The Compelling Community

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Intro me

I wanted to start with a question - if you’d be so kind as to hop back into slido and let me know what you think: what’s the tightest-knit, closest community you’ve ever come across? Can you let me know? What’s the closest-knit, tightest community you’ve ever come across? Take a moment to think right now, and then drop your answer into slido. We’ll come back to your answers a bit later - just as well because I can’t see what you’re writing for about 40 seconds because of the way the technology all works. But I’ll give you just a few seconds now.

So we’re working our way through Acts, story of the very first followers of Jesus.

And let me give you a bit of quick context in case you need a recap or you’ve just joined us:

Extraordinary signs of Pentecost - the sound of a great wind, tongues of fire, and disciples suddenly declaring the wonders of God in others’ languages

Peter explains what + so what:

God’s Holy Spirit is poured out on all who believe - that’s what you’re seeing

It’s a sign that the Day of the Lord, the day of judgement is coming

So turn to Jesus for forgiveness, and share in this outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit

And boom! 3,000 are added to that tiny core of Jesus-followers in one day.

Imagine a David Attenborough documentary focused on a penguin colony, or a set of prairie dogs, “here we see the male of the species demonstrating his particular adaptation to his environment as he raises one paw...” or the like. He’s taking you behind the scenes, showing you what’s going on, explaining what it all means. Well that’s what today’s passage does for us: a close-up study, a behind-the-scenes look at what’s going on in this interesting new group of Jesus-followers. He summarises their new community’s life for us, this new community of the Holy Spirit. In a lot of ways it sounds ordinary in comparison to the extraordinary events which led to it - but it’s not - it’s supernatural. Listen to our documentary passage as Andrew reads to us this morning:

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

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Thanks Andrew.

Have you ever watched a group huddled together, excited, connected, and wished you were a part of it? felt like you’re on the outside and longed to be in the middle of it instead? The cool gang at school; The boss’ inner circle; the sporty set jogging past your door; the circle of friends talking and laughing at the bar (when these things used to be allowed, of course!)

I think all of us, deep down, feel that longing to be on the inside, in the middle of things; and yet all of us feel we’re an outsider sometimes, just looking in; not included, not connected, not really part of things. For some of us, I expect that’s just occasionally; for others, it feels like that much of the time. That longing for community, for connection, is planted deep within humans - it’s part of our basic operating system, our fundamental wiring. Some of us don’t feel it as much, we’re happy with our own company lots of the time - but still connection is something we’re all made for.

As we look at today’s passage, I think it shows us the longing we have to be a part of something, the longing for deep community and connection, points to something that really is possible - something that exists! It’s not just there to taunt us. It’s there to call us towards something real. I think it tells us that church community - through the power of God’s Spirit poured out, can be something truly extraordinary - something to treasure, something to cultivate, something that has the potential to change the world.

This morning I want to talk about two things: roots - where does this community come from, how does it happen - roots, and fruits - what’s the result, what’s the community like, and what’s it’s effect. And then we’ll ask our big Hope City question, like we try to every week: so what? What does this mean for you and me, here and now? Roots, Fruits, and so what. So let’s go!

Roots

This word, community, that we’re talking about means “a unified body of individuals,” the dictionary says. “A unified body of individuals” - so something draws them together, unifies them, and holds them together. That’s the first thing I want to look at: what is it that forms this particular community? What draws it together, unifies it, and what holds it together?

At the heart of this community, we’re told in Acts 2:42 , is the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer.

Acts 2:42 NIV

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

When we read “Apostles’ teaching” here, that means the teaching of Peter and 11 of the other earliest followers of Jesus - followers who’d been specially chosen by Jesus to testify to him, to bear witness to his life, teaching, death - and especially his resurrection, as we saw a few weeks ago. Belief in this Jesus, as a real historical person, based on the Apostles’ direct experience, is what draws the new community together. He’s right at the centre of it - we can see that through the reference to the Apostles’ teaching - we know they were to speak about Jesus - and also because we read here of their devotion to “the breaking of bread”.

