Fellowship Is A Beautiful Thing! – Acts 2:42-47
Fellowship Is A Beautiful Thing! – Acts 2:42-47
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 28, 2020
New things are exciting; new houses, new relationships, new cars or new toys – all of these things can be exciting at first. The same is true for new churches, new Sunday School Classes, and new pastors. But after the excitement wears off then there is the hard work of taking care of, maintaining, and developing some of these things.
The church was brand new and it was exciting. Things were happening and God was moving to build his church in the world so it could be the witness he needed. Within the newness of the early church we discover that the disciples began to develop how the body of Christ was to operate in the world and in doing so we discover that fellowship is a beautiful thing. Let’s see how and why…
READ: Acts 2:42-47
GBC is in the process of finding a new pastor and we should desire one that encourages fellowship, is willing to come alongside of others, and develop us as believers. We discover here in the early church that…
I. Fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring! (Vv. 42-43)
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
1. We have to remember that at this time there was no New Testament that the early church could open up and read to learn to be the church that God desired. They had to depend upon the personal experiences of the first disciples that had followed Jesus throughout his ministry. Teaching during this time was often done through word of mouth. A teacher, rabbi, or master would have disciples or followers who would come and sit and listen to their teaching. There would be discussions on what was taught, questions and answers, and a common sharing. This often included the sharing of a midday meal because the classes would often last from early in the morning until the sun went down. So we discover that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship”. The idea here is one of intent. Members of the early church intently “devoted themselves” to being instructed by the apostles; to their “doctrine”. In our day there is kind of an undercurrent of heresy that teaches us that doctrine is bad or not necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Without doctrine the early church would not know what to believe about Jesus and the same is true for us as well! But also notice they devoted themselves to their commonality of faith, their fellowship. In this “koinonia”, spiritual and physical sharing, they came together not just for doctrinal teaching but also for “the breaking of bread and to prayer”. This describes for us what their fellowship was all about. Notice what occurred when the early church decided to devote their selves to these things: “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” Too much of what is done in the church today is dependent upon the “show” and not the teaching and fellowship. Fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring!
EXAMPLE: GBC should find a man who is willing to fellowship with his church. A man who is willing to get his hands dirty in the trenches of mentoring, working alongside of, and eating with his church. His family should be willing to be involved as well. I was told that a pastor should maintain a distance from his congregation. I thank God that I never fell for this misinformation and poor advice. There should never ever be a division between the pastor and his church but instead like the early church we learn that fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring!
If a church cannot gain their pastor’s friendship, mentorship, and develop koinonia the relationship will always be adversarial; an “us versus them” attitude. This should never occur because of the example it sets for new believers and the world. We learn that within the early church that…
II. Fellowship is a beautiful thing as the church is united in Christ! (Vv. 44-45)
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
1. As the church comes together we see that the fellowship comes together in a beautiful way. As the early church’s leadership mentored and encouraged fellow believers their koinonia grew stronger and that “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Being together doesn’t mean that they agreed in everything that was done but instead they were willing to be together in the direction God wanted to take them as a church. What the wording here infers is the fact that they were willing to share with one another what they had. Most families during this time had very little compared to today’s standard and what they had was often willingly shared with others. It was a sign of respect, support, and oneness in the Lord. It reminds me of what Jesus prayed over his disciples, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 NIV)” The unity of the Lord should express itself in a generous attitude. Jesus was describing the commonality the “oneness” every believer has one with another and with the Lord through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also declared, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38 NIV)” The early church teaches us that they took this fellowship a step further into their human relationships in the church: “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Fellowship is a beautiful thing as the church is united in Christ!
EXAMPLE: The idea here is not communism nor is it communalism. One advocates class war leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs by the government. The other is a social structure whereby everyone shares everything equally. Many historical communities tried practicing it and it always failed miserably. One such group was the Pilgrims and they almost starved to death until they went to a more free market and individual based system. The early church did not share equally but when they were led of God they sold possession and goods and gave to anyone who had an actual need and not just to anyone in general. We learn that fellowship is a beautiful thing as the church is united in Christ!
