Continual Community

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke breadin their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, (NIV)

Acts 2:42 is a very popular verse, often referred to by small group leaders as an example of Christian practices. These four strong points illustrate how we live out our lives as followers of Jesus. They are noteworthy and worthy of our embrace: Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread, and Prayer. These are things we do to strengthen our faith and our witness. They are how we live out continual community.

Teaching- The teachings of Jesus and of His disciples are all in the Bible. Reading these stories and emulating their lessons will make us strong in our faith. When we study together we gain insight from each other.

Fellowship - One-anothering is often how we refer to living out our lives together.  Doing life together is so much better than trying to go it alone. We 'sharpen' each other when we hang out.

Breaking of Bread - Remembering Jesus and His sacrifice for us is accomplished each time we share the meal of Holy Communion. This blessed meal is meant to be taken in community.

Prayer - Prayer changes us. Prayer changes those around us and it can change our circumstances too. Prayer makes all the difference in the life of a Believer of Jesus. Praying with others is a powerful tool which can change hearts also.

Acts 2:42-46

Just Like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

We are conditioned to be self-absorbed; to focus our life-lens on self. The word on the street, the general consensus is, it is all about me. Television commercials reinforce our importance every time their product is introduced. The advertisements shout, "you deserve a break today." We come to believe that we cannot exist without a ...(fill in the blank).

This is nothing new, but as we become more and more sophisticated, so does the concept of our own needs while they blossom into huge egos. Lost are the days of taking care of one another; of looking out for each other at the expense of ourselves. We easily forget just how much we need one another, how much we need the companionship and fellowship of others.

For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. (1 Corinthians 1:18)

I am happy to share that my neighborhood is like one from the days of Father Knows Best, or Leave it to Beaver.  If you were raised in the 50's you understand what I mean. Those were the days when many lived in a neighborhood where everyone knew each other.  As I get older and dare I say, wiser, this is important to me, an attraction even. My neighbors go through life caring for each other; being attentive to a possible need.

We are designed to be in community. That is why God created Adam and  Eve. We are created to be in communion with God, and also with one another. This will play out in peaceful co-existence when we genuinely live with love for each other in our hearts.

1 Corinthians 1:7,18-23

In The Eye Of The Storm

Last week we had a hurricane in South Florida.  It was my families first experience with a hurricane.  To say it was exciting and terrifying would be an understatement.  The category 4 hurricane was headed our direction and so we prepared. 

We were ready for days without power and water.  We stocked our pantry with nonperishable foods such as canned fruit, beef jerky, trail mix and lots of supplies for PB & J’s.  The most important supply we purchased according to our son, FLASHLIGHTS!

Evan is not afraid of the dark, but being stuck in a violent storm in the dark is a whole other thing.   We made the prospect of being in the dark fun, telling him we would play flashlight tag when it got really dark.  He was definitely down for a game that involved flashlights.

Well, we got lucky and the storm passed us by.  Other than some above average winds and rain, the hurricane was a non-event and my husband and I were grateful.  We knew others in the world were not as fortunate, so we did not take this lightly.  As we were counting our blessings, or son was disappointed.  He never got to play flashlight tag.

As parents we learn to master making a bad situation look good, so our children do not feel the weight of our circumstances.  As Christians we have to be careful to not do the same thing. 

Playing in the dark as a Christian is an entirely different game.  When we spend time in the dark, as stated in 1 John 1:5-10, we have no fellowship with one another or with God.  The dark is where we go to hide our sin.  God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.  We cannot be hiding sin and be around God. 

So what do we do?  Admit our sin.  God is not waiting around to shame us, he wants to cover us with his love, but not admitting our sin keeps his love from penetrating our brokenness and healing us of what drives us to sin.  If you are hiding in darkness trying to keep your sins a secret, stop playing games and give it to God.  He knows how to protect you from the storm.

Read today's Scripture here

Search My Heart

Philippians 2: 1-11 is one of my favorite passages in scripture. My bible is filled with notes on this page. I love how it lists benefits we receive being a follower of Christ; encouragement, fellowship, tenderness and compassion.  I experience these wonderful benefits most, when I am around other believers.

The passage immediately gives us a challenge. God doesn’t want us to only stay around situations where we only experience these benefits. We are called to take those benefits and serve others.  As a Christian this shouldn't be a surprise.  We hear and read that our job is to serve.  But, this is where a lot of us struggle.

I think there are three kinds of Christians when it comes to serving others.  

1. The one who “gets” it.  Serving seems to flow from them.  It is who they are. They give of themselves freely.
2. The one who serves but it just doesn’t seem or feel natural.  They serve because they know it is what God wants.
3. The one who leaves serving to others.  They will give their money and donate items to their church or community outreach projects, but they think they are not gifted to serve.

No matter where you may fall, I believe we can all check our heart with regards to serving. If you relate to the third example, let me encourage you. I have not read anywhere in the bible where serving others is only for those naturally gifted to do so.

God has called you to serve!  Philippians 2: 5-7 tells us, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus...he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant…”

I think the rub comes with, WHO and HOW do we serve…

WHO do we serve?  Paul says in Philippians, “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit...consider others better than yourself.”  

If we have a hard time serving, we have possibly put ourselves in a higher position than the one we are called to serve. Is there a particular group of people or even a singular person, you think you're better than? I know this is a hard question, but spend some time honestly searching your heart.  Take time to pray about it, asking God to reveal the truth.

