Apostle Paul while at Roman prison wrote the letter we call 1 Timothy to encourage Timothy, his own (genuine) son in the faith, to explain how a local church should be managed, and to enforce his own authority as a servant of God. Paul wanted young Timothy to know how to ‘conduct himself’ in a local Assembly. Even today, how relevant these truths are to the believers! We are to be aware of our responsibilities in the local Assembly. Sadly, these things seem to be strangely absent within the local fellowship. Believers have shrunk themselves to remain as mere spectators and listeners. The Church that came into existence on the day of Pentecost continued steadfastly in four areas of fellowship (Acts. 2:42). This verse sums up succinctly the main elements of the life and activity of the Jerusalem Church. They were continually devoting themselves to the Apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers. Early believers steadfastly and continuously observed the fellowship gatherings. Their Christian faith was a living reality to them and His resurrection power was at work in their lives through the Spirit. These were the foundational basis of the bright and shining spiritual lives of the first century believers.
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    It is true that the first century believers received the oral teaching of the Apostles, we are in no way deprived of the same since we have their written words with us. We very well know that all the Scriptures are God inspired (breathed). Now, what is our reaction to the apostolic teaching? Continuing in Apostles’ doctrine is the pillar of scriptural conduct.

    All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction and for instruction in righteousness. But many have aversion for these teachings. The only way to defeat Satan’s lies is with God’s truth. “Thus saith the Lord!” is the final answer to every question. Evil men and deceivers are going to get worse and worse. They will deceive more and more. Why? Because they are being deceived by Satan! In these last days, there will be more deception and imitation; and the only way a believer will be able to tell the true from the false is by knowing the Word of God. Apostolic teachings are the pillars of truth of the house of the living God.

    The house of God is to stand firm on pillars of Apostolic doctrine. We know that 69 pillars were used to keep the tabernacle firm on the sand in the wilderness. We also read of two exceptional pillars in the temple built by Solomon.

    We see that Jude set out to write an encouraging letter about “the common salvation.” But the Spirit of God changed his mind and led him to write about the battle against the forces of evil in the world that were there to destroy the faith. Why? Because it was “needful” for the church. Jude exhorted the believers that they should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Verse 3). We did not discover this faith of our own. This is given to us.

    Jude relates his purpose in writing; the faith is in danger; by ‘the faith’ he means primarily the whole body of the truth of the Gospel. Faithful Christians must always defend these truths vigorously against dilution or perversion; “once for all” indicates that the Gospel truths are immutable. The word entrusted means ‘handed down’, and is used of traditions: the only immutable traditions Christians have are the truths of the Gospel. The chief enemies of the truth, from the earliest days of the church, were men who ‘wormed their way in’, though inwardly opposed to the Gospel and all it implied, men destined for condemnation, not salvation. Such false brethren in Jude’s time were characterized by immorality; Rom. 6:1 describes the outlook of such pseudo-Christians. Jude regards such an antinomian attitude as equivalent to a denial of the Lord Jesus Christ. When the enemy is in the field, the watchmen dare not go to sleep. The Christian life is a battleground, not a playground. Again in v. 20 he exhorts them to “build up yourselves on the most holy faith.” There are no shortcuts to the building up of our spiritual life. There is no other way but to come back to the roots i.e. the apostolic teaching which are once for all entrusted to us.

    In Revelation 2, while writing to the Church at Ephesus, we read the Ephesian Church was a separated Church, for they carefully examined the visiting ministers to see if they were genuine. Paul had warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers would come in from outside and even arise from within the Church.  Indeed, Satan has his false ministers and the Church must be constantly alert to detect them and reject them. Ephesian Christians separated themselves not only from false doctrine but also from false deeds (Rev. 2:6). The word Nicolaitan means, “to conquer the people.” Despite their courageous stand against persecution, the believers in Pergamos were not faultless before the Lord. Satan, the roaring lion, was not able to destroy them, but he was making inroads as the deceiving serpent. A group of compromising people had infiltrated the Church fellowship, and Jesus Christ hated their doctrines and their practices.
These infiltrators are called “Nicolaitans,” whom we met at Ephesus (Rev. 2:6). The name means, “to rule the people.” What they taught is called “the doctrine of Balaam” (Rev. 2:14). The Hebrew name Balaam also means “lord of the people” and is probably synonymous with Nicolaitans. Sadly, this group of professed believers “lorded it over” the people and led them astray. As a result, the lamp stands were removed from their places. How sad it is! It is high time that we accept the apostolic teaching seriously and practise the same for our spiritual upliftment.

