Worship

“Togetherness” by Tiffany Hudson, featuring Mitch Wong and Joe L Barnes

Scripture

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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.” -Acts 2:42-47

A Picture of Vibrant Community

Can you just feel the overwhelming joy of this fully alive community of Christ followers? It reminds me of an opening scene of a musical as people dance and sing in choreographed unity. The tune is catchy, and you can see the expression of joy from one to another. It is such a beautiful picture of the euphoric life of Christ with one another that God intended for His people to experience together. It is wondrous, tender, open to the hungry, and full of the Spirit of Jesus that brings His life inward and outward.

The Model of True Discipleship

Since we have traversed for 11 weeks through Acts already, this passage of Scripture feels like a drink of cool water. We waited with the eager and obedient 120 in the upper room and watched wide-eyed at the day of Pentecost when the Church was born as the promised Holy Spirit was given. Peter rose up in his new redeemed nature and preached the word boldly as he saw Jesus preach. Three thousand were added to this group of Christ followers in a moment. And then we reach this portion of Scripture that describes exactly what God was giving them for community with one another in order for the gospel to go to the ends of the Earth. How? Because Christ was living His intimate life out through each one, and it would make the world stop and take notice. I believe what we see here was a manifold answer to what Jesus prayed for in John 17—that they would be one as He and the Father are one so the world would believe Jesus was sent.

The apostles modeled the way for these new believers, showing them the power of Christ that resides in each one to display the miraculous wonders of God unto salvation in Jesus. They had a bit more practice having walked with Jesus as He modeled it for them. So, the apostles took them by the hand and showed them how to walk out Christ—the hope of glory—in them. Discipleship was not just teaching but modeling what surrender to the Holy Spirit looked like. It is the same concept of demonstration and proclamation that Paul discusses in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5.

A Community Transformed

They sat together in the Word of God and in prayer, just like they had begun to do in the upper room. Normal rhythms of intimacy with the Lord and one another were being established in this new community. But can’t you just imagine the joy of those who had gone from darkness to light, who had experienced firsthand the forgiveness, grace, and the embrace of Christ? The fullness of Jesus now filled them, and they were exceedingly joyous! They had never experienced such life. But now, more than 3,200 of them had this in common for the very first time, and the fellowship that now existed in their commonness and togetherness was magnetizing.

They had everything in common now, and nothing anyone owned was more important than the person. They gave to one another as needs arose. This was not a prescription for primitive communism because there wasn’t one pool that everyone took from. However, it was out of a transformed heart that generosity overflowed, and they could look to the needs of one another.

“The meaning of the Greek is that the believers so loved one another that none of them was allowed to suffer, and if one of them was in a condition of penury, the other who had a superabundance was prepared to sell some of his possessions and goods in order to help his needy brother. In other words, though they still held on to their possessions, they said this: ‘We are all prepared to live for one another as the need arises.’ … There is a oneness, there is a unity; and I repeat, this is the test—‘We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.’” -Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Acts”

A Call to Return

This passage is so full of what God had intended for our communities of believers to look like in the fellowship of such intimacy: astounding awe and wonder of God, unity through prayer and the Word, breaking bread together around a table (like we will do together in Heaven at His banqueting table), peculiar generosity without favoritism (evident of the abundance of God), and an anthem of worship that made onlookers want what they had. (They needed this in its fullness because persecution would soon ensue and scatter them. This model had to be duplicated.)

The Challenge for Today

So, what happened? There are more than 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide because of divisions in the Church. Where has our unity gone?

“And how is it that there is a Christian church at all today? There is only one answer: it is because God in his mercy has looked down and has revived the church and has made her come back to the first pattern. This is true reformation. Do you want to know what the church is? Well, here, it is in Acts 2—look at these people. They met together every day to listen to the apostles’ doctrine, to have fellowship with the apostles, to break bread with them, to pray with them. This phenomenon began to spread, and people were amazed. There was a dynamic, there was a power, there was something living, and people said, ‘What is this? I wish I could have it.’” -Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Acts”

If you haven’t listened to the worship song today, let it be a desperate prayer for the Church in this hour. Let it be our heart’s cry: “One heart / One people / One hope / One gospel / One mind / One body / One church / Crying holy / One faith / One baptism / One truth / One commission / One Lord / One Spirit / One God / We will worship.”

This model Church was not defined by denomination. They were not known for what they were against. They weren’t secluded from the world; they were making the world hungry for salvation! Their devotion to Jesus was demonstrative. Grace was not passively inviting people to come and sit in the pew and do nothing. This Church was releasing the Kingdom of Heaven as normative and natural. People were invited into their togetherness. How have we come so far from the original expression of the life of Christ in our fellowship and unity?

“True fellowship is never anything superficial. It is deep. It is vital. It becomes the main thing in life. When people become Christians, they become one. They enter into this community. They are in a family together. They are united by certain bonds that are indissoluble.” -Martyn Lloyd-Jones, “Acts”

Love marked them, and their love for one another was the deepest expression of their love for Jesus. They couldn’t keep apart from one another. In our Western culture, isolation is our new preferred normal, but we are losing our witness to the world. Lord, bring us back to our togetherness for the sake of the world You died for!

The one place I see this passage of Scripture most alive in my life is through the teams of women we take into the nations to preach the gospel. Every expression of this passage of Scripture comes alive. And together we are transformed as we take the gospel to the ends of the Earth. Will you consider going with me in 2024? There are several open trips this year, and we need women to go with us! Click here to see what trips are available. The world needs your beautiful feet because the harvest has come and people are dying to hear you tell them the good news! Time is short.

And together we close this day with this prayer of worshipful desperation:

“The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. …

“He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’

“Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.” -Revelation 22:17, 20-21

A Few Key Notes

• Join us for Training the Bride to War! This study will equip the Bride of Christ for this hour and train her hands to war. Sign up for this six-week study beginning April 2. Register here.
• We are hosting an Arise Missions Conference for women pastors, mission leaders, and women who want to begin a mission movement in their churches to mobilize and equip women to find their calling and role in the Great Commission. Join us on April 9 as we seek to build your faith and answer the why and how of missions. Register now!
• Come take the gospel to the nations with Arise. View our open teams and apply for one today!