Any man GBC considers for pastor should be first and foremost be an example to the congregation and to the community around them. From the example of the early church as they developed leadership to go out into the world and share the good news we learn from them that…
III. Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved! (Vv. 46-47)
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.
1. As we go deeper into how the early church was interacting we learn that “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” While the church was growing in fellowship with one another they continued in their mentoring process and trying to win fellow Jews to the Lord. There were no church buildings or structures and so the early Christians met where they were used to going to discuss the things of God. In this case it was the temple courts. They had grown up worshipping God in the Temple and going there for prayer several times during the day. However the connotation here is that there was more than prayer or worshipping going on here. It was common for the Court of the Gentles or in the colonnades to discuss and debate the things of God. Remember when Mary, Jesus’ mother, had search everywhere for him as a young boy and eventually found him debating with the elders in the Temple courts? Here in the Temple courts was a great opportunity to share the good news that the Messiah had indeed come. Not only did the early church continue to do this until believers were pushed out of the Temple and local synagogues but they also continued to break “bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people”. When a church experiences true koinonia it becomes untied in its direction, in its community as believers, and in sharing with one another the things God has given them. We see that the church was blessed because of their willingness to do this: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved!
EXAMPLE: It is interesting that all the early renewals began with the church becoming united in Spirit, in fellowship, and prayer. Jonathan Edwards was the great academician and apologist of the Great Awakening. A Congregational pastor at Northampton, Massachusetts, he preached justification by faith alone. He also helped those involved in the revival to discern what were true and false works of the Spirit of God. The increase of dissent from the established churches led to a broader toleration of religious diversity, and the individual’s participation of the religious experience fed the fervor that resulted in the American Revolution. Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved!
Conclusion:
Fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring! We learn that fellowship is a beautiful thing when expressed in a giving attitude! Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
By Pastor Lee Hemen
June 28, 2020
New things are exciting; new houses, new relationships, new cars or new toys – all of these things can be exciting at first. The same is true for new churches, new Sunday School Classes, and new pastors. But after the excitement wears off then there is the hard work of taking care of, maintaining, and developing some of these things.
The church was brand new and it was exciting. Things were happening and God was moving to build his church in the world so it could be the witness he needed. Within the newness of the early church we discover that the disciples began to develop how the body of Christ was to operate in the world and in doing so we discover that fellowship is a beautiful thing. Let’s see how and why…
READ: Acts 2:42-47
GBC is in the process of finding a new pastor and we should desire one that encourages fellowship, is willing to come alongside of others, and develop us as believers. We discover here in the early church that…
I. Fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring! (Vv. 42-43)
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.
1. We have to remember that at this time there was no New Testament that the early church could open up and read to learn to be the church that God desired. They had to depend upon the personal experiences of the first disciples that had followed Jesus throughout his ministry. Teaching during this time was often done through word of mouth. A teacher, rabbi, or master would have disciples or followers who would come and sit and listen to their teaching. There would be discussions on what was taught, questions and answers, and a common sharing. This often included the sharing of a midday meal because the classes would often last from early in the morning until the sun went down. So we discover that “they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship”. The idea here is one of intent. Members of the early church intently “devoted themselves” to being instructed by the apostles; to their “doctrine”. In our day there is kind of an undercurrent of heresy that teaches us that doctrine is bad or not necessary. Nothing could be further from the truth. Without doctrine the early church would not know what to believe about Jesus and the same is true for us as well! But also notice they devoted themselves to their commonality of faith, their fellowship. In this “koinonia”, spiritual and physical sharing, they came together not just for doctrinal teaching but also for “the breaking of bread and to prayer”. This describes for us what their fellowship was all about. Notice what occurred when the early church decided to devote their selves to these things: “Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.” Too much of what is done in the church today is dependent upon the “show” and not the teaching and fellowship. Fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring!
