Rhythms of GraceSample

In Acts 2:42-47, Luke writes about the early church and what helped the church grow. When the church was established, the people of the church were committed to the teaching of the apostles. This means that they believed and trusted their leaders to teach them about Jesus and set the example of what it looks like to obey Jesus. They also prioritized fellowship, which means sitting down and intentionally spending time with one another, usually over a meal. The early church placed a priority on prayer, this includes prayer for one another not just praying alone, which we learned a lot about in week 2.

Looking at the early church gives us an insight into what our communities should look like today. Within your community, you should be looking for ways to be obedient together, ways to pray together and for each other, planning intentional time to catch up and hang out, and times to worship God together at church. Our focus should be on Jesus when we come together. This does not mean that you cannot have fun and that it is necessary to be serious every time you are with your friends but it does mean that what you are doing and saying should reflect Jesus. This can be difficult nowadays with social media and the un-seriousness we see on it but that is why you have community and leaders to hold you accountable to what Jesus has called you to. Encourage and lift each other up to strive for Jesus and to live lives that reflect Him.

For the rest of this week, we’re continuing to study what fellowship and prayer looks like within our community.