Acts 2:42-47
Verse 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common.
Today’s society tells us community is important all the while trying to show us we don’t really need each other. There are faux communities like social platforms which give the sense of community but nothing compares to the community God wanted for His people. The early Church understood community in a way few people do today.
When Luke wrote our key verse for the day he was writing from a place of knowing this kind of community. He had experienced it first hand when he joined Paul on his missionary journey. The amazing thing about this community was how when the travelers would come into a new town and meet up with other believers, there would be an instant connection with the new friends.
This connection which bound them together quickly was the love of Jesus and adherence to His teachings. They were a genuine community because they were one in the bond of Christ. They had plenty to talk about and when in a place where others didn’t believe the same, it would have been nice to meet people who also loved the Lord and knew Jesus was the Messiah.
Of course when Luke said they had all things in common, he wasn’t meaning everything in their lives. Some of these people were Jewish and some were Gentiles. There were men, women and people of all ages. But when it came to the things which really matter, they had those things in common. They knew the law of God and were wanting to live by it. It may have made them look odd to those around them but to each other it made them feel like they belonged.
Revival is a way to bring God’s people together so they start seeing things as part of community instead of as individuals. This means working as a community, everyone doing their job to make things run smoothly. When we are all using our respective gifts for the mission we are on, we will find we are a community where people desire to belong. When we are loving like Jesus loved – speaking truth in every situation, living as God instructed, kind and caring – the bonds between us will strengthen. This is part of our being the salt and light of the world just as Jesus called us to be.
Making It Personal
Who are in your community? Are you being a genuine member of your community? Are you allowing the community to influence you to grow more in your faith?
Making It Personal Kids
Who do hang around with? Do you act real with them? How does having them as friends help you be more like Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, we repent of the way we fake community, allowing the world to influence how we get along. Teach us how to live as the community You designed us for. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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