Fellowship

Introduction

Spoke 2 of the wheel

The wheel is an illustration that the Navigators use. There’s 4 spokes- Prayer, Fellowship, Scripture Reading and Evangelism. The point of the wheel is to summarize healthy spiritual disciplines.

Main Point: Fellowship is an intentional discipline where we engage with the body of Christ and connect people with Jesus!

Body

I love Acts. As Christians, we have to love Acts! Acts tells us so much about the EARLY CHURCH AND WE SEE GOD MOVING SO CLEARLY!

Acts is in a category by itself as a book. See, it’s the only non-gospel in the New Testament that gives us history of events!

Acts gives us the history of the GOSPEL SPREADING AROUND THE KNOWN WORLD!

But Acts wasn’t a stand-alone book. Acts is actually the second part of a 2-part volume that the Holy Spirit inspired Luke to write. That matters because Acts starts with Jesus ascending to heaven.

After that, the apostles appoint a replacement for Judas and then we see Peter preach the GOSPEL at Pentecost!

But today, we are going to look at a passage that comes right after Pentecost.

Acts 2:42-47 gives us a direct glimpse into the life of the early church!

Acts 2:42 CSB

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.

Immediately, we see that the believers devote themselves to 4 things.

This word for devoted is the same word we saw Paul use to describe our prayer lives in Colossians 4:2.

We talked last week about how this word means to be devoted or PERSISTENT!

The believers in Jerusalem in Acts 2 devoted themselves- they focused themselves- they persisted in 4 things!

Let’s look at these 4.

The Apostles Teaching

The Fellowship

The Breaking of Bread

Prayer

First, we see that the believers devote themselves to the apostles teaching.

This is the first thing that Luke emphasizes. The apostles were preaching the WORD OF GOD and the believers were DEVOTED TO IT!

They made sure they heard the WORD OF GOD PREACHED AND PROCLAIMED!

They were devoted to learning more about God!

Remember, there was no NT yet. Jesus had just returned to heaven about 40 days earlier!

New believers; and there were 3000 who were saved at Pentecost; were fully reliant on the PREACHING OF THE APOSTLES TO GROW!

Let me challenge us with something. Do you want to grow closer to God?

DEVOTE YOURSELF TO GOD’S WORD!

Read it; study it; hear it preached faithfully!

Listen, it’s this simple. There’s no shortcut to growing in your faith. Instead, be faithful to BE IN GOD’S WORD!

BE FED BY GOD’S WORD! BE DEVOTED TO GOD’S WORD!

This is why we preach the way that we PREACH! WE WANT TO BE DEVOTED TO GOD’S WORD!

One author says of this passage that “The early church feasted on the WORD OF GOD, which tells the message of the Savior.”

That’s why we take God’s WORD SO SERIOUSLY! It shows us the MESSAGE OF THE SAVIOR! It’s OUR FEAST!

Example of a feast- YOU JUST WANT TO EAT AND EAT AND EAT!

Every passage in the Bible RELATES AND SHOWS US THE SAVIOR!

Every single one! Let me give a simple way we can think of it- Everything in the Old Testament from the fall of Man until the start of the Gospels shows us our NEED FOR A SAVIOR!

Then, in the Gospels, we see WHO OUR SAVIOR IS AND HOW OUR SAVIOR SAVED US!

In the rest of the New Testament we see HOW WE SHOULD LIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN SAVED!

We have to be people of God’s Word! People who HUNGER FOR GOD’S WORD!

Secondly in his list, Luke says that the believers were devoted to THE FELLOWSHIP!

Do you know what this is referring to?

It’s referring to gathering together!

The believers don’t just gather together one day a week, or two days a week, they are devoted to gathering together!

But hear me, they don’t just show up. See, there’s a difference between fellowship and hanging out.

The believers are DEVOTED TO THE FELLOWSHIP, which means that when they were together, they were devoted to each other!

They were united together deeply!

Consider the word of Hebrews 10:24-25

Hebrews 10:24–25 CSB

24 And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, 25 not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.

We must gather together!

And we do it to encourage one another and to provoke- or to SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON!

