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Hello everyone. I’m Alyssa, and I have been a part of Enrich since Pastor Jordan got it going in 2019. I am now a board member, and have the privilege of sharing about our value on relationships at Enrich, as we are going through our church values as a community.
“The acts of the apostles, or Acts, is the 5th book of the New Testament, and is a bridge between the life of Christ, found in the gospels, and the 1st century church. Since the early church, it has been believed that the author of Acts is Luke - the physician who travelled with the apostle Paul, and also wrote the Gospel of Luke.
– Professor, Doc., Chuck Coats and ESV Crossway Women’s Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, 2020
Acts 2:36-47 is the first written example of what the church should look like.
When I read this passage - something that resonated with me - was that when these new Christians became saved, they repented and were baptized, and then their next step appears to be building a relationship with a Christian community.
This section of scripture reveals how crucial it is to be in community with other Jesus followers. I believe this passage teaches us that fellowship with other believers, and with God, is pivotal to our faith.
Several other spots in Scripture point to the importance of relationship among believers:
1 John 1:7a “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,”
The apostle John here reminds us to walk in the light - which is in the way of truth and holiness - with one another. We are to have fellowship with God and with each other. (ESV Crossway Women’s Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, 2020)
1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica that we have a responsibility to attend to the health and well-being of our community. We are built to support each other.
The verse I want to focus on from the passage Jordan shared is Acts 2:42, which says, “ And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
At Enrich our value on relationship states:
“Relationships are vital to a healthy community. Relationships keep us on course and alleviate times of loneliness. We value growth with each other and in our relationship with Jesus. We walk together and leave nobody behind as we continue to deepen our roots with each other.
In verse 42, the word that stands out to me is “devoted”. Merriam Webster: defines devoted as being, “characterised by loyalty and devotion.” Cambridge dictionary takes it a step further and defines it as: “extremely loving and loyal.”
Together, I want to explore how we as a church can deepen our relationship with God and our community through devotion to growth through teaching and learning, through fellowship and breaking bread, and through connection with God through prayer. We will look at how these 3 points deepen our relationship with God and our community.
Point 1: To be devoted to growth and learning together:
The first focus from verse 42 is, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching”
As a community, we are to devote ourselves to the apostles' teachings. This would have included Jesus’ teachings before His crucifixion, and during the 40 days of resurrection, as well as what he taught the apostles directly.
(ESV Crossway Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, large print, 2008. ESV Crossway Women’s Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, 2020).
2 Tim 3:16-17 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
Here Paul is reminding Timothy and equipping him to preach boldly - to be grounded in scripture. It is important that we are learning what is written in scripture, and speaking what is found there. Each of us needs correction, training, and encouragement as we do the good works God has for us.
Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Proverbs 24:6 For by wise guidance you can wage your war, and in abundance of counsellors there is victory.
King Solomon is the author of most of the passages in Proverbs and is known for being blessed by God with wisdom. We are meant to share truth, wisdom, and council with each other. Wisdom comes with knowing truth, from experience, and from learning. Our culture tends to push people towards success through hyper-individualism, but truthfully, we need others' help.
ESV Crossway Women’s Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, 2020.
We learn and we use this knowledge to serve others and God. It is good for all of us.
We are called to encourage each other and listen to wise council. Our learning is encouraged as an act of fellowship.
“Being devoted to learning together is one way we can deepen our relationship with each other and God.”
Point 2: To be devoted to spending time, and eating, together:
The next focus from verse 42 is, “and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread”
Fellowship - is derived from the Greek word koinonia - which means participation, spending time with others, and sharing resources.
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The fellowship, in this verse, is likely referring to sharing what they have with others in the community. This giving is voluntary. They still had homes and possessions of their own.
ESV Crossway Women’s Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, 2020
When they refer to meals, it likely means the Lord’s supper, as well as, eating meals together.
ESV Crossway Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, large print, 2008
The Old Testament often speaks of festivals and celebrations that incorporate meals. One example is found in Exodus 24:1-11.
