The Practice of Together
Jesus’ invitation was to come and do life with him.
But his call involved others. He called His disciples together and told them that everything they had learned was to help others realize it, too.
Through Jesus, we have been adopted into the family of God.
Jesus’ desire is not just to form you into a person of love, but to form a community of love.
You can’t follow Jesus alone; spiritual formation is a relational process.
Our final practice is to cultivate a community of spiritual friendship and begin meeting regularly.
Four layers of community:
Intimates: 1-5 people who deeply know and love us.
Friends: 15 people with whom we do life.
Village: 150 people, the maximum we can be in a relationship with.
Commitment to 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 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.
—Acts 2:42-47
But In The Future, Will This Scripture be written about us?
They were devoted to their comfort, happiness, personal goals, dreams, and bucket lists. No one really noticed the Christians because they focused on themselves. Very few of the believers were together, and when they were, they fought about stupid things. If they sold anything, they used the money to buy something better for themselves. They claimed to love God, but they didn’t even love each other. So they felt empty, alone, and depressed. As a result, most people disliked them and very few lives were changed.
The first-century believers desperately needed each other, and they knew it.
Believers today desperately need each other, and they have forgotten it.
People are intentionally pursuing a life that destroys their mental health and robs them of real joy and lasting fulfillment.
We are not spiritual consumers. We are spiritual contributors.
The church doesn’t exist for us.
We are the church. And we exist for the world.
1. We will be an intensely devoted church.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
—Acts 2:42
Devoted = Pros—Car—Terry—O
Proskartereo—to live in a constant state of relentless pursuit; persistent, ongoing, obstinate devotion. (Imperfect tense/Ongoing action)
The first Christians weren’t casual, weekly, comfortable, culturally relevant Christians. They were full on, all in, sold out.
Because of who Jesus calls us to be:
We will be an intensely devoted church.
AND…We will be an irrationally generous church.
2. We will be an irrationally generous church.
They sold possessions to give to anyone who had need…
…And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them.
—Acts 4:33-34
We will lead the way with irrational generosity.
Because we truly believe it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Because of who Jesus calls us to be:
We will be an intensely devoted church.
We will be an irrationally generous church.
AND…We will unapologetically share the love of Jesus.
3. We will unapologetically share the love of Jesus.
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
—Acts 2:47
We will do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Christ.
Who are the lost?
…You have needs in your life and no one to meet them.
…You have hurts to share and no one to listen to them.
…You have love to give and no one to receive it.
God didn’t create us because he was lonely.
God created us because he is love.
To reach people, no one is reaching; we will do things no one is doing.
We are faith-filled, big-thinking, bet-the-farm risk-takers. We’ll never insult God with small thinking or safe living.
We honor Jesus by creating a space (Rehoboth) the Holy Spirit can send and heal the lost… A space for all.
What is a Jesus-honoring?
A gathering of grace.
… You have a permanent place in my heart! You have remained partners with me in the wonderful grace of God. Phil 1:7 TPT
A gathering of healing.
Confess to God for forgiveness. Confess to people for healing.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
—James 5:16
A gathering of mission.
Every day they continued to meet together … They ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God … And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
In Every Church…
…There is someone in need.
…There is someone who cares.
…There is someone who’s preoccupied.
…There is someone who’s critical.
*…BUT WE ALL can be changed. *
We will do anything short of sin to reach people who don’t know Christ. To reach people no one is reaching, we’ll have to do things no one is doing.
We are all … Someone in need!
If we become someone who cares!
We are all people who will be changed!
Being the Disciple that Responds to the Community
Serve one another. Galatians 5:13
Show hospitality to one another. 1 Peter 4:9
Be kind to one another. Ephesians 4:32
Encourage one another. 1 Thessalonians 4:18
Carry one another’s burdens. Galatians 6:2
- Read God’s Word.
- Serve in church.
- Study together.
- Start tithing.
- Pray daily.
Fall in love with the work of God in his Church!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
—Ephesians 3:20-21
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