All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, - TopicsExpress



          

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper ), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. - Acts 2:42-44 NLT A lot of people don’t realize fellowship is a spiritual discipline. It’s not just something helpful, but something commanded. And one of the surest barometers of the quality of your Christian life is the quality of your Christian relationships. Acts 2:42-44 summarizes the life of the early church by saying, “They devoted (or they continued steadfastly) in the apostles’ teaching (and what?) the fellowship.” Now what is fellowship? Fellowship basically means “our common life together.” I kind of grew up thinking fellowship was something that happened after the service down in the church basement, with cherry punch and cheesy conversations. That’s not what made the early church so powerful. They took fellowship to a new level—the level we want to be at! The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. Koinonia is translated at different places in the English language New Testament as partnership, sharing, communion or fellowship. Fellowship is a relationship between individuals which involves (this is key) active participation in a common interest. And, as a result of our participation in the common interest, we have a residual interest in one another. As we engage in a common purpose, the relationships that are the result of that engagement produce fellowship. What holds all of this together is the Spirit of God working through the Word of God, and our service to God to bind us together in love toward one another. That is what fellowship really is; our common life together. And it deepens as we persist in our common life together.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 12:22:27 +0000

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