The Beauty of Community (Acts 2:42-46)

 

The Beauty of Community (Acts 2:42-46)

“The believers devoted themselves to the apostles ‘teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers.

A sense of awe came over everyone.  God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles.

All the believers were united and shared everything.

They would sell pieces of properties and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them.

Every day, the met together in the temple and ate in their homes.  They share food with gladness and simplicity.

Before anything in life, you have to appreciate the beauty of it.  With community, you must dig a little deeper in details.  Close your eyes and see a family or community getting along with each other and sharing everything in common.  That would be quite an accomplishment!  Then seeing this, people come for a visit into your house and rejoice at what they see.  It would be a dream come true in any homes, but what about in the Church.

Community would not just happen.  Like a well-behaved family it takes effort and discipline.  People just don’t come together and share and get along.  It starts with one who makes it obvious to others that he means business and then it becomes a habit and an enjoyment.  It becomes Christmas all year long.  Living in unity, sharing meals and everything we have.  What a family!

They were committed to the apostles’ teaching, that was first then the rest followed.  It does not say they were committed to their family.  They wanted to put God first, they wanted to learn from one another, and they were concerned about the Church as a whole and the souls of people.

The best feeling of community I have had before I became a Christian was, after work in the bakery I worked. Some guy would cook a meal for everyone. We would sit at a long table with all the bakers and pastry chefs together and discuss our day or news.

What would it be like adding the spiritual component to that and have God in the middle?

I would encourage you to close your eyes now and appreciate the beauty of all that is described in this passage and then pray that it would happen around the world.  In Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South and Central America and the States and Canada.  In case I missed anyone, the whole world.  Let us be involved with one another and with the world.