Church Essentials: Part Two
Community
Acts 2:41-47
The Book of Acts provides us with the history of the early church. Acts presents us with a picture of the traits and actions that typified the daily lives of believers. Luke in painting us this picture of the church gives us the essentials which should be a part of any church. Among these essentials is koinonia - a term translated into English as fellowship or community. This fellowship, which the early church demonstrated, and which we are to be a part of, is far broader and more encompassing than we often think. Being a part of community is the spiritual duty of every believer.
I. The Church is to operate as a community
A. Acts 2:44 (VOICE) " There was an intense sense of togetherness among all who believed..."
B. The church is not a club or simply a religious organization.
C. While a church may legally incorporate as an organization and needs to be managed as one. But it is important to note that the church is, according to Scripture, an organism. The church is a living and functioning system of interdependent parts (believers) which constitute the Body of Christ.
D. Romans 12:4-5 " For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another."
E. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27 " For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many... Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually."
F. A church is "not a meeting you attend. It’s not a thing you do. It’s who you are. It’s your identity. It’s your place of belonging.” –Tim Chester
G. Three elements that are observed that comprised the community of the early church - intentionality, unity, missionality.
II. Being part of a biblical community involves intentionality.
A. Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly (devoted themselves, committed themselves, persevered) in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
B. Acts 2:44 (VOICE) "There was an intense sense of togetherness among all who believed..."
C. Intentional - done on purpose, not by accident.
D. Intentional means refusing to simply go through the motions.
1. Why are you doing what you are doing?
2. For so many "going to church" is a matter of convenience not a matter of commitment.
3. President Theodore Roosevelt made a commitment to attend church on Sunday, and continued it all his years in Washington, even as president of USA. The pastor of his church always received a letter or phone message from the president when he expected to be out of town, explaining his absence.
E. Intentional means having correct priorities.
1. Surveys show that many people feel it is quite acceptable simply to watch a church service on television, never committing themselves to regular assembly. Others say that just talking about God and religion with friends at work or at an informal gathering from time to time is all the "church" they need. - copied
2. The early church was focused on growth and nurture as believers.
3. Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship (constantly to the instruction and fellowship of the apostles)"
4. They realized that lasting, productive relationships, based on mutual love and respect, are the substance of Christian life and growth.
5. Matthew 6:33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
6. Hebrews 10:25 "not forsaking (neglecting) the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
7. "not forgetting to gather as a community, as some have forgotten" (VOICE)
III. Being part of a biblical community involves unity
A. Acts 2:44, 46 "Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,... So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart..."
B. "an intense sense of togetherness"
C. Acts 4:32 "Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul."
D. Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."
E. The term translated fellowship in our Bible is "koinonia" which means communion, joint participation. Community is a "common unity" of purpose and interests. It is living a shared life.
F. It means sharing the common experience of our joys, fears, tears, and divine glory. Some has said a Christian community is a group of people who are committed to Jesus and committed to one another, sharing their lives together. It is God's people hanging out together, doing chores together, eating together, working together, playing together, serving together, studying God's Word together, growing together, laughing together and crying together.
G. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26 "the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."
H. It's amazing what we can do when we have unity. Many members can accomplish collectively what the same numbers cannot do individually - an airplane is a machine that consists of 100% non-flying parts but the parts working together lift the 395,000 pounds of a Boeing 767 airliner to an altitude of more than 35,000 feet at a speed of 530 MPH.
IV. Being part of a biblical community involves missionality
A. Part of the intentionality of community is a commitment to disciple one another with the gospel and to share the gospel with unbelievers.
B. The church has been given her mission by the Lord Himself.
C. John 20:21 "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
D. Everyone of us has been called to be missionaries - to be on mission for God. A missionary is one who has been sent. Missionality refers to the fact that it ought to be our lifestyle.
