Believe 16: Biblical Community Series

BELIEVE 16: Biblical Community

February 8, 2015

Acts 2:42-47

You may or may not have been happy with the results of last week’s Super Bowl. If you were a Seahawks fan you were tasting victory, only to have a crazy play take away your victory. The opposite was true for Patriots fans.

• Imagine how many hours you spent watching the pregame and game.

• Add up the calories consumed while watching the game and consoling or celebrating afterwards.

• Maybe you couldn’t see the television well or you couldn’t hear it well.

• Maybe there were coaching decisions you didn’t like.

• Possibly there were officiating calls you didn’t agree with.

• Maybe you didn’t agree with the announcers.

• Maybe you didn’t like the half-time show from Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz.

• Or quite possibly the National Anthem wasn’t the same tune you prefer.

• They changed the rules, too much change.

• Maybe you’re sick and tired of football. You were forced to watch too many games as a child.

• Maybe the game lasted too long and people talked too long.

• Your seat was uncomfortable.

• It was too hot in the room.

• It was too cold in the room.

• Maybe the only good thing was nobody asked you for money.

• And if you went to the game, you certainly gave quite an offering.

Any clue where I’m going with this? Can we substitute some of these when it comes to worship? Do we ever hear comments like these about worship. We can have all types of excuses and lots of complaints.

We’re now past the half way point of the Believe Series, as we’ve moved into Week 16 — and we’re heading towards the home stretch of our 30 week journey. Today we’re looking at Biblical Community. What is it? Where does it happen? How do we make it happen? Who is involved? Why participate in it? We can ask lots of questions about true biblical community. The “WHY” is really important?

If we’re part of a biblical community, then this community should make a difference in our lives, which helps us make a difference in the lives of others surrounding us as we also make a difference in the world. So, what difference does biblical community make in our lives?

We’re coming off of two deep weeks where we looked at having a Single Minded Focus on Christ and last week was Total Surrender. They were a great lead in —

I want to look at one of the great passages about the church. Luke gives us a great description of the church in Acts 2. Acts is the first book after the gospels. It’s the 5th book in the NT. The church was just beginning and let’s look at Acts 2:42-47. Jesus had ascended to heaven, Peter had given the first sermon; the new Christians were coming together and this is how Luke described the church ~

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,

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

Who wouldn’t love to be part of a community like that? It’s amazing they had not been formed for very long. That’s almost mind boggling what they were able to accomplish. This was community at its best! What was happening was awesome.

In a sense this passage answers the WHAT question. What is biblical community? It’s a group of Christ - followers who are not all about themselves, but who are looking out for one another, open to being taught, praying together, helping one another, caring for one another, forgiving one another, encouraging one another, sharing with one another, eating with one another. Bottom line — they were loving one another.

They were sharing the powerful love they had received from Christ. They could think of no other way to live, than to live in the love of Christ and share that with one another and others. Then the Lord blessed their community by adding more and more people to their community, and those newcomers were welcomed.

If we could travel back through time and sit down in their homes and ask them why they were meeting together, why they were risking their lives, I think they might simply tell us ~ Everything we do is because Jesus calls us to do it.