A New Community

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/).
 

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一个崭新的群体
 
神创造我们，乃是为了彼此相顾。我们需要一起共同生活的群体。
 
使徒行传2：42-47描述了早期基督徒的生活。他们形成一个崭新的群体，凡物公用， 就像一个新家庭一样。 他们每天一起专心地向使徒学习如何举行圣餐，祈祷和过团契生活。
 
在每天的团契中，信徒们都欢喜和真诚地见面，并一起用饭 （使徒行传2:46）。这样的群体相交帮助他们在彼此的生活中看到上帝。
 
这种团契意味着以诚实和真挚来分享生命, 在光明中行。他们坦诚地面对彼此的软弱，刚强，丑陋和美丽，没有隐藏，也没有伪装 （使徒行传2:46；约翰一书1：7,10）。
 
在这团契中，他们为彼此的幸福感到高兴，承担彼此的负担，分享自己的所有。他们没有专注于延长自己的生命和丰富自己的生活，因为知道这些东西明天就可能完全消失。他们不傲慢地对待他人，也没有根据社会地位分开彼此。相反地，早期的基督徒将自己的财产出卖, 分给任何有需要的人 （使徒行传2:45）。 
 
他们本来应该有许多内部的冲突和动荡，因为他们来自许多不同的文化和阶级，包括犹太人，外邦人，为奴的，自主的，富裕的，贫穷的，受过教育的，不识字的，合群的, 不合群的，以及性别的不同。然而，他们都脱下自己的面具，彼此讲真话，一起诚实地祷告。虽然他们背景不同，又坦诚相待，他们的团契却没有枯萎, 反而满有生命。其中的秘诀也许是因为他们拥有一个相同的属性—每一个人都是从毁灭之路被基督救赎出来的。
 
他们的内心充满了喜悦，慷慨和感激。他们一起敬拜和赞美神，并得到群体以外眾民的喜愛。上帝將得救的人天天加給他们。
 
拥有这样的群体不是很好吗? 让我们一心一意地建造这样欢喜快乐的团契，一起认识上帝，向上帝祈祷。与一种安全的灵性孤立的生活相比，这种真诚，分享，一同敬拜，一同赞美上帝的群体，更能带给我们超出自己能够测度的无比的意义，喜乐和爱。