A glimpse of the church’s life in the earliest stages is provided in Acts 2:42, which states that the Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” These categories in general continue to characterize the church’s activities throughout the New Testament period.
Instruction
Teaching, as mentioned above, is not the same as the public proclamation of the lordship of Christ, but is instruction in the theological, historical, and practical foundations of Christian faith (Heb. 6:1–2). The apostles were teachers of the Word (Acts 5:42; 15:35; 1 Tim. 2:7) as well as preachers, and one of the qualities of an overseer was the ability to teach (1 Tim. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:24). Pastors were teachers also, but teaching was a general activity open to any qualified member of the assembly (Rom. 12:7; Col. 3:16; James 3:1). Women were instructors of other women (Titus 2:3–4) but in deference to custom were not generally given a role in the instruction of men (1 Tim. 2:12).
An important function in the church was the creation of materials for instruction. Some have suggested that collections of Old Testament passages concerning the appearance of the Christ were circulated in the early church and that the apostolic preaching recorded in the New Testament draws on material from these manuals. The teachings of Jesus seem to have been gathered into collections, along with the narrative of his ministry and passion, in an oral stage. The passing of the first eyewitnesses and the linguistic transition from Aramaic to Greek necessitated the writing down of this material as an aid to instruction in the church; the Gospels of the New Testament were the result. In an age before printing, the publication of books required the services of professional copyists. Although most Jewish men could write, the ability to produce a readable scroll was a specialized skill. The church had its scribes, such as Tertius, who wrote down Paul’s letter to the Romans (Rom. 16:22); Paul’s own handwriting was not equal to this task (Gal. 6:11).
Communications
As it grew, the church developed an effective system of internal communication through the travels of the apostles and their coworkers and through an extensive correspondence of which the New Testament Epistles are doubtless but a small portion. Except for government business, there were few reliable public mail or courier services; therefore, a letter or any other personal shipment (such as Paul’s cloak and scrolls, which he asked Titus to bring to him, 2 Tim. 4:13) had to be carried by someone who could be trusted to see that it moved toward its destination. For such couriers, a network of accommodations existed in the various cities through the hospitality of members of the congregations (Rom. 12:13; 1 Tim. 3:2), public accommodations of the time being usable only as a last resort.
Worship
The assembly usually met in private homes for worship and instruction (Acts 2:46; 16:40; 18:7; Philem. 1:2). It appears that, in commemoration of the Resurrection, the congregation assembled on the “Lord’s Day,” the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). Christian worship focused on the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 10:16–17; 11:20–29) and included the singing of hymns (Eph. 5:19), prayer (1 Cor. 11:4–5), vocal thanksgiving (Eph. 5:20; Heb. 13:15), and instruction (1 Cor. 14:26; Col. 3:16). Worship in Corinth, and probably elsewhere, included both singing and thanksgiving in tongues, with interpretation, and prophecy (1 Cor. 11:4–5; 14:1–33). The New Testament does not specify who is to officiate in worship or to administer the Lord’s Supper, although prophets clearly had a role in corporate worship (1 Cor. 14:23–33).
Mutual Assistance
A notable feature of early church life was the way members of the community were expected to care for one another’s needs. The Epistles contain repeated exhortations to this end: to contribute to the needs of the “saints” (Rom. 12:13), to bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2), to do good especially to fellow believers (Gal. 6:10), to share, as a sacrifice pleasing to God (Heb. 13:16). Jesus had taught his followers the importance of serving his “brothers” (Matt. 25:40) or “little ones” (Matt. 10:42), meaning one’s fellow disciples, and had set the example of service in acts such as washing the disciples’ feet (John 13:1–15). In following his model, the New Testament church directed its benevolence toward two groups in particular: widows and orphans, who had meager resources of their own (Acts 6:1–6; 1 Tim. 5:3–11; James 1:27) and the congregation in Jerusalem, beset with persecution and famine (Acts 11:29–30; 1 Cor. 16:1–2; 2 Cor. 8:1–5).