    Those saved in the early chapters of Acts were not permitted to add their thoughts, likes or dislikes. All behaviour must be in accord with God’s dwelling and character. The same applies in our day. Much damage has been done by the introduction of unscriptural innovations and the dispensing of clear Scriptural precepts.
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    The pillar of saintly companionship is “fellowship.” The word “fellowship” gives us the essence of partnership and sharing. As believers, what about our partnership? 1 John 1.3 teaches that every believer has fellowship with the Father and the Son. In 2 Cor. 13:14, we read of our fellowship with the Holy Spirit. The fellowship with the Triune God is such a great and profound spiritual truth. How this divine fellowship can have its reflection upon our ecclesiastical fellowship in the Assembly where we share in the joys and if necessary in all the tears of the Assembly? In our Assembly life, we have our individual share and portion. When we bring these into our practical life, we relish the sweetness of our fellowship. While our Lord Jesus Christ was on this earth, He demonstrated humility, meekness and service by washing the feet of His disciples. He also said, “you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” This is not to be taken only in its literal sense, but it also speaks of the practical side i.e. the fellow believers are to minister one to another. We know that the first century believers used to consider their properties as common and used to minister to one another. By realising the spiritual and material needs of our fellow believers we are to extend a helping hand to them. Thus we can enjoy our fellowship to the fullest. Likewise,
        We are to love one another (John 13:34).
        We are to pray for one another (1 Thess. 1:2).
        We are to comfort one another (1 Thess. 4:16).
        We are to exhort one another (Heb. 3:13).
        We are to edify one another (Eph. 4:29).
        We are to build one another (Rom. 14:19; Phil. 13,14).

    All the above mentioned things are the areas where our fellowship is expressed or displayed outwardly. Our God desires and wants us to be partners of such living and meaningful fellowship.
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    “Breaking of bread” is the pillar of blessed commemoration. This spiritual ministry was a deep rooted one of the first century believers. Partaking from the table was a blessed ministry of the Lord’s people. Believers, those who were separated by the Lord, gathered on the first day of the week continuously and steadfastly to remember their Lord. It is an important aspect of our worship. It is possible to worship without the breaking of bread. But in a local Assembly breaking of bread has its own importance. Apostle Paul during his missionary journey over stayed seven days just to break bread with the local believers. The place and time is never a barrier for individual worship. We can worship any time at any place. But here as far as the local Assembly is concerned, we are to take our congregational worship into consideration. In our present day worship services, a group of brethren take active part in it and make their presence felt. But a large chunk of them remain as mute spectators still claiming to be passive worshippers. Among the denominational churches, the priest places the broken bread in the mouth of the members. But we ourselves break bread and partake from it. Still we fail to realise the significant difference. This kind of worship is not the worshipping in truth and Spirit. In the present day context, the breaking of bread has been reduced to a ritual. Is not it true that in our worship gathering, we just have a ritual called “breaking of bread”?

    If we study the word “worship” mentioned both in the Old Testament and New Testament, we soon realize the grandness and nobility of it. We see the first occurrence of this word in Genesis 22. The main theme of the worship described here is giving the very best to the Lord. We are to worship our God by giving our very best. Giving, not receiving is true worship. We have received Salvation from God. By lifting up the cup of Salvation we are to worship Him. We are to worship Him by offering the fruit of our lips, even sacrifices unto God. Now, tell me, who will find it difficult to worship in this manner?

    In the New Testament, we see the word “Worship” in Mathew’s Gospel Chapter 2. We recall that the wise men from the east worshipped when they saw Him. They opened their treasures and presented gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. We can see in the gold, His Deity, in the frankincense His Holy Humanity and the myrrh His suffering and His love. These wise men laid the treasures at His feet and worshipped Him. It was all of Him and we need to remember that we gather unto Him alone. This was not just a ritual. The Psalmist encourages us to worship our God by offering presents (praises and thanksgiving). For some, partaking from the table is very important. However, the value of the experience depends on the condition of the hearts of those who participate; and this was the problem at Corinth.

