Our Life Together
Acts 2:41-47
The experience of a POW and the prisoner is not unlike the relationship Satan would like to have with us
“The captor’s goals are important in determining how POWs are treated. Disrupting the POWs’ organizations and their command through the isolation decreases the POWs’ sense of unity and ability to buffer stress and develop coping strategies. Inducing dependency, debility, and dread (DDD)
These may render the prisoner more susceptible to the captor’s influence and demands”
These observations help me understand why Christians need the group experience of fellowship with other believers to help them sustain the new life in Christ.
To have a new beginning in Christ, I must understand the primary force behind Christian fellowship and the necessary ingredients for beginning life anew.
The first chapter of Acts showed the disciples dependent upon God's plan. The second starts to talk about the fellowship of believers
Acts 2:41-47
Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and the apostles did many wonders and miraculous signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone, as he 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.
Here in the later part of the second chapter we catch a glimpse of the first fellowship of believers.
This is the first worship service of believers. However, it is not described by the order of worship, nor is it described as a ritual.
Luke describes it by describing the impact God had made in their hearts.
He describes it by describing the actions of the believers as they came together for the first time. It is here that we find another very important ingredient to begin life anew . . . the devoted heartfelt fellowship and worship of believers.
This should served as a model for all believers today.
They were devoted To Apostles' Teaching
This new fellowship was focused on the apostles' teaching.
What was happening was thoroughly rooted in the scriptures. It was biblical. The Lord guided them through the teaching and preaching of his word, just as he endeavors to do today.
It was the God- centered message upon which fellowship would be sustained and maintained.
They were moved and motivated by the Spirit-guided message of the apostles. The original language carries with it the idea of being persistent listeners. They weren't passive listeners; they were active listeners. There is a thirst to hear and learn more about their new found life of spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ. What they were being taught was impacting their hearts and lives. Teach me to impact lives who are hurting and need fellowship and love on the Adventure in Middle Grove.
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