A New Community
Summarized Sermons from John Ortberg and Tim Keller
We are made for each other. We need community.
Acts 2:42-47 describes early Christians in a new community of shared life, like a new family. They were together every day, devoting themselves to learning from the apostles about the Lord’s supper, prayer, and fellowship.
In their daily fellowship, they were committed to meet and eat together, with glad and sincere hearts (Acts2:46). Such togetherness helped them see God in each other’s life.
Such fellowship implied sharing their life with honesty and sincerity, walking in the light and openly sharing who they were—their weaknesses, strengths, ugliness, and beauty. No hiding, no pretending (Acts2:46, 1 john1:7,10).
In their fellowship, they rejoiced in each other’s happiness, bore each other’s burden, and shared what they had. They did not focus on prolonging and enriching their own life because they knew they could lose all these things the next day. They were not condescending and did not separate themselves based on social status. Instead, early Christians sold their possessions to give to anyone who had needs (Acts 2:45).
They should have lots of conflict and internal turmoil because they were a diverse group of people from many cultures and classes, including Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, social, anti-social, male, and female. But instead, they took off their masks, speaking the truth and praying honestly together. Such diversity and honesty did not kill their fellowship. This may be because they shared the attribute of being saved by Christ from the path of destruction.
Their hearts were filled with joy, generosity, and gratitude. Together, they worshipped and praised God, and enjoyed the favor of the people outside their community. And every day, the Lord added to them more people who were saved.
Wouldn’t it be great to have such a community? Let us commit to developing such joyful fellowship to learn about God and pray to Him. A sincere and sharing community that worship and praise God together. This will give us more meaning, joy, and love than we will ever know if we just live in the safety of spiritual isolation.
Summarized from two sermons:
One from John Ortberg (https://menlo.church/series/the-way#/modal/message/5569/mlo); and
the other from Tim Keller sermon (http://www.gospelinlife.com/free-sermon-resource;
https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/a-new-community-6410/).
Acts 2:42-47 describes early Christians in a new community of shared life, like a new family. They were together every day, devoting themselves to learning from the apostles about the Lord’s supper, prayer, and fellowship.
In their daily fellowship, they were committed to meet and eat together, with glad and sincere hearts (Acts2:46). Such togetherness helped them see God in each other’s life.
Such fellowship implied sharing their life with honesty and sincerity, walking in the light and openly sharing who they were—their weaknesses, strengths, ugliness, and beauty. No hiding, no pretending (Acts2:46, 1 john1:7,10).
In their fellowship, they rejoiced in each other’s happiness, bore each other’s burden, and shared what they had. They did not focus on prolonging and enriching their own life because they knew they could lose all these things the next day. They were not condescending and did not separate themselves based on social status. Instead, early Christians sold their possessions to give to anyone who had needs (Acts 2:45).
They should have lots of conflict and internal turmoil because they were a diverse group of people from many cultures and classes, including Jews, Gentiles, slaves, free, rich, poor, educated, uneducated, social, anti-social, male, and female. But instead, they took off their masks, speaking the truth and praying honestly together. Such diversity and honesty did not kill their fellowship. This may be because they shared the attribute of being saved by Christ from the path of destruction.
Their hearts were filled with joy, generosity, and gratitude. Together, they worshipped and praised God, and enjoyed the favor of the people outside their community. And every day, the Lord added to them more people who were saved.
Wouldn’t it be great to have such a community? Let us commit to developing such joyful fellowship to learn about God and pray to Him. A sincere and sharing community that worship and praise God together. This will give us more meaning, joy, and love than we will ever know if we just live in the safety of spiritual isolation.
Summarized from two sermons:
One from John Ortberg (https://menlo.church/series/the-way#/modal/message/5569/mlo); and
the other from Tim Keller sermon (http://www.gospelinlife.com/free-sermon-resource;
https://gospelinlife.com/downloads/a-new-community-6410/).