True 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.

Launch:

When you hear the word “church” what comes to mind?

What about “family”?

Explore: 

God not only saves us to himself, he saves us to a people. But what are the characteristics of those people? In other words, what does the community of God look like?

Read Acts 2:42-47.

Note 4 things in vs. 42 that are what the early believers committed themselves to. I’ll summarize them and say 3 principles for us in Cru.

1. The early believers were committed, devoted, to relationships.

It says, “fellowship… they were together… attended the temple day by day… eating meals in each others’ homes.” We see this rich, relational community that they were all invested in.

Christianity has always had this deep, “relationship” life to it, because when one chooses to submit their life to Jesus and follow Him, they enter into the family of God. That’s one thing that the gospel does, creates a whole new people with a God who now is a Father and those believers as spiritual siblings, so to speak. Throughout the Bible, the terms “brother” and “sister” are the common vernacular to describe a fellow follower of Jesus. Christians are a family together, brothers and sisters, and we are to have rich relationships with each other like any good household!

In fact, a good chunk of the Bible deals with giving Christians help in how to interact with each other in this new family. Love, peace, patience, self-sacrifice, a commitment to others over self.

So you see this lived out, here- this rich, relational community and care and devotion to each other.

2. The early believers were committed to the Word.

“The apostles’ teaching” means the Bible. As Christians, we believe that God has revealed himself most primarily in written Word. Not movies, not song, not in experience. And we believe that this written word is entirely sufficient and details to us everything that God ever wanted or expects us to know. In other words, God, who is infinite in knowledge, did not communicate all things to us, but did communicate to us all the things that we need to know in order to live a life pleasing to Him! The Bible is the primary source of truth.

For instance, he’s communicated to us how we can be made right with God. Ephesians 2:8-9, “by grace through faith you find salvation, apart from effort.” So devoting yourself to the Word is, in for instance, reminding ourselves that no amount of a good life lived is sufficient enough to save me from my sins.

And these early believers were devoted to it. And they devoted themselves to the Word in the context of community. Friends, this is why church is important. This is why things like life groups are important. Maybe you or a friend is tempted toward this Christianity that is “just me and my Bible” approach. If that’s you, all the grace in the world to you, but you can’t stay there. We are meant to be understanding and growing in our knowledge of the Word in community with each other.

3. The early believers were committed to ministry, that is, to engaging with the broader community to help them know Jesus.

“Awe came upon every soul… having favor with all people… and the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Their community was so attractive to the watching world. “As the Christians were seen and heard by the other people in Jerusalem, their activities formed an opportunity for witness” -Howard Marshall.

I don’t know what comes to mind when you think about the word evangelism. Maybe you think of someone who is aggressive and off-putting. 

Oftentimes there’s some cultural baggage and images we think of that are off-putting. But if we simply understand it as communicating your faith to others, then we see primarily 3 ways, or modes, of this “sharing your faith” that happens in the Bible.

What is happening here is most primarily body-mode witnessing. That means that when a body of believers (think life group, think RIT Cru, think your church) is healthy and relationally rich and caring for one another and devoted to understanding the truth of God’s Word, God loves to use those groups to have a powerful effect on the surrounding community.

These early believers were devoted, in that way, to engaging their broader communities, and God was “adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” Incredible!

Commitment to relationships. Commitment to the Word of God. Commitment to ministry in the broader community. These are what characterize Christian community.

Connect:

I wonder if, for many of us, there’s this disconnect between this idyllic community and what we actually experience in life. You can’t go too far in this culture and world before- far from love and rich, relational community- you see aggression and bitterness and mis-alignment of people and selfishness. And this can even be just in Christian circles. Someone cuts you off in Life Group or says something that is rude or insensitive. Or you feel, advertently or inadvertently dismissed and not included because of your ethnicity or economic class or personality or social status.

And to maximize things, I feel the need to pause and assess myself, “how am I doing at being this kind of community-participant?” And then all of a sudden, the list of wrongs that I have perpetuated on others just grows unending as I think, “Man, I phrased myself poorly in that situation. Or I bulldozed over that other person's ideas and contributions that they were trying to bring to the table. Or I was just blind to this other person’s life experiences and was dismissive as a result.”

In fact, probably much of our pains and hurts in our life have come from community and relationships gone south.

There’s this moment in the life of Jesus, in John chapter 13. It’s the night before he is about to be killed and he’s having this intimate dinner with his closest followers one last time, and imparting to them some truths for the last time that he so desperately wants them to know. And he says this in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another…”

Pause. New commandment? Jesus, this has been the key one of two commandments since the beginning of time: love God and love neighbor. Why is this new? And then he continues. “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

Love your neighbor as yourself? No, love others as I have loved you. Jesus takes the age-old command and intensifies it. He takes the age-old command and says its true fulfillment is in the most radical, others-centered, self-sacrificial love as is possible.

And it's therein we realize the problem. Others-centered? Love at cost to myself, that sacrifices self for the good of another? That’s a standard, that’s an expectation that we can never fulfill on our own.

But we’re not on our own. Jesus leaves this room, goes to the cross and not only deals with all of the mess that you and I bring into community, all of the self-centeredness that you and I bring into our relationships, but he shows us the depth of love he has for us is even greater than the love we have for ourselves. And he says, “go and do likewise.”

The very foundation of Christian community is built upon one who was, far from being self-centered, was entirely others-centered, and at great cost to himself did everything that was needed to enable and empower you and I to go and do likewise.

Apply: 

Because Christ loved us at great cost to himself, we can devote ourselves to each other and show each other this kind of others-centered love. Think about how this can permeate your life groups, ULG and FLG. Your discussions and interactions with each other can be grace and forgiveness-fueled. You can enter into community and conversations with each other not seeking to get yourself known, but instead can sacrifice that and help the one sitting next to you experience Jesus.

Because Christ loved us at great cost to himself, we can be a community that devotes ourselves to the Word because we know that this tells the grandest story of One who is altogether for us! In all the gospels, the only time where Jesus describes his very heart, he says, “if you are tired and worn-out, come to me, I’ll give you rest. For I am gentle and lowly in heart.” His primary disposition is not one of wrath and anger but of gentleness. Get to know Him through the Word. He’s for you!

Because Christ loved us at great cost to himself, we can embrace the cost of engaging with the broader community in order to help them experience Jesus. Your friends, your roommates, your classmates, the person sitting next to you in Gracie’s, the bus driver, the one you pass by on the sidewalk with an awkward 6 foot distance. God wants to be known by them. Remember, even though it might be scary and cause some shakiness, Jesus embraced significant cost to bring you life. We can be a community on campus that goes and does likewise.

Because Christ loved us at great cost to himself, we can be this others-centered community.