In Search of Community

Acts 4:32-35
"All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time-to-time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."

This passage from Acts gives us an eye opening look at the early church. From it I take 2 key ideas that I would like to explore with you. 1. It is so startlingly different from our lives and 2. This passage shows us that
sharing the message of Christ was more important to them than anything else.

The first group of believers took the parable of the lilies seriously
(Matt. 6:28) and did not worry about food, clothes or possessions, only the message or Christ. A starkly different view considering our capitalistic society, some people might even call this the first version of communism! But in thinking about these 2 points, I ask myself, "What purpose does the church have today? If this is how Christ left the church, and we are so different, what purpose do we serve?" Before I answer that question, let's dig down a little deeper and take the story more collectively, in context.

The early church was set up as small communities, partly because of convenience but also for safety. During this time it wasn't a good idea to be an open follower of "the way" as it was against the established norm, and in most cases illegal. Second, before the invention of the printing press all
texts were handwritten. Very rarely would any one person have their own copy, and all copies of the Holy Scriptures would be very valuable. Studying of the Bible was a group effort. They would meet together, listen to the daily readings, and then discuss. As I have already stated, the political climate of the time did not lend itself to the message of Christ. If after a scripture reading you were to bring up a teaching of Jesus, you might be stoned or tried with treason. So staying together and learning from each other was not only convenient but safe!

Why is this important? In the verses just before our chosen scripture,
Peter and John had been threatened by the government and ordered to
stop teaching about Jesus, but Peter is "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 4:8) and makes the case to be let go. They return to the group and offer up a prayer of thanksgiving for what just happened. "When they finish praying the ground shook and they all preached the word of God boldly." (Acts 4:31) So what does this mean? Living together in community sharpened their
faith, made them bold, and pleased God so much that the ground before them shook.

We may not be selling our possessions as the early church did, but in community we learn from each other, encourage each other, and hold each other accountable. Studying the scriptures together is powerful, learning from each other is powerful, and sharing the news together is powerful. What is the purpose of the modern church? In my opinion, it is to build community. It is to connect one another, foster an environment that is pleasing to God, and ultimately shake the ground we walk on.

Chris Jones
Director of Recreational Ministries