Friday, May 28, 2010
Acts 2:42-46 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. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.
DEVOTED TO THE FELLOWSHIP
The early Christians devoted themselves to the fellowship. While they might have gone off to their homes to meditate and worship on their own, they did not do this. The Holy Spirit had called them to faith in numbers and the Spirit also led them to gather together in numbers. Several times in these verses the idea of fellowship is mentioned. "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts ... All the believers were together." Together. Together. They all had something in common--a connection to their Savior--it was only fitting that they should spend time with one another, especially for worship and prayer. This way they could learn from each other, support each other, and share with one another--which they did.
Sometimes people think that gathering together as believers is not very important. Instead of coming to church they say, "I'll just read the Bible on my own at home. I'll get my religion well enough that way." Maybe sometimes in waking up especially tired on Sunday morning we ourselves think, "I don't really need to go to church today. I'll have my own devotional time later." But that's not what the 3,000 newly baptized Christians on the day of Pentecost thought. And it's not what members of a Spirit-built church generally think. As we all share in God's grace, we all share together around the word too. As Martin Luther pointed out, the Spirit gathers us. What a blessing that is from the Spirit of God!
