Power of Community & Fellowship

Community — A group of people that live in close proximity to each other. This includes their land, social institutions, resources, and community institutions.

So how do we tap into that power?

FELLOWSHIP!

Fellowship is how the partners of the church relate to one another.

So lets take a look at how community and fellowship work together to form a powerful bond.

Turn with me to Acts 2:44-47 Read page 959

Acts 2:44 NKJV

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,

Acts 2:45 NKJV

and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

Acts 2:46 NKJV

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,

Acts 2:47 NKJV

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

The New King James Version. (1982). (Ac 2:44–47). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

So where is the Community & Fellowship in Acts 2?

Believers together

Had things in common

Helped each other out

Went to church together everyday

Ate together

Had peace

Were not forced or rushed

Praising God together

Favor with man

Jesus added to the church

We have a part to play

We all have a role in community and fellowship

I want to spend the rest of the time we have together looking at what the Bible tells us about connect groups and the importance of them.

Turn with me to Acts chapter 12 Page 970

Acts Chapter 12 is happening during the fest of Unleavened bread in 42 or 43 ad.

Herod grandson of Herod the Great is made King over all of Judea and Samaria

Herod did not really know where he stood with the Roman Empire so what he did was he befriended The Jewish leaders he was in charge of

He became a people pleaser. He wanted the influential Phrases to like him. So he started to persecute Christians

So Herod rounds up James .

12:1 says that Herod killed James with the sword.

Roman was to cut off the head

Jewish law did not allows beheading so they just ran the sword through James

Herod sees that the Jews loved the fact that he killed James- so what do people pleasers do- he kept on going

Herod then goes out and arrest Peter and throws him jail with the intent to kill him too.

But Herod has a problem because not its the festival of Unleavened bread and he cant have him killed because this would upset the Jews who he is trying to please!

So he throws Peter in Jail so that he can kill him after the festival- but puts

16 guards in place to watch Peter so he does not escape!

Acts 12:5 NKJV

Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

Acts is the History of the Early Church so we can look to see just how big the Church was or how many people might have been praying- lets take a look turn with me to

Acts 4:4

Acts 4:4 NKJV

However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

5000 men

does not include women or children

chances are and history does not indicate that there was a huge prayer meeting for Peter-

They were scared of Herod- but the knew they had to pray-

Acts 12:6 NKJV

And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison.

Peter is minutes away from dying.

“The ESCAPE”

Acts 12:7–11 NKJV

Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

READ 7-11

Circumstances are subject to change when your Connect Group is praying for you.

Never discount those that are praying and believing for you and with you.

Acts 12:12 NKJV

So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying.

CLOSE: The Power of Community & Fellowship

It was not a 10k person church coming together, it was a connect group along with other connect groups all across Jerusalem were praying and speaking Gods Word over Peter.