Community & Discipleship

The Gift of Community (Act. 2:42)

2014.09.14Rev. Joel Yoon

The church is not the end of the Christian life but a gift of community through which God enables us to live, love, and know Christ. Acts 2:42 shows the early believers devoting themselves together to teaching, fellowship, the breaking of bread, and prayer.

The church is a gift, the means to a fuller life

Many of us think of church as the end of our faith, a place we attend to feel good before walking home believing we did well. But the church was never meant to be the end. It is a gift, a community God gave us so that we might understand the grace he pours into us and live the life he intends. Community enables us to live like Christ, to love like Christ, and to know Christ intimately. Each of these is rooted in Scripture, and each shapes how we live together as the body of Christ.

Community enables us to live like Christ (vv. 42)

Acts 2:42 describes the first believers devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching, the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers. Their life together was centered on who Jesus is and what he has done. The church is not a building but the community itself, every one of us gathered here. When we study the Bible, share meals, remember the Lord's death and resurrection, and pray together, we are reminded that we gather because of Jesus. That shared life is what enables us to live as Christ intends.

Community enables us to love like Christ

In Matthew 5:14, Jesus speaks to his disciples as one collective, so the call to be the light of the world belongs to all of us together, not to isolated individuals. Together we become one gigantic light that the world can see. John 17:22 says that the world will know God's love through the love we have for one another. In the early church, Christians cared for the sick even at risk to their own health, and outsiders saw that this love was different. Today, our love for one another is a witness that makes the gospel believable.

Community enables us to intimately know Christ

1 John 1:3 says that the fellowship we share is fellowship with the Father and the Son. When we love one another and receive love from one another, we experience the love of the Father and of Christ. Hebrews 10:23 calls us to hold fast our hope and to encourage one another as the day draws near. God, who may feel distant to us, becomes real within the body of Christ as we hear each other's testimonies and see his grace at work in one another's lives. In serving others, our joy is made complete, because God created us to live this way.

Apply to Life

  • Let us join a small group this semester, especially if we are struggling in our faith.
  • Let us take the step of leading a small group when we are mature enough to bless others.
  • Let us encourage our leaders this semester with a note of thanks, a word of encouragement, or a gift.
  • Let us give to those in our church who are in need, counting it a privilege rather than a burden.
  • Let us go before the Lord in prayer and ask how he is calling us to be a blessing to the OEM community.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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