Gaps
Acts 2:42-47 “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals, and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the moneywith those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
Devoting yourself to growing in wisdom through the apostles’ teachings is an opportunity for edification and sanctification. I encourage us to truly study the word. We do an okay job at this in the church today. But that’s just it programs(sermons/bible studies) are about the only place we devote ourselves to learning. Let’s take hold of this opportunity more to be edified and sanctified by devoting ourselves to growing outside of programs.
We love to hang out. We are college students. Our schedules and lifestyle breeds lots of time for fellowship. We do a great job of living life with one another. Sometimes this fellowship creates barriers. Fellowship should be such an invigorating, inviting part of our lives that the world should be begging us constantly to join in and be a part of our community. Instead, our fellowship in college sometimes creates a hostile unwelcoming environment. We don’t know how to have community with outsiders. Fellowship isn’t meant to be just another missional program either. Some of us have fellowship ADD. We bounce from one group of friends to another never digging deep never sharing communally. Or, we turn our community into an attraction at an amusement park where we invite friend after friend just like a quick ride on a roller coaster attraction, leaving our friends and community exhausted and shallow in realness with one another. I encourage you to think of your fellowship time with your community as a time to invest, grow, encourage, be encouraged, love, receive love, and give generously.
Living communally encompasses all of Acts 2:43-46. They shared everything they had, They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need, They worshiped together, and shared meals. Sounds radical ey? Dang straight this is upright crazy living. I have never shared everything I have, I haven’t sold everything just to give it away to those in need. What does worshiping together each day look like? Sharing meals is about the only thing I think we as college communities do. Process communal living. I think this aspect of community could blow outsidersminds if they see a people who truly care for one another and share EVERYTHING they have to help those in need. Humility.Love.
Praying. How do we do that? I confess my prayer life this semester has been super doll. If me and God were dating, God would have peaced out a long time ago. Communication with our father is lacking I have a feeling. We wantmiracles, revival, or unity. He wants it to. Are we asking? Are we fasting? How bad do we truly want these things? If we truly want these things we will contend and believe with faith in them. My faith in revival and miracles and all my other prayers isn’t really showing in my prayer life or by the actions of my heart and daily actions. Praying together. Hmmm…. That sounds cool. We try it. We program it into our iPhones, attend, say some words together, and leave. True community, a revival, miracles will not happen by our own hands only by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s time for us to contend, fast, ask, act upon, and pray.
Barriers
Pharisees. We act a lot like Pharisees today. Rules, regulations, programs, pride…Barriers. When I talk to real people outside of the church they always seem to have this negative connotation towards the church. Much like people back in the day hated the Pharisees. We have built up such a fortress around Christ that the outside world wants nothing to do with him. They see our judgement, they see our hypocrysee, they see through our fake love and invitations. They see a group of people and a building that say one thing and do another. If we can begin to live in real radical communitylike the communal living in Acts 2:42-47 then I think they may begin to see Christ outside of the barriers and fortress we have built up.
Fake programming. Community is not about creating community. It’s a spirit filled relationship with others that is edifying to all. We run ourselves ragged with trying to create small groups, community groups, blah blah blah. Realness happens when we truly come together as friends, community, strangers…its about love in action. Communal living. When we create programs instead of community you get people not being real people that don’t truly love each other, live life with each other. Programming leads leaders to exhaustion and attenders to loneliness. Why don’t we invest in real life communal living with those that we can and let the spirit lead others into a radical true community. This is just a breakdown of Acts 2:42-47 I am super convicted of my view of community and that of what is depicted after Pentecost. Communal living depicted in Acts looks pretty radical. I think there is some real questions I need to ask of me and my community. Does your community build barriers to outsiders? Or is it so radical that it is drawing people into a transformational relationship with Jesus and his body on earth?