When you see who it is you put “below” yourself, THIS is WHO you should serve.

So, HOW should we serve? Philippians 2:3 says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

In humility.  This is hard.  The easiest way to serve in humility is when we've been humbled. It can feel very humbling when we realize we put ourselves before so many others.  This is a good place to start. It will take HUMILITY and faith, and when you are not sure you can do it, remember; Jesus did it for you.

Christian Fellowship

Several years ago I travelled to China on business. I went a couple of days early, to sight see and  to adjust to the time change.

A Temple of the Forbidden City

 

For two days I walked the streets of Beijing. I did not take a taxi because I was not able to express my desires to the driver. The major streets had smaller English signs under the Mandarin signs, but the smaller streets may have just as well been unmarked. I got lost a couple of times, but eventually came to a larger street where I could get my bearings and carry on.

 

My efforts were rewarded with visits to Tianamen Square, the Forbidden City, Silk Alley and other places. I was excited at what I had seen, yet I was lonely because there was nobody to share my experiences with.

 

It was good to get to the office and carry on business. Most people spoke English and it was refreshing to have a conversation. I needed to interact with somebody, anybody!

 

Today’s reading is Acts 2:41-47. The church was in its infancy. The believers enjoyed each other’s company, dining with each other and studying the Apostle’s teaching. They even pooled their resources so that the needy were on an equal financial footing with the well to do, so to speak.

 

Most of the believers had jobs in the Pagan world. They interacted with many unbelievers for most of the day. It must have been very refreshing for them to enjoy the fellowship of other believers when  not at work.

 

Our needs today are no different than those believers of the early church. We work throughout the week in an unbelieving world. We take our children to various activities, many outside the church, perhaps. We need the fellowship of other believers. Without it, we can feel a bit like I did in China. Alone, we have nobody to share our spiritual experiences with.

 

Christian fellowship is part of a balanced spiritual life.

 

Happy New Year!

1 John 1:1-10

Fellowship is important to Christians.  After spending a week in the workplace, the classroom, or the neighborhood, it is necessary to come together as the Body of Christ.  There is nothing quite like spending time with your Spiritual Family.  They can rejuvenate, refresh, and recharge our spiritual batteries.

I built a number of strong relationships at my Ohio church and I learned to love so many of the folks Dave and I worshiped with weekly.  I never missed church on Sunday unless I was sick or out of town.  Monday was guaranteed to be a good day because I was able to spend time with people who believe as I do.  In fact, leaving that fellowship when I moved to WI was very difficult, just like loosing family.

That is the way it should be.  We have been created by God to be in community with one another.  We need each other and it is only right that we grieve when we leave that setting.  By the same token, it takes a long time to get that same feeling when joining another/a new Community of Believers.

"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete." (1 John 1:3-4)

Getting involved in a Fellowship of  Believers is encouraged in scripture, it is written about and also sung about in our praise music.  If you aren't totally immersed in your church family, what's holding you back?  You don't know what you are missing.  It will be your joy complete...

Read 1 John 1:1-10 here

Listen to 1 John 1:1-10 here

1 Corinthians 11:17-34

Merriam-Webster defines communion as an act or instance of sharing; a synonym is fellowship.  I must admit that I do not remember ever reading today's passages before.  Does that ever happen to you?  I am sure I have, for I have been in 1 Corinthians often over the years, but for some reason it wasn't until this week I studied these particular verses.

Paul is telling the Believers at Corinth that observing the Communion feast is a big deal.  He is reprimanding them for approaching the meal while their hearts were not right with God or with one another.  Communion is all about unity, sharing, fellowship and love.  The practice of the people in Corinth would be to come together for a meal first - the rich would bring lavish dishes to be shared among other wealthy believers, often leaving the poor to go hungry.

"For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

Paul admonished their behavior instructing that Communion is about coming together, about remembering Jesus and all He taught; the most important lesson being love.  The Sundays when the Communion Feast is celebrated is a special time.  I enjoy sharing this moment with fellow Believers.  It is always a special time when I am able to partake of this observance with people who mean so much to me.  I had to learn this though, just as the early church had to learn to real meaning of sharing in The Lord's Supper.

Read the 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 text here.  Listen to an audio reading of 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 here.

A Costly Anointing - Mark 14:1-11

A number of years ago our family moved from Wisconsin to Ohio. Before we left home, our families threw a going away party for us. They invited people who meant much to us; relatives and friends who played a role in our lives over the years. We shared a meal and spent time talking and laughing together. There were even a few gifts.

The opening scene in the Scripture verses for today reveals Jesus at the home of a friend, Simon the leper. There were other family and friends in attendance, including Judas, and Mary (the sister of Lazarus and Martha). Jesus was preparing to leave this earthly home and return to His father. He was spending time with His loved ones, in anticipation of His departure.

This gathering was a going-away party to which Mary brought a gift for Jesus. Mark tells us some of those present thought this a waste of money, and they discounted the gift as indulgent. Jesus tells them, “Leave her alone…She has done a beautiful thing.” (Mark 14:6). Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached…, what she has done will be told in memory of her.” (Mark 14:9).

Jesus is showing His followers what is important in life, helping them understand He would not be with them forever and they should spend time enjoying these moments. Time with family and friends is a blessing as Jesus teaches; is there is a lesson here for us as well?

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