     They will observe the same even at the cost of  breaking fellow believer’s hearts. It is a serious thing to come to the Communion with an unprepared heart. It is also a serious thing to receive the Supper in a careless manner. Because the Corinthians had been sinning in their observance of the Lord’s Supper, God had disciplined them. “For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep [have died]” (1 Cor. 11:30).

    The Lord’s Supper gives us an opportunity for spiritual growth and blessings if we approach it in the right attitude. What, then, must we do if the Supper is to bring blessing and not chastening? This is the Lord’s Supper and as we partake, may we partake meaningfully and worship our Lord in truth and Spirit.
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    The pillar of sweet communion is “Prayers.” Praying is a mark of a true child of God. The main factor, which quickened the spiritual growth of the early believers, was their individual and assembly prayer. It was really praiseworthy. Apostle Paul while writing to Timothy about conduct in the house of God, also instructs him about his private and public prayer life. In the life of many a believer, prayer is nothing but a long list of wants i.e. requirements. They have a misconception that presenting this list before the Lord is prayer. It is true that we ought to make our supplications known to God. But that is not all what prayer means. This in itself has four different parts. In 1 Tim 2:2, Apostle Paul urges Timothy that supplications and prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all kings and all who are in authority. These four are important sections of a fruitful prayer life. Praying is a prominent feature of assembly life. The prayer life of our Lord Jesus Christ is the best example for us to follow. All the four parts we saw above constituted the prayer that our Lord prayed.

    What do we mean by supplication? Falling prostrate at His feet, shedding tears and making supplications is what we understand from this portion. Lest we forget the scene in the garden of Gethsemane, where our Lord fell on the ground and  with tears made supplications to the Father. Jesus prayed, “O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Matt. 26:39). The cup represented the suffering He would endure and the separation from the Father that He would experience on the cross. He prayed this prayer three times, evidencing that His whole being was sensitive to the price He would pay for our salvation. How touching it is! God will never remain silent when we make supplications in this manner at His feet.

    The next on the list is Prayer. Praying for ourselves or also for other; at least for namesake we all do this. We read, our Lord Jesus Christ spent a whole night in prayer. Spending a considerable amount of time in prayer for some specific need is always a good practice.

    Third one is intercession. We have the written version of our Lord’s intercessory prayer in the Scriptures. No matter what events occurred later that evening, this prayer makes it clear that Jesus was and is the Overcomer. He was not a “victim”; He was and is the Victor! “Be of good cheer,” He had encouraged His disciples; “I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The word world is used nineteen times in this prayer, so it is easy to see the connection between the prayer and John 16:33. If you and I will understand and apply the truths revealed in this profound prayer, it will enable us to be overcomers too.

    The progression of thought in this prayer is not difficult to discover. Jesus first prayed for Himself and told the Father that His work on earth had been finished (John 17:1-5). Then He prayed for His disciples, that the Father would keep them and sanctify them (John 17:6-19). He closed His prayer by praying for you and me and the whole church that we might be unified in Him and one-day share His glory (John 17:20-26). How sad it is to note that our intercessory prayer has reduced to one-line ritualistic utterances. Praying for individuals by saying their names is better than making a general statement engulfing them all into one. Praying with a genuine heart is also important. This will never go waste and will surely fetch result. When God decided to destroy all the Israelites who sinned in the wilderness, we see Moses praying an intercessory prayer in Exodus 32. In response to Israel's behavior, God charged Moses, "Your people whom you have brought up ... have become corrupt" (v.7).    God was very angry with the people (v.10). The God who seemed unmerciful, however, is the same God who had mercifully prepared Moses for just such an occasion as this. So God said, by way of testing Moses, "Leave me alone." But God would allow himself to be bound, as it were, by prepared persons doing prepared work in God's way. In his role as divinely raised-up mediator, Moses appealed to the Lord (v.11). First, he reminded the Lord of His special covenantal relationship with his people, which he manifested in the Exodus. Then, he appealed to God's need to keep His name holy and trustworthy (v.12). Finally, he referred to the great promises made to the Patriarchs (v.13).  As Moses championed the Lord's cause, "the LORD relented" (v.14). In only two of the thirty-eight instances in the OT is this word used of men repenting.  One of the grounds for the Lord's repenting is intercession.

    The fourth and the final part in the list is thanksgiving. The goodness that we have received from our Lord, by realizing His majesty, His glory, offering praises is thanksgiving. This is something, which is inevitable. We are to be such prayer warriors.

