Gathering Together

Author: Pastor Michael Reece

Acts 2:42—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.

This scripture from Acts happens after believers in the early church experienced the Holy Spirit in an incredible way. On the day of Pentecost, a festival that occurred on the 7th Sunday after Easter, many people believed in the church and were added to it. This verse describes the nature of the Christian community that was built in the days that followed. I have always viewed this verse as one that reminds me of what a healthy church should look like and how it should impact the life of the believer. I thought that I understood the concept pretty well. That is until I faced a situation that helped me see the strength in believers gathering together.

On June 24th of last year, I woke up in a dark hospital room at three in the morning. I was in pain, I was tied to the bed, I had no memory of how I got there, and the tube in my throat made me unable to speak. Understandably, I was overcome with fear and confusion. When my nurse came in, she looked into my frightened eyes and told me what I needed to know. Undiagnosed diabetes had caused my blood sugar levels to skyrocket, opening the door for infections that brought many complications to my health. I had been in the hospital for eight days, and I had been fighting for my life.

Over the next several weeks in the hospital, I had to learn more about what was going on in my body, the severity of the situation I was in, and just how long of a process I would need to walk through in order to get healthy. While I can’t even begin to deny that these were extremely hard facts to come to grips with, I heard other things that gave me the strength and the faith to keep going. During my hospital stay, many of my fellow staff members at CPC came by to visit me and lift my spirits. I was constantly being told of how earnestly our church family was praying for me. I was told of a particularly fervent prayer meeting that happened in the lobby of the hospital shortly after I was admitted to the ICU. I was overwhelmed by stories of people from our church doing favors for me, my wife, and our family. A ramp was built at my home, my lawn was taken care of, and meals were provided. The well wishes and warmth from all of our partners at Connection Point kept me going during some extremely rough times.

Honestly, I got to see our church gather together. I watched our church—my church family—live out the Word of God in a tangible way. Meals were shared, fellowship was had, and prayers were prayed. In the hardest, darkest time of my life, I was able to see the value and power of a genuine community. I hope this story serves as a reminder of how showing real, Christlike love to those around us can have a lasting effect on the Kingdom of God. When we find ourselves in the midst of those struggling, I pray that we will be the beacons of light that help them through the darkness. When we find ourselves at our low points in life, I pray that we find encouragement and strength in our relationship with Christ and others.

Reflection

What can you do to help strengthen your connection to a community of believers this year?