An Acts 2 Church - Gathering

An Acts 2 Church - Gathering Acts 2:42 says of the early church, "They devoted themselves ... to the fellowship." To have fellowship, people must gather. But why should we gather, for what purpose? Just what is fellowship anyway? The Greek word translated fellowship is koinonia. Other translations include communion, association, partnership, sharing, and contribution. The emphasis is on a close, two-sided relationship that emphasizes sharing, equality, and unity. From where does such a relationship come? According to 1 Corinthians 1:9, our source is "God, who has called us into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." According to 1 John 1, this fellowship includes the Father, Jesus, and all believers. Only as we have fellowship with Jesus, walking in His light, do we or can we have fellowship with one another. Healthy relationships in the church require ongoing fellowship with God. It is our fellowship with God that encourages sharing, enables us to see one another as equals, and brings unity. Since according to 2 Corinthians 6:18 Christians are God's sons and daughters, we should act like family. In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Paul writes, "Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity." Healthy families spend time together and eat together. The church should be in closer relationship than most non-Christian biological families. Acts 2:44-46 gives us a picture of Christian fellowship. "All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. The broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts." They spent time together. They had things in common because they cared and shared. They gathered everyday both for formal services in the temple court and as small groups in homes over food. Gathering together is essential for fellowship because to have fellowship you must have relationship. Relationship requires personal interaction. Phone calls and texts may be good, but face to face time is needed. So, we must gather. What then are the purposes of our gathering? First, we should gather for worship and teaching. In the Old Testament, they gathered at the temple for feasts with sacrifices and music. Today we worship with praise and song. From Moses to Ezra, Israel gathered for teaching. Today we preach and teach the word of God. We must spend time in corporate worship and teaching, but that alone will not provide enough fellowship. We also gather to pray and to solve problems. The early church gathered regularly for daily prayer services and had special prayer times during crises. In Acts 6 and 15 we also see them gathering to solve problems. Both prayer and business meetings should contribute to fellowship but are not enough. What we need is to gather for mutual encouragement. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching." We are to gather to spur one another on toward love and good deeds. We are to gather to encourage one another. We should actively participate in formal services to strengthen the church and encourage everyone there. But we need to also make time for informal fellowship. This includes talking before and after services but also getting together between services just to spend time together. Communicating by phone, Facebook, email, etc. will help but not as much as having meals together. And whether face to face in person or communicating electronically, always seek to encourage one another. We all need regular encouragement. We all need to gather to be encouraged - both in formal services and informal get-togethers. Let us come together regularly, always with the goal of encouraging one another, of giving ourselves to others. Then, as we encourage others, we will be encouraged in our faith in Jesus. Let us experience real fellowship. And if you have not come into fellowship with God through faith in Jesus, come to Him right now and ask Him to forgive your sins and receive you into His family.