Christian Living
The first description of the church after Christ died in the Bible is in Acts 2:42-47(KJV), “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
This is HOW God has orchestrated our hearts to unite together in love so that we CAN make a difference in this world and our individual lives CAN be transformed. The church is here for ALL believers to be plugged into! God created us for relationship and deep relationship! If every believer was united with other believers daily in their everyday lives and modeled this early church description believers wouldn’t have half the issues we do today!
Think about this for a second. Every child that doesn’t have a “true” family the way God designed it in the beginning would now have that! Every teenager with their rebellious attitude would have the accountability they need! Every young adult with their doubts and questions would have the community and panel they need! Every single woman or man feeling lonely and struggling with pornography or adultery would have the human interaction they need! God created us to be TOGETHER! The Church isn’t meant for just Tuesday night Bible Study and Sunday morning service! The church is meant to be our new FAMILY!
Sadly I’ve heard this sermon preached multiple times in multiple churches. Problem is, after the service is over nothing changes. So where is the problem? Can I place a possible answer? America has become about individuals. America has left the community traditions of the earliest people by the waist side to pursue the “American dream”. You might be thinking what is the “American dream” anymore? Sadly the American dream now, is to own a home and have a husband who pays the bills while the wife raises the children and makes a pretty home for them to raise their children until they get old and retire and send their children to college to pursue the same lifestyle, while they move to a tropical, sunny, paradise to enjoy their retirement until they die. If we look back at why America was founded we see that it was for religious freedom and entrepreneurial opportunity. Early on, America kept with the European tradition and earliest tradition of communal living where Christian’s lived in homes within a small stretch of land and fellowshipped and shared food and life together. Sadly as people sought their individual opportunity for wealth and fame this was brought farther and farther from the norm and now days is found only in unique settings.
I would like to pose a question. Is it possible that modern day America is not what God created us for? Is it possible that we as a Christian society have been too comfortable with the way things are that we have just adapted and made ourselves “at home” with what is in contrast with the way the Biblical Church and Believer’s lifestyle functioned? What would happen if we changed this! What would happen if instead of getting married and moving to a private home wherever we pleased, we moved to a community where other believers lived? Trust me I know what this sounds like. It sounds like a cult. Sadly if we called this a cult though, we would be calling the early church a cult. If that is what we think of when we think of communal living then we need to check our hearts because the Bible portrays this living style in the early church description. If instead of living in different locations and just meeting maybe twice a week for fellowship, we lived in constant fellowship and loyalty to God and others we could really see a change in our Church perception and see transformation in the family of God.
I am by no means saying to forsake fellowship and interaction with unbelievers because Jesus made a point to be a friend to sinners and love the lost. Grocery store visits, the workplace, and any daily errands and extracurricular activities give us the opportunity to spread God’s love and build relationships to be used by God with unbelievers.
The importance, though, of having our accountability partners and brother’s and sister’s in Christ within our homes and lives on an everyday basis is to grow and be encouraged as we are living out the great commission of making disciples of all nations! I would argue that thousands turn their back on Christ because of the lack of support and encouragement they have had when they have pursued God and His will for them. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be in God’s will if we are isolating ourselves and ignoring the Church that God created to be an essential part of our lives. Just in my short life thus far I have seen a handful of friends turn away from God because of the lack of accountability and encouragement in their lives that would have been there if the Christian Church was how the Bible first described it in Acts. If they could have just walked next store or were living in close quarters and had close relationship with a believer to pray with them and stay with them as they struggled they wouldn’t have gone to their boyfriend’s that night and committed adultery or gone out and gotten drunk or looked at pornography. There is not ONE second of time that humans lived on earth alone without another human! What does this say to you?! To me it says relationship with others is ESSENTIAL to our survival!
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 471 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Holly Huffman or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 471 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.