E. Acts 2:47 the early church daily was "praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
F. What the early church was doing was fulfilling the great commission.
G. Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
H. Missionality is keeping our eyes on Jesus and pointing others to Him. Missionality is to live in such a way that Jesus is intentionally shared. Missional intentionality is the mentality or habit or culture in which, as you share lives, you look for opportunities to talk about Jesus, to encourage, to challenge, to pray, to praise. Without this all you are doing is ordinary life and everyone does that! - copied
I. We are to be a part of a witnessing community in obedience to both the church's and our call to share the gospel with all people. We are to work together to see lives transformed through a relationship with Jesus.
J. The church cannot become content to be no more than a community of believers.
K. Christ calls us into three, progressive aspects of the Christian life; a personal faith; which moves on to mutual love, care and sharing, within a church community; and then leads to a united outreach and witness. This is seen in a three-fold image.
It is nearly midnight in a city-centre street. In ones, twos and small groups, dozens of tramps begin to meet together. Because they have a common purpose; to receive a meal of soup and bread; they can appear to have a corporate nature. But their apparent togetherness is not ongoing. Once the food is eaten, the tramps will have little, or no thought, of meeting again, until the next ‘hand-out’ Their personal vision goes no farther than their personal receiving of that which keeps them going until the next time. This is something like the first phase in the life of a believer; when he or she enters into a personal faith in God. For many, at that stage, the Church exists to support them. It is something to which they turn for ‘topping-up’, with that which will keep them going, until the next service or meeting.
In the second part of the three-fold image: one-time scholars of a famous public school; gather for their annual ‘Old Boys Dinner’. As they sit together; eating and talking; they do have something, which goes far beyond the food that they share. However, the things that unite them, and give them a corporate identity, even when they part again, do not really go beyond themselves alone. Their togetherness does little or nothing to touch the world that lies beyond the school, and the ‘Old Boys Association’. This is something like the second phase of the life of the believer: where he or she takes their personal faith into the corporate life of the gathered-together, local church. There: they no longer see their church only in terms of being a provider of ‘topping-up’; and begin to experience the unity and fellowship of the believing community. However, as said: it is at this point that so many Christians, and churches, settle down, and make little or no progress into that third and greatest phase of Christ’s calling - that of a corporate and effective outreach and witness.
The last part of the threefold image; relates to a great concert, given by a fine orchestra, and conducted by a wonderful interpreter of the music. The audience begins to gather, and fill the concert-hall. It, too, has something of a corporate nature, because of its common love of good music. Individual music-lovers, look to the concert to provide all that they hope of it. Gathered together, as an audience: they create an atmosphere of expectancy, appreciation and encouragement: that goes far beyond anything that individuals can create on their own. And there is something else. The providers of the concert arranged for it to be broadcast to many parts of the world. Because of this form of outreach, millions of others will be able to receive that which, otherwise, would have remained with the audience, in the confines of the concert hall. In the early stages of their Christian lives, many people take a ‘soup-kitchen’ approach to the Church, because of what they believe that they receive from it. If what they receive from it does them good, and they grow in the faith: they may take on something of the ‘Old Boys Annual Dinner’ concept of what common purpose, and meaningful togetherness, is all about. This may well carry them on into a deeper form of unity, and eventual fellowship in the Spirit. However, even at its best, this concept of sharing within the Church, is not enough, because it does not go beyond itself and its own needs. This third part of the three-fold image; that of the concert being broadcast to the world: is not a perfect concept of the Church as ‘The Witnessing Community’; but it does move a little nearer to what Christ had in mind. It is not perfect; because broadcasting the music, even to vast numbers of people; worldwide, was merely incidental to what was going on within the concert hall. The Bible teaches us, that God-given witness and outreach is never ‘merely incidental’ to the life and work of Christians: but is the very reason why Christ brought the Church into being, in the first place. Spiritual searching must go far beyond what individuals would like to experience: and be at the heart of a whole congregation, as, together, it seeks to know what the Lord requires of it. Christ did not bring his Church into being, in the hope that it might, incidentally, have some sort of good effect, beyond its own walls. Instead, he raised, commissioned and equipped his Church for a very definite, powerful, ongoing and life-giving reason - to be his witnesses, and to undertake Christ-like, spiritual ministries, in the world all around. - copied