In other words, we gather to encourage each other and also to remind each other of what we need to do- of LOVE AND OF GOOD WORKS!

And as we kept seeing in Colossians, what is the #1 good work that we are called to do?

We are called TO PROCLAIM JESUS TO THE WORLD!

To encourage one another on, we have to be regularly gathering!

But it isn’t enough just to be together. Remember, there’s a difference between fellowship and hanging out.

We are called to ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER AND SPUR ONE ANOTHER ON. That requires that we KNOW EACH OTHER! IT REQUIRES THAT WE ARE INTENTIONALLY WALKING ALONGSIDE EACH OTHER!

Let me give an example. Hope loves to run. Recently she’s been crushing it and going on these 8 mile runs. If I don’t know her and know that she gets tired around mile 6, I wouldn’t know how to encourage her!

Because I know that at mile 6 she gets tired, I try to text her around mile 5-6 and ENCOURAGE HER!

Listen, we have to KNOW ONE ANOTHER AND WALK WITH ONE ANOTHER IF WE WANT TO BE IN TRUE FELLOWSHIP!

Fellowship ultimately requires putting others FIRST AND HUMBLY LOVING OTHERS!

The third thing that Luke brings up is the Breaking of Bread.

This is not just eating food together, it is more-so about the Lord’s Supper.

When Jesus was on earth, he gave us 2 ordinances, or ways to remember WHAT HE DID!

He gave us the Lord’s Supper and Baptism.

The Lord’s Supper reminds us of the price that was paid for us and baptism reminds us of the fact that we have been buried with Christ and that we now live a NEW LIFE IN HIM!

The Lord’s Supper reminds us of our common salvation. Everyone who partakes of the Lord’s Supper on a Sunday morning has ALL BEEN SAVED IN THE SAME WAY!

It’s a unifying thing that reminds us of Jesus and of our God-GIVEN, GOD-DESIGNED community!

With that in mind, how perfect is it that today we are taking the Lord’s Supper?

Finally, Luke brings up prayer.

Prayer is a major theme throughout the New Testament.

We talked in March about the Lord’s Prayer and how we ought to pray. On our Practical Theology Corner we have a 4 week study that you can go through and can walk with someone else through about prayer!

Listen; prayer matters!

Prayer is foundational to everything!

Think of Paul’s words in Colossians 4:2

Colossians 4:2 CSB

2 Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.

DEVOTE YOURSELVES TO PRAYER! Stay alert in prayer! Do it with thanksgiving!

Prayer really matters Cornerstone!

And the early church is DEVOTED TO PRAYER!

If I’m honest, one of the things that we can struggle with the most with prayer is that it takes time. Let me encourage us, we need to be people who pray not just at meals, but that are DEVOTED TO PRAYER; praying for our COMMUNITY AND FOR GOD TO WORK!

Think about Matthew 9:37-38

Matthew 9:37–38 CSB

37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few. 38 Therefore, pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.”

Or Colossians 4:3-4

Colossians 4:3–4 CSB

3 At the same time, pray also for us that God may open a door to us for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains, 4 so that I may make it known as I should.

That’s how we need to pray! Let’s be devoted to praying like that! Let’s pray not just for needs, but for SOULS TO BE SAVED!

So the early church has a few main things it is devoted to- The apostles teaching, the FELLOWSHIP, the BREAKING OF BREAD, and PRAYER!

Let’s look at Acts 2:43

Acts 2:43 CSB

43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles.

The believers are filled with awe! They are AMAZED BY WHAT GOD IS DOING!

The word for awe hear is PHOBOS. It might sound familiar- it’s where we get the word “phobia.” It means fear! But this isn’t fear of man, this is FEAR OF GOD!

So they are filled with this AMAZEMENT AT WHAT GOD IS DOING! Their fear of God leads them into AMAZEMENT AND AWE AT WHAT GOD IS DOING!

And what is God doing? God is doing signs and wonders through the apostles.

Let me be clear- these signs and wonders were being done to REINFORCE THE MESSAGE THAT WAS BEING PROCLAIMED!

But let me pull out another aspect of this.

The believers are filled with awe before the signs and wonders are done.