EXAMPLE: GBC should find a man who is willing to fellowship with his church. A man who is willing to get his hands dirty in the trenches of mentoring, working alongside of, and eating with his church. His family should be willing to be involved as well. I was told that a pastor should maintain a distance from his congregation. I thank God that I never fell for this misinformation and poor advice. There should never ever be a division between the pastor and his church but instead like the early church we learn that fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring!
If a church cannot gain their pastor’s friendship, mentorship, and develop koinonia the relationship will always be adversarial; an “us versus them” attitude. This should never occur because of the example it sets for new believers and the world. We learn that within the early church that…
II. Fellowship is a beautiful thing as the church is united in Christ! (Vv. 44-45)
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
1. As the church comes together we see that the fellowship comes together in a beautiful way. As the early church’s leadership mentored and encouraged fellow believers their koinonia grew stronger and that “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Being together doesn’t mean that they agreed in everything that was done but instead they were willing to be together in the direction God wanted to take them as a church. What the wording here infers is the fact that they were willing to share with one another what they had. Most families during this time had very little compared to today’s standard and what they had was often willingly shared with others. It was a sign of respect, support, and oneness in the Lord. It reminds me of what Jesus prayed over his disciples, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 NIV)” The unity of the Lord should express itself in a generous attitude. Jesus was describing the commonality the “oneness” every believer has one with another and with the Lord through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also declared, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (Luke 6:38 NIV)” The early church teaches us that they took this fellowship a step further into their human relationships in the church: “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Fellowship is a beautiful thing as the church is united in Christ!
EXAMPLE: The idea here is not communism nor is it communalism. One advocates class war leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs by the government. The other is a social structure whereby everyone shares everything equally. Many historical communities tried practicing it and it always failed miserably. One such group was the Pilgrims and they almost starved to death until they went to a more free market and individual based system. The early church did not share equally but when they were led of God they sold possession and goods and gave to anyone who had an actual need and not just to anyone in general. We learn that fellowship is a beautiful thing as the church is united in Christ!
Any man GBC considers for pastor should be first and foremost be an example to the congregation and to the community around them. From the example of the early church as they developed leadership to go out into the world and share the good news we learn from them that…
III. Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved! (Vv. 46-47)
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.
1. As we go deeper into how the early church was interacting we learn that “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” While the church was growing in fellowship with one another they continued in their mentoring process and trying to win fellow Jews to the Lord. There were no church buildings or structures and so the early Christians met where they were used to going to discuss the things of God. In this case it was the temple courts. They had grown up worshipping God in the Temple and going there for prayer several times during the day. However the connotation here is that there was more than prayer or worshipping going on here. It was common for the Court of the Gentles or in the colonnades to discuss and debate the things of God. Remember when Mary, Jesus’ mother, had search everywhere for him as a young boy and eventually found him debating with the elders in the Temple courts? Here in the Temple courts was a great opportunity to share the good news that the Messiah had indeed come. Not only did the early church continue to do this until believers were pushed out of the Temple and local synagogues but they also continued to break “bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people”. When a church experiences true koinonia it becomes untied in its direction, in its community as believers, and in sharing with one another the things God has given them. We see that the church was blessed because of their willingness to do this: “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved!
EXAMPLE: It is interesting that all the early renewals began with the church becoming united in Spirit, in fellowship, and prayer. Jonathan Edwards was the great academician and apologist of the Great Awakening. A Congregational pastor at Northampton, Massachusetts, he preached justification by faith alone. He also helped those involved in the revival to discern what were true and false works of the Spirit of God. The increase of dissent from the established churches led to a broader toleration of religious diversity, and the individual’s participation of the religious experience fed the fervor that resulted in the American Revolution. Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved!
Conclusion:
Fellowship is a beautiful thing with the partnership of mentoring! We learn that fellowship is a beautiful thing when expressed in a giving attitude! Fellowship is a beautiful thing and results in the lost being saved!
----
This article is copyrighted © 2020 by Lee Hemen and is the sole property of Lee Hemen, and may not be used unless you quote the entire article and have my permission.
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