Distinctive Worship

[W]hen we look to the second century, we are reminded afresh that early Christians, regardless of the exterior pressures and challenges, were always keen to keep the focus on one simple thing: worshipping Jesus. Despite all the ‘noise’ of the second century, it should not be missed that the day-to-day life of Christians was very basic. More than anything, they were committed to gathering together, to hearing the Scriptures, to taking the Lord’s Supper, to administering baptism. Of all the things that made Christians unique, ultimately it was their worship that set them apart. Unlike their pagan counterparts, Christians worshipped only the one true God. And unlike their Jewish contemporaries, they worshipped the man Jesus alongside Yahweh. It was their distinctive worship that made Christians seem scandalous and superstitious. And it was this, above all, that Christians were committed to doing (Michael J. Kruger, Christianity at the Crossroads: How the Second Century Shaped the Future of the Church, 231).