Devoted to One Another: Real Fellowship in a Shallow World

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Series Intro

What does it really mean to be the Church — not just to attend, but to belong and live devoted? In this series, we explore the four pillars of the early Church and how we can be the kind of people God calls His Church to be: devoted to truth, to one another, to worship, and to prayer.

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Opening Prayer

Opening Song

Kids Time

Oliver, Charlotte, and Elliot.

Hey kids!

Do you like to share?

Douglas is going to talk about sharing and why it’s important.

The early Church shared all they had with each other so that no one went without.

It’s not good to be alone.

Sermon

What does it really mean to be the Church — not just to attend, but to belong and live devoted? In this series, we explore the four pillars of the early Church and how we can be the kind of people God calls His Church to be: devoted to truth, to one another, to worship, and to prayer.

Isolation vs being in community - the heart of Innovate

What makes a community?

Webster’s

A Unified body of individuals

Common interest, characteristics, or interest living together in a larger society.

Common history or social, economic, and political interests.

A group linked by a common policy

An interacting population of various kinds of individuals

The Church - ekklesia

An assembly or gathering of people - usually for a common reason as we listed for the definition of community.

The word is only used two times in the Gospels, and those are found in Matthew:

Matthew 16:18 ESV

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

For the Church, it is the Body of believers. We are linked together by our common beliefs and interests, even when we are not particularly gathered into one place. This is what Jesus meant here in speaking to Peter.

His Church, is His community of fellow believers. It is universal in nature and generally brought together, in heart and soul, by our commitment and love for christ.

However, we also “gather” together often, being smaller communities of the Body.

Devoted to One Another: Real Fellowship in a Shallow World

Big Idea: Our devotion to Christ is shown through our love and commitment to one another.

In our Scripture for this series we read about the early community of Christians, after Jesus’s ascension and sending of the Holy Spirit, 3,000 people gathered together became this new community, we now know as the early Church. And so we read in Acts 2:42-47 how this early community lived, with our main series verse being verse 42.

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Fellowship as koinonia — not just social, but spiritual sharing

I. Introduction – Devotion That Moves Us Toward Each Other

Last week we looked at their devotion to the Apostle’s teaching, which today is found in our New Testament of the Bible. The Apostles being those gentlemen who had the grand privilege of seeing the Lord Jesus after He was raised from the dead.

Their, and our first devotion, is the Lord Himself by spending time in His Word as the foundation for our faith.

It is our desire to worship and hear from the Lord and His Word, that brings us together first as a community. Being devoted to God should always lead us into community.

Our faith is not a solo-sport. We are, as Paul lays it out so nicely, part of the Body.

One body, but many members.

We are not the Body alone.

The Body is the Fellowship of believers…the act of coming together.

However, the Body, being in community is messy, and so for many in the world today, though we claim Christ, we may prefer to do so in isolation.

Illustration: How isolation feels easier but isn’t sustainable for faith

A community is great, until you add people. Though we may come together under the same belief for the most part, things can get messy real quick.

It’s like having a dinner party. Oh I love to eat alone as I get to pick and choose what I want to eat, where, and how. And if I mess it up, I don’t have to answer or explain to anyone else.

But if I invite someone over, then I’m all stressed out trying to make sure I do things the way I think they will like. I stress over messing up the meal. But then, you also truly have the mess left over when the guests are gone. And what about those people who stay too long? And what about the drama between a couple of them?

Maybe, you’ve been in a small group of just 5 or 6 and one of them said something, or did something you didn’t like. And so now you’re all like, “well if they’re going to be there, then Im not coming.”

Then, many of us are like, “I can worship God on my own, I don’t need to gather with others to do that.” And so, we isolate ourselves from the Body, the community God has called together.

But, it’s not good, it’s not safe, and it very well could be sinful, and here’s why.

II. A Commanded Love, Not Just a Suggested One

John 13:34–35 ESV

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

If we are not in fellowship together, not connected to the Body of fellow believers, are we loving one another as Christ has commanded us to do so? Not a suggestion but a command.

Remember we said the other week that Devotion is not emotional, but a voluntary, ongoing, daily decision. It’s a choice.

We can choose to obey or disobey. Out of love for one another, as well as obedience to the command, we should seek to participate and be in fellowship with one another.

Some people are hard to love. Or are they just hard to like? And when we don’t like them, we don’t want to hang around them?

Some people may grate on us. Some people may have hurt us before, purposefully or on accident. Some we may just think they don’t like us when in truth they may not even think about us at all.

For these reasons and more, we may believe we are better off doing church alone. But you can’t do church, or be the Church alone. In fact, you display that the Church is not important or relevant to the rest of the world when you are not committed to the fellowship of other believers.

Notice in the the verse in Acts 2 all the things the people, the Church, were doing in fellowship together, and imagine if the world saw us doing these things today?

