincerity of believers but to call us all to a higher standard: loving obedience to God’s revealed design. The Lord, in His perfect wisdom, has given us a pattern for His church for our protection, growth, and His glory.
If we truly desire to follow Scripture “as it is written,” we must humbly align our practices with the apostolic foundation. This means valuing the God-ordained authority of the local church, led by biblically qualified elders, and participating in the Lord’s Supper as it was delivered to the saints: as a profound covenant meal administered by a recognized assembly, celebrating the tangible unity of Christ’s body as a testimony to a watching world. Let us be Christians who not only love the Word but who diligently obey its patterns.