    A shadow of such a fruitful prayer ministry is apparently seen in Exodus chapter 30.  “Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin: And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compounded after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.” When these incenses were burnt, the sweet smelling savour reached the heavenly places and our Lord took delight in it. In the book of Revelation we read the prayers of the sanctified group reached the heavenly places as sweet smelling savour. Comparing the four ingredients of the ointment with the four factors of prayer will no doubt be good for us to understand and make it a practice.

    Apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer are valuable eternal truths. The spiritual growth of an Assembly, which is the house of the Living God, definitely depends upon the attitude of a believer towards these four foundational truths. These ministries are not restricted only to a handful of actively involved brethren of an Assembly but is compulsory and binding to one and all.

    In a local Assembly, another vital ministry of a believer is to build. Take notice of Apostle Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 3:10,11: “By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Apostle Paul as a wise master builder has laid the foundation of a local Assembly. But the foundation of the universal church is laid by none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Apostle reminds the same to the readers of his epistle. Each one of us, have our share and portion of responsibilities in our local Assembly fellowship. Paul turns his attention to the kind of materials Christian workers are using: the materials of preaching the cross for salvation, building up believers (cf. 1:18), and living a Christian life that is commensurate with that preaching (2:2-4). The purity and depth of such Christian teaching and a life corresponding to it are crucial, for that kind of building material will stand the test of fire on the day of the Lord's judgment. Since valuable metals and precious stones were used to adorn ancient temples (cf. Rev. 21:18-21), Paul could have taken his imagery from Herod's temple in Jerusalem (Matt. 24:1-2) or from the beautiful public and religious buildings in Athens (Acts. 17:23) and Corinth. Such imagery would be sufficient to convey the thought of pure doctrine. The frames of ordinary houses and buildings were built of wood; hay or dried-grass, mixed with mud, was used for the walls; and roofs were thatched with straw or stalks. So the kind of insipid teaching and life represented by these lesser things will also have to face the test of the pure fire of God's justice and judgment, when it will be consumed. Those Christians whose works stand the test of fire (cf. 1 Pet. 1:7) will be rewarded. Those whose works are consumed by the fire will themselves escape the flames (as if they were jumping out of the burning wooden structure they had built) and be saved, but without any works of praise to present to Christ. In our building up process, what kind of material are we using? Gold speaks of ministries that give due importance to the Deity and Kingship of Christ. Silver shows the redemptive work of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. In the same way, the precious stones points to the manifold glories of our Lord. In all our services and ministry to the Lord, our ultimate aim should be the glory of His blessed name. There is no meaning in the volume of the ministry or services we are involved in. It depends upon the quality and value, which our Lord is searching for.

    We shall see three categories of people standing before the judgment seat of Christ. First category is of the kind of the thief who was crucified with Christ. He could not build or do anything for the Lord. At the threshold of his life, he could receive Him as his personal Saviour. This seems to be comforting. But this is a “no-gain no-loss” situation. The second category of people are like Lot. Was he not righteous? But, we see whatever he had built, all turned to ashes. He went after the glittering world and all his works were burnt to ashes. But he was saved. It is because salvation is a gift from our God. Third category is of the kind of Apostle Paul. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” What a life of joy and satisfaction! There is not a faint line of doubt about receiving the crown of righteousness. Dear brethren, where do we find ourselves? Please make a search in your conscience. In the building of our Assembly, let us prepare ourselves for a rich spiritual harvest. Let us build with gold, silver and precious stones.

    As far as a believer is concerned, he is not destined to remain a mute spectator in the assembly. He is bound to fight for the protection of Apostles’ teachings. He ought to enjoy the fellowship wholeheartedly and openly. He is to be a true worshipper by worshipping the Lord in truth and Spirit by breaking of bread. He is also to possess a fruitful prayer life. Whatever may be the spiritual gift we have received from our Lord, we ought to reflect it in our Assembly by actively participating in its over all functioning. With the attitude of a servant, we are to wash the feet of one another. Judging others, annoying and provoking others is not suitable for a believer. We do not have the authority to judge others. We all are to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. As the righteous Judge, our Lord Jesus Christ will execute his judgment. Our responsibility is to be faithful in our portion and share of work, counting them seriously and conducting ourselves properly in the house of God. May God enable each one of us to behave in this manner and bring glory to His name.
                         (Translated by Bro. Sunny T. Philip, Mallassery, Pathanamthitta)