The Ordinary Means of Grace: An Introduction

Sermon Idea: God builds the church up by his grace through ordinary means: the ministry of the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and singing. 

Introduction: On September 12th, 1983, the Scottish pastor William Still reflected on thirty years of pastoral ministry before fifty ministers. His reflection was a testimony of God’s work in his church and his experience of that work through conversions, maturing Christians, and lasting fruit. Of course, ministers and most Christians long to experience the work of God in their midst, so a testimony like this is worth listening to. You can imagine ministers listening and perhaps asking themselves a series of questions. 

What secret had Still discovered? What method did he employ to reach such results? Can they be reproduced in our own context? Can we find the secret to unleash the work of God in our midst? What is the plan that must be implemented to see church growth? 

To those who would ask those questions, Still’s testimony would be a bit of a disappointment. That is because it is a testimony of God’s work through ordinary means: the Word of God, prayer, and the ordinances. 

Years later, reflecting on Still’s testimony, one pastor summarized the takeaway from such a testimony. I want you to listen carefully to his quote because it captures what I want you to embrace with joy over the next several weeks. 

“When it comes to the stewardship of the Gospel, there are two basic choices before the Church of Christ. Either the Church will be content to apply itself to God’s ordinary means and trust him for their extraordinary ends; or, the Church will pursue extraordinary means and content itself with ordinary ends.” – Craig Troxel 

I want us to reflect on how God builds up the church by his grace through his ordinary means. In doing so, I want us to cultivate a deeper conviction in God’s promise to work through the means he has given us. 

If this language is new to you, ordinary is not intended to connote boring or uninteresting but to the regular means that God uses to strengthen our faith by his grace. It refers to what has been ordained by Christ for this purpose. You can hear the word connection between ordinary and ordained.

To say something is a “means” is to say it is an instrument or a medium through which something is accomplished. You might think, for example, of the news media, which is meant to be a means for learning about the news and events worldwide. 

What means specifically are we referring to? We are starting here in Acts 2:41-42 because we see the early church observing what was later called the ordinary means of grace. This is a remarkable passage that gives us insight into the worship priorities of the early church fresh off the extraordinary wonders of Pentecost. 

The church gathered regularly, and they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. (Ac 2:42)

Devoted communicates persistence and perseverance. The church was committed to observing these things as they worshipped because this is Christian worship. Baptism brings people into the church and once added, there is a shared commitment of fellowship around the gospel. That is what the apostle’s teaching means—a commitment to the gospel and the way the gospel fulfills God’s promises. 

They were devoted to breaking bread, which in this context most certainly means more than a simple shared meal but refers to the Lord’s Supper. Similar language is used later in Acts when Paul describes gathering with the church on the Lord’s Day. 

⁷ On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. (Ac 20:7)

As followers of Jesus, they were committed to prayer. This probably included frequently reciting the Lord’s Prayer and other prayers. 

Major confessions of faith throughout church history have identified the ministry of the Word of God, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer as the ordinary means of grace. 

The grace of faith…. is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their hearts,and is ordinarily wrought by the ministry of the Word; by which also, and by the administration of baptism and the Lord’s supper, prayer, and other means appointed of God, it is increased and strengthened.- Second London Baptist Confession 14.1 

This morning, I want us to recognize that God builds the church through His grace via ordinary means: the ministry of the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, and singing. 

We’ll do this by reflecting on three aspects: God saves the church by grace, God builds up the church by grace, and God builds the church by grace through ordinary means. 

In conclusion, I want to offer a few points about why this is important. 

I.) God saves the church by grace 

We often use “grace” but don’t define it because we assume a basic knowledge of it. But what do we mean by grace? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, where he lavishes the blessings of salvation on the believer through faith in Christ. 

To say that it is unmerited is to say that we cannot and do not contribute anything to gain access to God’s grace. It is given to us as a gift. 

As you know, it’s Girl Scout cookie time. That’s not good because I’ll eat them all, and I don’t need to (tip: put the thin mints in the freezer). When you are a member of the Girl Scouts, you can earn merit badges, which are worn on your uniform. Those merit badges signify achievements and accomplishments. The wearing of that badge is based on the merit of the Girl Scouts. You earned the right to wear it.