And why wouldn’t they be? Acts 2:41 tells us that 3,000 people were just saved in one day! Before Pentecost there were about 120 christians TOTAL!

God is WORKING AND GOD IS MOVING!

Guys, can I tell you something that gets me excited?

GOD IS STILL MOVING!

God is not limited because God isn’t powerful, instead, WE LIMIT GOD BECAUSE WE DON’T THINK GOD CAN AND WILL MOVE!

But hear me out, if God can save 3,000 in one day in Jerusalem, what stops God from doing the same here?

Last week, I made a comment about how different Savoy could be if we each led someone to Christ. Compared to 3,000 being saved in one day, that’s NOTHING!

Let me encourage us, when we think about evangelism and sharing our faith, we need to THINK BIG! God is BIG AND GOD IS ALL POWERFUL!

God is working RIGHT NOW!

Acts 2:44–45 CSB

44 Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Here we see another aspect of the early church. THE BELIEVERS ARE TOGETHER!

That’s what is emphasized.

The first action of these believers was to BE TOGETHER- THEY WERE IN FELLOWSHIP! But secondly, they held all things in common.

Let me be clear on what is NOT meant here. I’ve heard some try to explain this as a communist eutopia of sorts. That’s not what Luke is talking about.

Instead, what Luke is sharing is that the early believers are CARING FOR EACH OTHER DEEPLY!

Understand, at Pentecost, which came during the Feast of Weeks, there were Jews from all over the known world in Jerusalem.

They came for a few days, got saved and stayed for MUCH LONGER! And listen, there was no mobile banking or checks to write at this time!

They had needs. So what did the believers do? They CARED FOR THOSE NEEDS!

They shared with each other and they made sacrifices to care for one another!

Here’s the ultimate takeaway from this pair of verses.

Fellowship comes at a cost. To have true fellowship, you have to be willing to SACRIFICE SOMETHING!

It might be your convenience, it might be financial, it might be your opinion!

But if we want to TRULY fellowship together, then we HAVE to be ready to meet one another in the midst of challenge and hardship!

True fellowship- like what the believers are engaging with; true ONE-ANOTHERING, or WALKING WITH ONE ANOTHER, requires that we are truly WITH ONE ANTOHER!

That means at all times and in all seasons, not just in easy seasons, or comfortable, convenient times!

Acts 2:46–47 CSB

46 Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.

As we look at Acts 2:46-47, we see some more important things.

First, we see that the fellowship that these believers engaged in was DAILY!

On a DAILY BASIS they met devoted themselves to MEETING TOGETHER!

They gather in the temple, they break bread in houses, they are joyous, they praise God and they interact with others!

Here’s the big thing- THIS HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS!

A Christian community cannot exist only on Sunday. Instead, it should exist throughout the week!

And christian community should be marked by JOY, SINCERE THANKSGIVING, AND PRAISE!

Do you notice what’s going on here?

There’s excitement! And guess what! Their fellowship isn’t closed off!

Here’s what I mean- THEIR FELLOWSHIP IS PART OF HOW THEY REACHED JERUSALEM!

They loved one another SO WELL THAT OTHERS WANTED TO BE A PART OF IT!

Then, they WELCOMED THOSE PEOPLE!

And look at this POWERFUL STATEMENT FROM LUKE!

“Every day the LORD added to their number those who were being saved.”

THIS SHOULD GET US EXCITED! IT PUMPS ME UP! LET’S GO!

EVERY DAY PEOPLE WERE BEING SAVED!

Think about this! The believers don’t have all the tools, they don’t have all the strategic initiatives; in fact, they don’t even have the NEW TESTAMENT!

But do you know what they did have?

They had faithfulness. They were faithful to love one another and the people around them. They were faithful to see opportunities and to take use them to spread the GOSPEL!

And then, they WELCOMED EVERYONE INTO THEIR CHURCH FAMILY REGARDLESS OF BACKGROUND!

Cornerstone family, would that be said of us! Would we be FAITHFUL! Would we love people, welcome people and make evangelism a part of our DAILY LIVES!

