Better Community

Intro

As part of our kickoff season, we want to accomplish two things:

We want to inspire you to get plugged into these exciting ministry opportunities and find your place

We want focus us on our mission as a church. For those of you who have been around since I arrived, the mission is a good reminder of what we’re about and what we want to accomplish. For those who haven’t been around and haven’t heard the mission, it is invitation to learn more about OneChurch, and hopefully excite you about the direction we are going.

One of the verses we’ve been keyed in on this year is Eph 4:12 which says:

Ephesians 4:12 ESV

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

- we want to equip the saints, which is everyone who has made Jesus their Lord and Savior and are daily working out their salvation.

but we are also all about building up the body of Christ. All around Eph 4:12 is this teaching about what a community of believers looks like.

as I was thinking about a community, I was reminded about the community I had when I was in school. I was thinking about how each guy dorm was paired up with a sister dorm, and we took pride in hanging out with and watching over our sisters. I remember the pranks we would play, the stupid stuff we could only do at college when the dean wasn’t around. My dorm was called the Zoo, and we had definitely earned that name. I remember how hard it was to leave the dorm. I remember the names and faces of everyone of those guys, and every once in a while I look them up to see how they’re doing.

Question #1: What is a group from your past you loved being a part of?

maybe it was a sports team or a business group or whatever it was. Don’t just mention the group, but think about why you loved that group. What set it apart from the rest?

Strong Community

For me, it was the community and all the dynamics it had. We had people from every walk of life, every stage in their education, and at different stages in their faith journey. We had jocks, and we had some weirdos (hello), but everyone belonged and everyone was supported.

Which brings us to Acts 2. This is one of my favorite passages in all of scripture because it lays out what the early church looked like, and I think it gives us something to shoot for. So as I read Acts 2, starting in verse 42, I want you to take note of the different things that Luke is making note of, and what are the things peak your interest or you are most drawn to.

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.

Acts Community

there was really 4 things that Luke highlights that characterized this community

1. Devoted Themselves to the Apostle’s Teaching

right out of the gate, that is a pretty strong word, devoted. The literal Greek word probably more accurately translates as “They existed for the apostle’s teaching.” They didn’t tune in when it was convenient, they didn’t skip the odd one because they were tired or the kids didn’t sleep well the night before. No their very existence became dependent on the apostle’s teaching. They hung on every word, they dropped everything to hear their spiritual leaders speak.

it passages goes on to say that because of their devotion, awe came upon every soul and wonders were being done through the apostles. Why? Because when the apostles said, “You are healed,” they believed them. They didn’t doubt that God could heal them or intervene. They were devoted, their very existence hung on the words and teachings of the Apostles.

2. Devoted Themselves to the Fellowship

Not only were they completely devoted to the Apostle’s teaching, but they were completely devoted to each other. This devotion plays out in a variety of ways. Luke says they were together and had all things in common. Eph 4 talks about the community of faith is eager to maintain unity.

Now there is something I noticed as I prepared that had never seen before. We so often talk about how having all things in common means financial things. But Luke actually unpacks the financial sharing separately. When Luke writes that they had all things in common, he meant everything. In 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about the community of believers as a body. He says when one part of the body hurts, the whole body hurts. When one member is honored, the whole body is honored. That sounds like having everything in common. They hurt together, they celebrated together, they laughed together. Everything was together, and everything was shared in the community. It says day by day, they went to the temple together. If anyone had need, they sold their possessions and pooled the resources to meet the need. Their entire existence suddenly revolved around each other, being together.

3. Devoted Themselves to Breaking Bread

They shared meals together. But it wasn’t small meals either. Luke says they received food with glad and generous hearts. That sounds like there was a big spread on the table and everyone was happy they had come out. This is why is 1 Corinthians, Paul has to correct the church about the way they were breaking bread. The rich people around the table were eating their share and the poor people were being left out. Paul says this shouldn’t be because what is happening isn’t just about the food. This was a spiritual thing that was happening. It wasn’t just filling their bellies, but filling up their hearts and spirits with the joy and fellowship that we all desperately need. God said it’s not good for man to be alone. We need community, they needed community, and breaking bread was so much more then what was on the table.