The grace of God in Christ is not like that. We don’t deserve it and do nothing to earn it, but grace is given to us in Christ. It is offered as a gift by the sovereign grace of God, first for His glory and second for our benefit.

The church is what it is, and Christians are who they are solely because of God’s grace in Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 captures this truth as well as any other place in Scripture. 

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:8–9)

Not only is grace unmerited favor, but it involves the outpouring of the blessing of salvation on the believer through faith in Christ. Paul says this in Ephesians 1:3, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.

Did you hear the depth of that verse? In Christ, we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. We do not need to search for another source of grace. The work of God in Christ through the Spirit is all we will ever need. 

It is crucial to understand that grace is not only for the beginning of the Christian life but for all of it. In theological terms, God saves us by grace, sanctifies us by grace, and glorifies us by grace. From beginning to end, we are creatures of God’s grace. 

If that is the case, then the church must grow by God’s grace so that God can strengthen, nourish, and edify it in this life and in preparation for the next. 

This brings us to our second point: God saves the church by grace and builds it up by grace. 

II.) God builds the church up by grace 

During Paul’s encouragement to the elders in Ephesus he commends them to God and says that the Word of God’s grace has the power to build them up. 

³² And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Ac 20:32)

This passage is really insightful because it teaches us that God builds us up and reveals that God uses means to do so. In this case, the means is the “word of his grace.” In this context, this phrase refers to the gospel, but by extension, it also includes the Word of God in Scripture.

As believers hear the gospel afresh through faith in the reading and preaching of the Word, God, by his grace, increasingly nourishes and strengthens our faith. 

God has not saved us and left us to ourselves, but he promises his grace to build us up. 

We can also consider 2 Peter 1:2-4, where we learn that grace can be multiplied in the church’s life so that they come to a deeper understanding of God’s grace in Christ. 

² May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. ³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. (2 Pe 1:2–4)

So, to have grace multiplied to you is to have your faith nourished and strengthened in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, who has granted us all things pertaining to life and godliness. 

Here is what is interesting. As we read the Bible, we see God builds up the church through ordinary means. There are regular, ordinary means through which God has promised to build the church up by his grace. 

Sure, there are many things that God can use to bless and edify believers, but there are certain things that God definitely uses, and that matter a great deal. 

In a very helpful book on this topic, pastor J. Ryan Davidson says it this way. 

“It is quite possible for the Lord to use anything in the life of a believer. Many could attest to the fact that God often utilizes things outside of the ordinary means of grace; however, there are certain things that He tells us He will definitely use, and that is the main difference. That is why we labeled them the ordinary means of grace. They are the things that the Scriptures have said are instituted by Christ through which we can expect a blessing, thereby making them a “means of grace.”

So, the ministry of the Word, baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer can be called means of grace because they were all instituted by the Lord Jesus and are accompanied by a promised blessing from God.

We do not believe these things operate in their own power. Without faith, Baptismal waters are hardly different from a bath. Without faith, the bread and cup don’t unite us with Christ. However, as we come to them by faith, they are means of grace God uses to bless and strengthen the church by his Spirit. 

When believers participate in these means through faith, God works through them to bless the church. So, what are the promises associated with these means of grace, and why is this important for the life of the church? 

III.) God builds the church up by grace through ordinary means 

1. Ministry of the Word 

¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. ¹⁵ Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. ¹⁶ Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Ti 4:13–16)

¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, ¹⁷ that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Ti 3:16–17)

2. Baptism 

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:19–20)

3. Lord’s Supper 

¹⁶ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? ¹⁷ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. (1 Co 10:16–17)

4. Prayer 

⁶ do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Php 4:6–7)

 ¹⁴ And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. (1 Jn 5:13–14)

5. Singing 

¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col 3:16)

Application 

1. The ordinary means of grace give churches a biblical philosophy of ministry. 

2. The ordinary means of grace cultivate humility and dependence upon God in worship.

3. The ordinary means of grace raises the cost of neglecting to gather with the church.