Growing Together

When you were in school, did you enjoy group or did your prefer to work alone? Why?

What about now? Is it easy or difficult for you to rely on help from other people? Explain.

There are a lot of us in the world who would rather do things ourselves than depending on others to do the job for us. Even if the other person could possibly do a better job than us, we would rather do it ourselves so we know the task will be completed in our time frame.

We also tend to try and build ourselves up as opposed to building others up.

If we follow what God wants us to do in the church, we will work at building others up. We also won’t look at our different backgrounds, whether that be social, economic, racial, or political. Instead, if we rely on the power and majesty of our God, He will unite us towards the common purpose of reaching the lost for Christ and discipling those who have made this decision.

Acts 2:41–47 ESV

41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Luke noted the rapid growth of the early church. What unique challenges present themselves as a church grows? How can a church grow wider as well as deeper?

When the church grows, there will be more people from more diverse backgrounds. When the church grows rapidly, this can really cause issues as those who were originally part of the church can feel threatened by these new people with new ideas. What we all need to do, new and old members alike, we need to join together and pray the Lord would lead us all. We need to pray that He would reveal to us His will. If that means we take a look at new things and new ways of reaching the lost, then we move forward. If He reveals some of the things we’ve been doing are good and will still be effective, then we move forward. Notice, both of these areas, even though they seem to be opposite of each other, we will still agree to move forward.

In each of these instances it is going to take growth in order to do this. It is going to take us reaching out to old and new. It is going to take us agreeing to grow together. This can be accomplished in smaller groups where people can express themselves and ask questions. We also need to realize when we are in these small groups, we all won’t be on the same level and some will need more guidance than others. We need to be willing to take them along and disciple them as they grow in their faith and understanding of the scripture.

The first aspect of community Luke identified was that the disciples “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” What was the apostles’ teaching, and what does it mean to be devoted to it?

They were teaching the collection of scriptures they had at the time. To be devoted to scripture means you will study it and apply it to your life.

What role does teaching the Word of God play in growth in groups?

The role teaching the Word of God in small groups is to allow those groups to grow deeper in the knowledge of who God is and His love for them.

What do you consider to be the purpose of studying Scripture in a group?

When we study this book in small groups, it not only allows us to grow in our spiritual lives, but it also allows us to grow closer together.

Small group that met on Tuesday nights.

When was a time you felt a strong sense of fellowship with other believers? What contributed to that?

When we met with this group. For me another time was when I was working with the Meloons with the youth group. There were others who were helpers in that group. I would also say the kids who were in that group, I still enjoy sitting and talking with them and will always have a special connection with them.

Biblical teaching is the foundation of our growth in groups, but fellowship, worship, and mission are its goals. The first Christian community grew in fellowship through their shared belief in Christ.

What types of relationships did the early believers have with one another?

Acts 2:42–46 ESV

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

These people had deep love and concern for each other. They saw to each others needs. It might even be said this group of people had no needs because they were all meeting each others needs as they were coming along.

What contributed to this? Have you ever experienced a kind of relationship like this?

These people understood what true fellowship was. Today, I don’t want to say we cheapen the word, but it doesn’t have the same meaning today is it did back then. When you fellowshipped with other believers, you were giving yourself to others. We think of the word fellowship now as simply getting together and having a good time. This group of people were sacrificing of themselves for the welfare of the group. They so deeply cared for each other. This was seen out in the world, and it was a lot of what drew people to see what was going on with this body of believers. It was something they hadn’t seen in a long time.

What did the early church do to demonstrate care for one another? What is the difference between intentional fellowship and “hanging out”?

They met together often. They were happy to see each other. Understand, it is okay to meet together and have no agenda. But that will only get you so far. We need to redefine the word fellowship within our church and bring it back to what it was. The early church truly considered themselves brothers and sisters in Christ. They were brought together through the saving power of the blood of Jesus Christ, and they developed their relationships based off of this. When these types of relationships are grown and nurtured, you will see worship deepen and the mission of the church grow as well.

Why is worship so important to God?

Acts 2:46–47 ESV

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Why is it important to our group?

How can we worship as a group?

How did the sense of community and worship in the early church fuel the mission of the church?

How does studying God’s Word as a group help you grow in spiritual maturity in a way that individual study does not?

How does fellowship spiritually mature you in a way that cannot happen if you remain disconnected or distant from other believers?

How does corporate worship spiritually mature you in a way that your personal, private worship does not?

We need each other to hold us accountable in our walk. While there is a time and place for our own time to spend time with God by ourselves, it is when we are with others we can be challenged. We can learn from each other. Simply put, we need each other. Scripture tell us this.

Questions to think about

Is your life marked by regular time spent with other followers of Jesus, learning God’s work and how you can apply it in your life? If so, what is an area where God is using the Christian community to produce growth in you right now?

Are you allowing yourself to be accountable to a small group of believers for encouragement on your journey as a follower of Christ? What does accountability look like in a small group of believers, and why is it important?

Are you willing to speak truth in love into the lives of other believers so that they might be spiritually sharpened? How can you ask others to pray for you about that?