All Together
Focus Verse: Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers."
Sometimes when I preach in Kenya and I see many people accept Christ I wonder if they all knew what they were doing, and if they understand. What kind of life do believers have after receiving Christ? What should it look like to begin a Christian community.
As we continue our devotional study on "Christian community" let's observe a few things about the early church in Acts. In this passage we see that about 3000 people were saved when Peter preached. We see that right away these new believers were united with the other believers. Verse 42 says they had fellowship with them, continued in the doctrine (teachings), they shared in the Lord's supper together, and they prayed together.
We see that these early believers shared what they had so that all could benefit from God's gifts. Sometimes governments of some countries take taxes from those that earn money and then give to those that are in need. Its a nice plan, but God says that it is the church's responsibility to help those in need, not just the government's. When the outside world sees the church helping each other they will know something is different. But so many times the outside world sees the church divided and not able to get along with each other. This is damaging to our testimony.
A healthy Christian community attracts people to Christ. The early church's passion for worship and love for each other was contagious. A church that is healthy and loving will grow in numbers. What can you do today within your church that will attract others to Christ? Who is in need that you can help?
Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries
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