Missional Fellowship

"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.

Often we look to this passage in Acts to show us how we need to be in fellowship - the Christianese word for hanging out and eating (even though the Greek word, koinonia, is far more in-depth than that, but I digress). But if you think of it, who are THEY? Before assuming who THEY are, you need to look at the verse before. "Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day" Acts 2:41.

THEY were 3,000 converts from Peter, stepping out in faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, who shared the truth of the Gospel with people. Can you imagine that?! Put yourself in their shoes - 3,000 people that shared everything in common and ate together! And what is the result? It says that more were added to their numbers DAILY.

For some reason we say that last line as a tag line or the phrase you say just to end it. Like [make this tiny] ... and more were added to their numbers daily... But instead of that being the end of a phrase it's the result of true Christian community.

For Christians to be in fellowship with one another is not only so we can spend time as friends and mutually encourage and edify each other (which is important - please don't get me wrong), but it's also so others can know Jesus Christ personally.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:34, 35.
Jesus said that EVERYONE - those people who need Him to save them from eternal destruction - will know HIS love because of how WE treat each other. Crazy, huh?! I love how God has always been missional, and even created our need for one another to be missional too!

Lord Jesus,
Thank you for creating people to be relational! Thank you for making us desire fellowship so we can better understand how we relate to you. Forgive me for making fellowship more into a holy huddle than a holy bonfire meant to attract people who don't know you yet. Forgive me for not taking fellowship into the field of evangelism. I ask that today I can be filled with your Holy Spirit so that I can live out fellowship the way you intended.

About Leah

Leah works with Master Plan Ministries at Fort Lewis College in Durango, CO. Other than watching college students' lives change, she enjoys getting her mind blown by God and His Word, watching sci fi, baking cupcakes, and spending time with her hunky husband. 

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