4. Devoted Themselves to the Prayers

This really means one thing. Amidst everything else that the early church was committed to, they were ultimately devoted to God above all else. They were dependent on God’s intervention into their lives. One commentator pointed out that Jesus bathed every major life occasion with prayer, and it should be no surprise that the church picked this up and carried it forward in their early days. This would be something that Luke would record often throughout the book of Acts. Most stories of the miraculous happening in people’s lives started with someone praying. But it wasn’t just praying, but it was also praising God. We just saw in our study of Thessalonians that Paul taught the people to rejoice, pray, and be thankful in all circumstances. All of those things are directed towards the God who is in all and provides all.

Question #2: Which of the 4 characteristics stood out to you most?

Quick recap, they are the apostle’s teaching, fellowship or community, breaking bread together, and prayers.

for myself, it was the level of devotion. It wasn’t something that was said and not acted on. Their very existence hung on every one those things we just unpacked.

That was then, this is now

So if that is the gold standard, the question then becomes, “What does that mean for us now?” How do those different things translate? Is there anything there that is timeless and we can make a reality today?

Well, let’s walk through each of them again, but give them a 21st century spin

1. The Apostle’s Teaching

The reason they hung on every word that the Apostle’s taught was because that was the only words from God that they would hear collectively and could agree on. They didn’t have nicely packaged books that contained the Old and New Testament, and they certainly didn’t have the Bible App or Logos on their smart phone. In fact, the only copy of the Old Testament would have been located in the temple.

Today, we have access to the bible whenever we want, in whatever version we so choose to read out of. Your existence doesn’t have to depend on my teaching, although it probably wouldn’t hurt, our lives should be completely dependent on the word of God. We should be running to this for wisdom and direction. It should influence our every thought and action. We should go through withdrawl when we miss a day. This should be one of our highest priorities.

2. The Fellowship

The major words that Luke used was togther, all things in common, and day by day. One of the traps that we so often fall into, thanks to social media and social distancing, is that we just need to come to church Sunday. The people we see, we only see at church and we keep it surfacey and shallow. The rest of the week, we have nothing to do with them. And then we wonder why we get nervous about having deep discussion with anyone; why we don’t willingly open up to anyone about prayer or our struggles.

We need each other. Our faith is only developed and refined in community, and community doesn’t happen one day a week. This is why we push small group so hard. Each of us needs the faith community to celebrate with us and suffer with us as we work out our salvation. This is why all our ministries are focused on community building. It’s not easy, it takes time, patience, and a lot of grace, but it is worth it.

3. Breaking Bread

When Michelle and I were still youth pastors in Alberta, we would attend a yearly youth pastor retreat. There was typically 30+ people at these things, and due to the nature of youth ministry, always new faces to meet and get to know. In the interest of encouraging this getting to know everyone, we had one rule at these events; No one eats alone. After every session, we were to grab someone and have a meal with them.

When you run Alpha, they have one unbreakable rule that must be adhered to; you must share a meal together before you start your session.

Breaking bread is not just communion, and eating together as a family of faith is not limited to potlucks and backyard bbq’s. I would love it if everyone took the challenge that no one eats alone after church; everyone comes with the expectation of being invited out. It is amazing what happens when you sit down with someone around food and share life together.

4. Prayer

We need to be more dependent on God. We are dependent on him to save us from our sins. We are dependent on him to break our addictions and heal our broke relationships. I guarantee that in those times of complete dependence, God always comes through in his way. So why wouldn’t we maintain that posture of dependence on him? Why wouldn’t we invite our community of faith to join us in our prayer requests? Why wouldn’t we flock to the church when we have pray meetings? The problem is that we have too many other options that steal away our dependence and attention. We need more prayer in our lives.

Healthy Things Grow

now some of you may have noticed that I left a chunk of verse 47 out. There was a reason for that. Here is what verse 47 actually says

Acts 2:47 ESV

praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The biggest reason this passage stands out is because of the growth the early church experienced. Now for some, it may sound intimidating, the idea that God would people to our community every day. Some might like our little community. The truth is, and you’ve heard me say this lots, healthy things grow. God saw everything that the early church was doing and daily drew more and more people to be a part of it. The truth is, this is what a faith community is all about. It’s not about me and its not about you. It’s about being the kind of community of faith that God would draw people to. It’s about seeing people saved from their sin and their brokeness. It’s about seeing people get saved from the lies of the world and the lies of the devil. Its all about seeing Jesus be the Lord of everyone’s lives, not just ours.

Question #3: What’s your part in making this community a reality?