“Breaking of bread” might not sound like much - an accident with a french stick, perhaps - but it’s a special phrase which connects to a special part of a meal: sharing bread and wine to remember Jesus’ body and blood given in our place at the cross, something Jesus introduces to his followers the night before he dies, and tells them to celebrate regularly. It has lots of different technical names today in Christian circles: communion, , the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Table - and it’s an ancient technical term that you’re seeing here which shows up again in Acts 20:7, speaking about sharing bread and wine to remember Jesus as a part of a weekly church gathering.

Two pointers there to the root of this new community: Jesus. Jesus is what draws them together in community. But there’s more which holds them together, which helps them maintain community even as there are differences, challenges within, pressures from outside? They share more than just this foundation of Jesus, his finished work on the cross and his glorious resurrection.

We read here also they are a community devoted to fellowship. Now this English word fellowship doesn’t do full justice to what the original language communicates. What does fellowship mean to you? How would you picture it or explain it to someone who spoke another language?

If you’re an academic type, maybe it makes you think about a long term job as a paid researcher - that’s a fellowship! If you’ve been around churches, maybe it makes you think about awkward conversations over bad coffee after church, often called “fellowship”. For the record, we used to have good coffee - and good conversations - after church. And we hope to do that again one day. But thinking fellowship just means the act of connecting with one another in conversation, that this early community was devoted to chatting, to pursuing relational connection, doesn’t really capture what’s meant here.

See, the ancient word translated “fellowship” speaks about having something in common, sharing in something together - not the way we can connect with one another as a result of that. Does that make sense? So the ancient word is often used about marriages - where there is a common sharing fundamental to marriage. If you’re married you have fellowship - whether you’re talking over coffee or not! - because you have something in common; you share in something together. Hopefully conversation flows out of that, right?! But that word fellowship here points to the something in common, not the result of it.

This new community share in something together - not just the truth and work of Jesus, this foundational teaching - they also share in God the Holy Spirit. That’s one of the huge changes we’re learning about as we look at the foundation of the Church: A fundamental change in how God relates to His people: God the Holy Spirit is poured out on all God’s people. God the Holy Spirit is promised to each and every member of this new community, alive within them. The one and the same Spirit. They share that direct connection with God the Holy Spirit in common.

And that, I think, is key to holding together this extraordinary community we’re reading about - and key to holding us as a church community together today too. God, alive and at work within each one of them - within each follower of Jesus here at Hope City. The promise of the Spirit has such an emphasis in the story we’ve been following - the fulfilment of that promise is the other key root of this new community.

So first, Roots: we have a shared saviour, Jesus, as foundation and the shared Spirit, God, as fuel, power to transform and sustain it. That’s the fellowship, the thing in common with each other.

Let’s just take a look and see if there are any questions in which I should address right now - some it might make sense to leave until the end, so just a quick peek at slido.

Ok, so roots of this new community: a shared saviour as foundation, and the shared Spirit, God, as fuel. Second, Fruits

What’s the result? What’s this new community, rooted in Jesus and the Spirit, like? What does it do? Really there are three things highlighted for us here in our Attenborough report, three fruits: worship, love, and growth. Worship, love and growth.

We’ve already talked about their devotion to the Apostles’ teaching, and to the breaking of bread. We also heard about their devotion to prayer - or more literally, “the prayers” - so that’s more likely prayers prayed together than devotion to private prayers. Teaching, communion, prayer - these are all aspects of worship. If you’ve been around Christians for a while, you’ll know sometimes we use the term worship to just mean singing songs - but the true meaning of worship is wider than that. Anything and everything which makes God great in our eyes or which expresses His greatness comes under that banner: remembering who God is, remembering who we are and how we need him, remembering what God has done for us, looking ahead to what God will do - it’s all worship.

