SEPTEMBER 27: “INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY BUILDING”

For barriers to be removed within the community of faith, its incumbent on your deliberate, full participation and being intentional, desiring a community that fosters a sense of belonging for all members. Inclusivity must be across all socio-cultural strata and culture, promoting oneness and unity of all, while encouraging meaningful and sincere relationship by all.

Consider today’s text and ponder on the activities of the first church – steadfast in the apostles’ doctrines – which is teaching and being taught the whole truth about God and His love for mankind. This fosters deep understanding of the word until the full image of Christ and His essence is formed in each member. This “Steadfast teaching” through the Sunday School, Sunday Worship, discipleship and other small groupings of the church, receiving the teaching, retaining and acting on its principles, discussing it, working through disagreement by digging more deeply and learning from others within the community would create connections.

Another activity in the early church was “Fellowship” which translate to spending quality time together beyond the Sunday worship time. Intimacy grows as shared history and life experiences grow. Spending time together can include – serving together, cooking together, getting to know each other’s families. Have you been attending Home fellowship? Have you committed yourself to activities beyond the Sunday fellowship time? What about going to visit other members of the fellowship in their homes?

Yet another activity of the early church was “breaking bread together” – in their homes. Our Lord Jesus Christ considered eating together sufficiently important to have symbolized it with what is now called the “Lords Supper”. There is something about eating together that daws community into intimacy. Hospitality when extended and or experienced goes a long way to establish camaraderie, it blesses people and breaks down barriers.

The other activity mentioned was “and to the prayers” – which suggests praying together, carrying each other’s burden, praying for each other when together and when apart. Concern and commitment to others’ welfare naturally breaks barriers.

Can you commit to doing these within your community starting from today?

PRAYER:  Gracious God, I desire to experience the first Church community kind of communal living. Help me to first commit to doing so within my community and then to dedicate all efforts to ensuring this kind of life in my brethren, Amen.