The Essence of Community - Pt. 1

 

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47 ESV).

 

Yesterday I wrote that the foundation of unity is prayer. I also wrote that the present division in many of our American evangelical churches can be overcome through a unity of prayer. It also struck me that some study in the area of “community” would be helpful. So, today we’ll begin to look at the characteristics of community found in the Scripture. The place to begin is in the Book of Acts. Our reading today helps us get a clear look at the development of this community of believers.

 

I remember my first ministry assignment from seminary with great fondness. In fact, there is still a group of those first members of the BSU that gather annually to fellowship and renew their relationship. Mary and I have been able to attend that group a time or two since moving back to Texas. It is so good to see them. The stories that are told always revolve around their present families and work. However, we also drift to the stories of my idiosyncrasies in those days. My emphasis was always on building community for the work of evangelism and discipleship. It applied to all the things we did. The two years I spent there were so important for the rest of my ministry.

 

When we played games together, we were building community. When we ate together, we were building community. When we studied the Scripture or talked about a current topic and applied our faith to it, we were building community. When we served others on campus or in our circles of influence, we were building community. When we prayed together, we were building community. Those days equipped me to go to some of the most troubled and divided churches and bring grace to rebuild community. The early church, described in Acts 2, is a great example of this as well. Whatever the believers did, they did it together and built community in the process. From the big things in life to the small things, they did them together and learned about who they were and who God is at the same time. So as we explore community in the coming days, let’s commit to building relationships around the core of our faith in Christ, not the politics of our world. That will bring “favor with all the people” (v. 46).