To see practical love being lived out. That’s what distinguished the early Church from everyone else. The lived in relationships, not only casually, but sacrificially.

Apparently they did as Paul says, they thought more highly of one another than themselves and contributed to the needs of the community as a whole over self. They denied themselves not only to follow Christ, but for the sake of each other.

Devotion isn’t a passive attitude, but instead a daily choice pursuing relationships and the good of the Church as a whole as we seen the whole section of Scripture here:

III. Biblical Picture of Devoted Community

Acts 2:42–47 ESV

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.

Because of their daily practices of community, and fellowship, awe came upon them all, and many signs and wonders were being done. They had all things in common, sold what they had to to help each other out, and then shared their lives with one another.

I know it’s hard for us to do this today in reality. Especially as a Church like we are that connects digitally, but that doesn’t mean we just don’t seek to be in fellowship together. And it doesn’t mean we can’t do these things.

In fact we have. We communicate and share our struggles through our text and messaging groups. We’ve all given to help each other out when financial needs arose. We’ve even sent gifts or resources through the mail.

What if, what if we took this idea of being devoted to one another? What if we sought to live as Paul suggests in Romans 12:10?

Romans 12:10 ESV

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

Honor. Honor is value, respect toward one another.

In fact, Paul uses this same word when he speaks of the body and honoring the “less presentable” parts of the body.

The word can also be used for a price that is paid. Here I would say price doesn’t have mean financial, but it can mean sacrificially caring for someone else. Giving of our time and resources.

The traits of encouragement, accountability, service to one another, these were the things that made the early church un-normal, and these are things we can do as community with and for one another today, even digitally.

But again, I know it’s hard. I know there’s many reasons we may not be as devoted as we should be.

IV. Barriers to Devotion

Fear of vulnerability - opening our lives to one another. Giving and feeling taken advantage off.

Past wounds or church hurt

Busyness or misplaced priorities - it’s hard to give or be there for someone else when our own lives are too busy, or we’ve focused too much on our own comfort and feel as though we have nothing to share.

What is it in your life that keeps you from being as devoted to the Church, fellowshipping together, as you should be?

For me, it is an act of vulnerability at times. Or giving of more of my time. Or simply business and needing quiet.

No doubt you have your reasons as well, and there is wisdom in not over working or over giving of one’s self, but are their areas we could all do better? Are their commitments we may need to lay down for the sake of being more devoted to one another?

If we boil it down, devotion is commitment.

V. Devotion Looks Like Commitment

I now we’ve seen it within in our church.

Wade and his being on with us and communicating with us from all over the world.

Sherry, even with all her own struggles and limitations.

Some of you have given sacrificially to our church when you barely had enough for food to eat.

One the biggest ways I see us as a church living this out for sure is bearing each other’s burdens.

Galatians 6:2 ESV

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

If someone asks for prayer, it’s happening.

If someone goes missing for an extended time, their absence is noticed.

If someone is battling something, or seeking to fulfill a goal, we’ve got our encouragers in this church body for sure.

There are so many ways I can share that we, as a church, have fellowship with one another often. I believe most of us are wholly devoted to one another.

We love one another. I want to keep encouraging us to do just that…I say as Pauls says

VI. A Love That Reflects Jesus

Philippians 2:1–8 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Let’s keep living our lives as Christ did.

Notice Paul doesn’t say to ignore your personal needs or interests. Instead he says to remember. Remember the family. Remember your church family and the global body of Christ.

We are all one body in Christ. We are meant to be wholly devoted, not only to Christ, but to one another in love.

If you don’t know where you fit in this body of Christ, in the Church, and maybe you’re hearing me now and you’re battling loneliness and isolation, let me invite you. Join our family.

God, in His Word, says He sets the lonely in families. He’s got one planned for you to belong to, even if it isn’t ours, my prayer is that you will seek the one He does have for you.

You belong to God’s family if you’ve place your faith in His Son. (The Gospel)

VII. Conclusion & Challenge

Let me invite you this week to evaluate how you consider the Church. The community of Christ. The fellowship of believers. Are you devoted to it? Are you serving within it?

If you need some help discerning some ways to give of your time, your talents, or your resources, let me know and we’ll walk through some ideas together.

And if you’re fully connected to us, or a church family, and know of someone else who isn’t. Someone who’s trying to live the life as part of the body but doing so disconnected from it, let me encourage you to reach out to them and let them know there’s a place for them within in the body of Christ.

Prayer

Commitment for deeper community

Closing Song

Next week:

Devoted to Breaking Bread - Communion

July 4th weekend, no service

Download this week's 5 Day Study Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dUd4XqmoQ1hfLW_dS8qZmdQYEjbmN5DxUiP9lGug3fA/edit?usp=sharing

Download this week's Small Group Discussion Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1t34OdZlrrwp2tt_P2PR01LQZmEbNGKPnKuht0-U-jUs/edit?usp=sharing