See, fellowship must never become another word for “hanging out” or “inward focus” rather, fellowship is a MISSIONAL TOOL THAT GOD HAS GIVEN US TO SUPPORT US AND TO HELP US ACCOMPLISH THE GREAT COMMISSION!

The Great Commission can’t be accomplished as individuals. It was never designed to be accomplished by individuals; it was always designed to be accomplished by GOD’S PEOPLE WORKING TOGETHER as the UNITED BODY OF BELIEVERS THAT WE ARE!

Conclusion

Today as we wrap up, we have three applications from Acts 2:42-47.

Fellowship is a way we connect with Jesus

Fellowship is a way we connect together

Fellowship is a way we connect with Jesus

To start, fellowship is a way that we connect with Jesus.

This may sound strange. Like how does spending time with other Christians connect us more to Jesus?

But we need to remember that fellowship isn’t just hanging out. Fellowship is so much more!

Fellowship is intentional and is deeper than hanging out together.

In Acts 2, we see some examples of what they do when they fellowship. We see that they gather, they eat together, they praise God, they learn together, they pray together, and they remember JESUS together!

Fellowship is not just hanging out, fellowship is INTENTIONAL!

And fellowship is also missional!

See, as we fellowship, we encourage one another in OUR WALK WITH JESUS!

We are able to encourage each other to CONNECT CLOSER WITH JESUS!

But the missional part of fellowship goes further. Remember what Acts 2:47 says. The believers enjoyed the favor of all the people and EVERY DAY MORE PEOPLE WERE BEING SAVED!

Let’s be clear- the believers were fellowshipping and one of the things that they focused on while they were together was SPREADING THE GOSPEL!

Fellowship for them meant encouraging one another AND bringing non-believers into their fellowship!

Fellowship is MISSIONAL! As we welcome people, we are able to share the GOSPEL with them!

If you remember, last week, I walked us through how to share the BRIDGE. Let me do that again this morning. (Share the bridge and then CALL FOR REPENTANCE AND SALVATION!)

Fellowship is a way we connect together

Fellowship isn’t just about outward relationships. Fellowship is also about our relationships as believers!

See, fellowship is a special thing. How cool is it that when we are struggling we have a church family to talk to?

This week, I was at O’Reilly’s Autoparts. I was talking to the guy at the counter and I asked him if there was any way I could pray for him. I could just tell he was burdened and not doing great and our conversation made clear he didn’t have a support system.

He was stunned and honestly, he looked at me and said, “I don’t really know. Maybe just to get through the day? Or for my coworker over there who’s been sick?”

There isn’t some incredible story to share. There wasn’t some miraculous healing. He didn’t get saved. But, do you know what I thought about?

When we struggle, not only do we have the HOLY SPIRIT WITH US, we have EACH OTHER!

We have ONE ANOTHER!

Because fellowship is at heart, a way that we connect together!

But like I keep saying, fellowship isn’t just about hanging out. Fellowship is intentional.

Fellowship goes beneath the surface. When we are in fellowship, we are willing to have the hard conversations, because we know that we are all connected together.

Fellowship is about being TOGETHER!

It comes from our shared salvation!

Let me give us a practical challenge. What if on Sunday mornings and throughout the week we made sure to ask about ways that we could be praying for one another? And then, what if we FOLLOWED UP ON IT?

My encouragement is simple- we have been blessed that we can gatehr so openly and so freely. We must not take this for granted! Instead, we need to be faithful to intentionally live with one another caring for each other!

Guys, it is such a blessing to have each other. We are all different, but that’s part of God’s design.

I’m married to a dietitian. You can’t eat just steak all day, as good as it would be! You have to eat veggies, fruit, etc. Each of these is different and tastes different and has a different value! The same is true of our church! We are each different, we have a different background and we have different gifts! But, that’s for OUR SAKE! It’s a GIFT OF GOD’S GRACE that we all get to be gathered together! Old, young, happy, sad, etc. we are all called to live together as Christians in COMMUNITY! (Encourage us to live that out! ONE-ANOTHER WELL IN COMMUNITY! 59 times in the NT this idea of ONE ANOTHERING IS USED!)

Let me pray for us as we close.