Verse 46 shows this new community worshipping as a big group, meeting together in the courtyards around the Jewish temple where huge crowds could gather, and worshipping together as smaller groups, in homes too. There’s serious intensity to this new community life - every day they were meeting, we’re told. Maybe there are just gatherings each day, and people join as they are able; maybe everyone’s there every day - but either way, they are a community devoted to worship.

And then there’s love for one another - real, practical, concrete love, not just a warm mushy feeling and a soft-focus lens - even if it’s valentine’s day! Out of this commonality, this sharing in the same saviour and the same Spirit, out of this radical interconnection, flows love for one another, love manifested in time together, sharing food together, sharing cares together, and sharing resources together. Luke, our author, spells each of those love-acts out for us here - and notice here that sharing your needs is an act of love just as much as sharing your meals.

They had everything in common, verse 44 tells us - and in case we were to think that just meant the same political views or the same tastes or something else abstract, he tells us what it means: as needs arose in the community, they sold property and possessions to provide for them. If “Everything in common” sounds a bit extreme for you, feels a bit too comunist, it’s clear here that we’re not talking about a zero personal property decree - because in days to come we’ll still find people owning fields that they can go on to sell, owning houses that people can meet in, and the like. What it does mean is their hands held loosely to their property, ready to respond to any need within the community shared in love.

So worship, love - one more fruit: growth. Verse 47 ends with the remarkable statement that “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” - daily. Daily growth. Now that verse is clear it’s the Lord who is doing the adding - but I think it’s safe to see adding as connected to the life of this new community too, it’s also a fruit - because we’re told in that same verse they were “enjoying the favour of all the people.”

This idea of a community that truly love one another, cares for one another’s needs - even to the extent of selling property and possessions to meet them - I think that’s pretty attractive - especially when so often many of us are just wishing we could be part of something, anything. Back then, it was an idea people longed for and wrote about - but it was definitely a dream rather than reality. I think we’d still long for that today, too - but still think it belonged to the realm of dreams.

[activate slido poll]

Remember I asked you earlier where you see tight community, deeply connected groups around you in the world - let’s take a look at what you said: slido

Fallback examples if we get nothing: tight-knit sports’ team - or fans; military; flatmates thrown together

Do you think any of these have that same love for one another?

Do you think any of these are as open as this new community? Keeping that remarkable connection and love as it grew? 3,000 could be added to this community in one day, no entrance requirement beyond the shared roots we’ve talked about - and it still had that cohesion, that love.

[deactivate poll - slido q+a again if we have time]

A new community - its roots: a shared Saviour and a shared Spirit; its fruits: worship, love and growth.

So what? Three things I want to invite you to do off the back of this picture of that compelling community: join it, cultivate it, celebrate it.

First, join it!

Now I know Hope City is not all this first community was, so deeply and completely connected, so committed, so loving - so attractive to the world around it. We’re no super-church. Things are miles from perfect here. And it’s particularly difficult during lockdown. We’re not connected like this; we don’t love like this. But I want to tell you that there is something real here still. And I want to invite you to join it.

Hope City is a church you can be part of, a new community where you can begin to enjoy these same fruits. We don’t put up barriers beyond sharing in the Saviour and the Spirit - the roots of our community. Without them, we couldn’t have that commonality, that sharing. So join the community.

“Yes, but how?”, I hear you saying. How do you join? Remember it’s a community we’re talking about, not just an organisation, or an event - relationships are the real “stuff” of community. If you’re just joining us for these gatherings, these events, I’m so glad you’re here - but I expect you’re not feeling that much connection to the community, not building that many relationships. So go further - join the community.

Like I said, you have to share in the roots - a shared Saviour, a shared Spirit - if you’re going to join us. If you’re not there yet, push forwards. Ask questions, chase answers, don’t just settle. Either this is all true or it’s not - there’s nothing in between. Sitting on the fence is a total waste of your life. You want to talk? I’d love to talk - I’m [e-mail] - send me an email and let’s talk!