Exodus 24:1-11
Moses brought the people the law and the covenant from the Lord. After which, the people shared a covenant meal. It says, “They beheld God and ate and drank”. Meals often signify celebration, fellowship, and blessing.
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We are called to community and fellowship through meals, the Lord’s supper, and sharing what is ours.
“To be devoted to sharing meals, time, and belongings with our community is another way we deepen our relationship with each other and God.”
Point 3: To be devoted to the Lord through praying together:
The last focus from verse 42 is, ”and the prayers.”
Acts 1:14 “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
Earlier in Acts, in the upper room, the Disciples, the women who served Jesus, and members of His family gathered and devoted themselves to prayer
James 5:16 “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
James - Jesus’ brother and a leader of the Jerusalm church, is correcting the church in this letter. He is calling the church to pray, with an emphasis on prayer in community.
ESV Crossway Women’s Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, 2020
The community in Acts 2 appeared to pray together often. They would go together to pray at the temple, or in their homes. They desired to pray, and to praise God, together on a daily basis.
ESV Crossway Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, large print, 2008
They recognized the sovereignty of God. In Acts 2:47, in the second half of the verse, and at the end of the passage it says, “And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
God added to their number. God chooses to minister through community and prayer, while ultimately He is the one to change hearts. He allows us to be a part of what He is doing. Prayer is a powerful way for us to connect with the Lord, and our community.
ESV Crossway Study Bible, Wheaton, Illinois, large print, 2008
“Being devoted to the Lord through prayer in community is another way we deepen our relationship with each other and God.”
In Conclusion:
“For the church is not a human society of people united by their natural affinities but the Body of Christ, in which all members, however different, (and He rejoices in their differences and by no means wishes to iron them out) must share the common life, complementing and helping one another precisely by their differences.”
Acts 2:36-47 tells us how we as a church should function. Verses 46-47 tell us that we can live “glad and generous” lives, praising God together, and finding favour among people.
We can choose to be devoted - extremely loving and loyal - to our community and to the Lord. To be loyal=faithful, committed, steadfast, or dedicated.
To be devoted, in these three contexts, is a community act. We can choose to be devoted to what really matters - to our our growth in learning through teachings, to our community through fellowship, and to the Lord in prayer. In order to do this we need to get connected to our community.
Relationship is key to the work the Lord wants to do in and through us.
I want to challenge and encourage each of you to put one of these activities into practice, in community, this week. Hebrews 10:24-25 talks about not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of many. At Enrich we try to make space for learning and teaching through sermons and discussion time, we make space for times of prayer at the beginning of service, and we share meals and the Lord’s supper. There are opportunities to serve each other, and the community, through other special events, and through filling the community fridge on campus.
The early church went to the temple and prayed together “day by day”, it says in verse 46. Let’s do our best to incorporate this type of fellowship, and not only on Saturday nights.
As a community, let's put verse 42 into practice - to be devoted to learning together, giving what we have, sharing meals and the Lord’s supper, and praying together. Let’s serve one another so that we can better serve the Lord. Life is so much better when we recognize that we are made to care for each other. I hope we as a community can practice these things more with time, and see the result of growth in our relationships with each other and God.
Next week’s sermon will be on serving… I touched on it here, because they go hand in hand. To have a healthy relationship, we must serve one another. Lets remember this community, and serve together. (Build each other up to good works).
Further References
Galatians 6:10 “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.”
A letter written by Paul to Believers in Galatia, a Roman province.
1 Timothy 5:8. V1-2 Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (in v.10)devoted herself to every good work.
This is a letter that was written by Paul to Timothy, and here is giving instructions to the church. This was written after the events in Acts.
Philippians 2:1-2 “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.”
Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”
1 Timothy 5
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
1 Peter 3:8 “Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.”
2 Cor. 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?”
Colossians 2:2 “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,”
Romans 1:12 “that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine.”
1 Corinthians 6 (Lawsuits against believers).
Other references:
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