Irvin Wasswa- Tylertown Campus Pastor LHBC
Acts 2:42-47
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe[a] 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.
In March of 2020 when the world was on lockdown due to the COVID pandemic, life was difficult for so many people in the world. Many lost jobs, while others were isolated and unable to see loved ones. For me the inability to connect in community with other Christians was the toughest part of the shutdown. As I began to think through as to why that was the case, the answer was simple: We were created for community. As the world began to open up again and we were able to fellowship with others, joy welled up in my soul. To this day I do not take for granted the opportunity to be able to be in community with others!
For the Christian, community is essential in order to further grow and mature in their faith. We see this demonstrated in Acts 2 with the beginning of the first century church. The apostle Peter led by the Holy Spirit stands to preach the Gospel and over 3,000 folks come to faith that day (v.14-41). The next verse highlights the next steps the new believers take in their faith. They chose to devote themselves to the apostles teaching together, break bread, fellowship, and minister together. Even at the inception of the church they valued the importance of community, and we ought to do the same.
Friends, there is still great value in being in community with other believers. In a season of life that is rather busy it can be easy to bypass connecting with other believers, rendering yourself and your family to living life on an island–which by the way is a dangerous place to be. What does this look like in your life? Who are people whom you meet with on a regular basis who encourage you, sharpen you and push you closer to Jesus? Who are the people who you break bread and share your heart with? We need those people in our lives. Here is the reality, we are better together in the Christian life.
It has been said that our Christian life is personal, but it isn’t private. That is the truth! The first century Christians loved one another, leaned on one another, and sharpened one another. As a result we saw the Lord do a wondrous work in people getting saved by the day! In the same way, as the church we ought to seek community and fellowship within the church that resembles that of family. In a world that has promoted isolation here lately, in reality that is the antithesis of how we were created to live. We need community and one another. So let us choose to be intentional and plug into community today!
At Living Hope we have family group options available at both campuses that meet across all of Clarksville. For those of you looking to connect, feel free to check out group options by clicking on the link Living Hope Family Groups
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your love for me! Help me today to see the value in walking in community with other Christians today. Help for me to take that step today. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
MEMORY VERSE OF THE WEEK:
Proverbs 27:17- Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.