But if you share in those roots, don’t settle for just watching along. You’re missing so much. Join the community. We run something called New Here, a 45 minute introduction to who we are as a church and how you can be a part of things. We’re going to do that again next Sunday afternoon - register for it right now. Go to events.hopecityedinburgh.org or click the link we’re posting in the livestream chat and we’ll get you plugging in.

If you’ve already been to New Here but you’re still not feeling connected, pick another of the doors we keep plugging to get yourself connected and begin to build relationships. hopecityedinburgh.org/connect is your friend here - it list all the doors - but if none of those are working for you, don’t give up! Reach out to me and let me help you. Email [e-mail] and we’ll talk.

First, join the community. Go after relationship. Don’t settle for event.

Second, cultivate the community. If you’re already a part of the Hope City community, even if you’re not feeling much connection right now, cultivate the community. Be the change you want to see - don’t always wait for someone else.

You wish people were more devoted to worship and prayer? Be more devoted yourself to worship and prayer! The closer you are to God, the closer you are to others who share in Him. The more you see Jesus’ love poured out, the more enabled you are to pour out love for others.

You wish more people would reach out to you and ask how you’re doing? Reach out to some people and ask how they are doing! Don’t know anyone to reach out to? Walk through one of the connect doors.

You wish someone ahead of you on the path was helping you grow in your faith? Reach out to someone behind you on the path and help them grow in their faith!

You wish someone saw your need and came to meet it in love? Look out for others needs - and go meet them in love! If it’s something beyond you, if you want help, email [e-mail] and we can help.

You might not be feeling it right now, you might be doubting how much of this compelling community there really is at Hope City. Like I said, we are not perfect. But I want to encourage you quickly with a couple of stories from around the church, stories of how people have experienced community, experienced love.

Care story: Ginger

Care story: Carolyn

A big thank you to Ginger and Carolyn for sharing there. These are by no means the only stories we could tell as a community. There is something here - so cultivate it, church.

join it, cultivate it, thirdly, celebrate it.

Remember the end of our reading? “The Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved.” Something which has really stuck out to me as I’ve been reflecting on this passage was how compelling this new community was. How the things God was doing among those people, within and through those people, really drew people in. Now I know there are signs and wonders, there’s Apostolic preaching to crowds in Acts - but in our passage today, the emphasis is on the community right before this growth statement. And wouldn’t a community like that be attractive and compelling?

We have that. We have those same roots: shared saviour, shared Spirit. We have, to a measure, the fruits: worship and love - and, I believe, growth too - because we, too, can be a compelling community. But for this community to be compelling to the world around us, it has to be visible, right? Here’s Jesus on this:

Matthew 5:14–15 NIV

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

We, as a community, as people gathered together, are to be a light to the world, a city on a hill - that’s where our logo comes from. Picture a city on a hill: loads of lights together, shining out, visible. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl, Jesus says. Jesus says if we love one another, everyone will know we’re his disciples - but if we cover these things up, if we hide them, how will anyone know that? How could that sort of community compel anyone?

We have something here and we need to celebrate this: this community - these relationships, this love. We need to tell stories of what means to be in this community, of how we have received love, of how we’ve been compelled to show love. This is not meant to be hidden. So celebrate it. Open a window into the community: share your story. And if you can’t think of a story where you’ve received love or given love, look for an opportunity to write one!

I think this is big - huge! This really gets me going! But I have to stop.

Join it. Cultivate it. Celebrate it.

Let’s pray...

We’re going to sing now in response to these things. Sing of these roots: our shared saviour, the shared Spirit. We’re going sing out his praise, fruit of these great truths. We’re going to sing about how we - together - are one people, the people of God, sons and daughters. And let’s pray as we sing that we’d be this compelling community together.