All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.~ Acts 4:32-35
I love that the first thing the spirit seems to bring is worship. Nothing else is quite fitting, as the Apostles and believers declare the praises of God, (and the onlookers hear them in their own language). And they are also impassioned and speak boldly without fear. Oh Lord, do we need some of that.
But the point of my focus today is on something that is not always emphasised. At least not in my experience.
This passage, and the first four chapters of Acts concerning the birth of the church, are often held up, and rightly so, as the model for church, in harmony with God, fellow believers and the surrounding community, as they move in the power of the spirit, bringing the kingdom of God with social action, worship and preaching and healing.
And this kind of revival church is what many of us aspire to. Except that this is not revival. Because it is the first time on earth that the body of Christ has been in operation like this, it could more accurately be described, not as revival, but as 'vival'!
And I have often longed for the radical sense of community that Acts-church seems to offer. Growing up in the seventies renewal movement, my church was a whole lot closer to this model than anything I have seen since. I will perhaps touch on this later in the week. But I want to say, once you have tasted the manifest passion for Jesus, expressed in living in loving community, nothing else quite hits the mark. It feels like a hole in your church experience. A void which, as an adult, I have yet to see filled. Our individualistic society is so at odds with it. And some quarters of the church are too, to it's detriment.
But it starts with a move of (and a response to) the spirit. And once the initial explosion of worship and proclamation has ebbed, what then is the next effect of the Spirit?
It is simple. One word can some it up. It is the correct response to the Spirits moving.
That word;
Devotion.
To the word/teaching. That can never be overestimated...... or understated.
I'm taking that as a given.
But the part I want us to think about today is this Devotion to fellowship.
Christianity is a faith that lives through community. We do not thrive in isolation. We thrive and grow together.
I'm not saying solitude is a bad thing. It can be essential. But for seasons and moments. But isolation is not good. It's Ice-olation. Out alone in the cold.
Scripture says that God places the lonely in families.
And to love God is to love people. And particularly, the people of God.
Let us devote ourselves to fellowship,
As we fellowship with God.
Amen.
This passage, and the first four chapters of Acts concerning the birth of the church, are often held up, and rightly so, as the model for church, in harmony with God, fellow believers and the surrounding community, as they move in the power of the spirit, bringing the kingdom of God with social action, worship and preaching and healing.
And this kind of revival church is what many of us aspire to. Except that this is not revival. Because it is the first time on earth that the body of Christ has been in operation like this, it could more accurately be described, not as revival, but as 'vival'!
And I have often longed for the radical sense of community that Acts-church seems to offer. Growing up in the seventies renewal movement, my church was a whole lot closer to this model than anything I have seen since. I will perhaps touch on this later in the week. But I want to say, once you have tasted the manifest passion for Jesus, expressed in living in loving community, nothing else quite hits the mark. It feels like a hole in your church experience. A void which, as an adult, I have yet to see filled. Our individualistic society is so at odds with it. And some quarters of the church are too, to it's detriment.
But it starts with a move of (and a response to) the spirit. And once the initial explosion of worship and proclamation has ebbed, what then is the next effect of the Spirit?
It is simple. One word can some it up. It is the correct response to the Spirits moving.
That word;
Devotion.
To the word/teaching. That can never be overestimated...... or understated.
I'm taking that as a given.
But the part I want us to think about today is this Devotion to fellowship.
Christianity is a faith that lives through community. We do not thrive in isolation. We thrive and grow together.
I'm not saying solitude is a bad thing. It can be essential. But for seasons and moments. But isolation is not good. It's Ice-olation. Out alone in the cold.
Scripture says that God places the lonely in families.
And to love God is to love people. And particularly, the people of God.
Let us devote ourselves to fellowship,
As we fellowship with God.
Amen.
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