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The effective use of Biblical Fellowship

On the day out of Pentecost adopting the ascension of your Lord Goodness, specific around three thousand souls were put into the fresh church as they listened to Peter proclaim God’s prophetic Phrase; in addition, these turns have been all of the Jewish; basically the early church was entirely Jewish. He says in the Acts dos –

It continually dedicated themselves towards the apostles practise and tofellowship, towards the breaking away from cash and prayer. And you may everyonekeep perception a sense of aw; and several secret and you may cues was takingplace through the apostles. And all people who had believed weretogether, and had everything in popular; in addition they first started promoting theirproperty and you may possessions and was basically sharing him or her every, because the some body mighthave you need. And you may each and every day proceeded with one to notice regarding the temple,and breaking money out-of house to house, they certainly were bringing its mealstogether with gladness and you may trustworthiness out-of heart, praising God, and you may havingfavor using the somebody. Together with Lord was contributing to their numberday by-day the individuals have been becoming spared. (Acts dos:42-47)

The very first evidence Luke mentions of the Spirit’s presence in the church is that “it devoted themselves toward apostles’ exercises.” The early disciples sat at the apostles’ feet, hungry to receive instruction, and they persevered in it (also see Acts ) – the life-giving content for the church is revealed truth. As John Stott amolatina ekÅŸi says in his commentary on the book of Acts, “Anti-intellectualism and the fullness of the Spirit are incompatible, because the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth” (Stott, p. 82). A commitment to the apostles’ teaching is foundational to the growth and spiritual health of every believer. Peter wrote, “Like newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the word that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2). And to the Romans Paul wrote, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). John MacArthur says in his commentary on Acts, “Scripture is food for the believer’s growth and power… there is no other” (MacArthur, p. 83). Such words should remind us what the Lord said to the prophet Hosea – “My men and women are missing getting lack of knowledge” (Hos 4:6). The church cannot operate on truth it is not taught… furthermore, believers cannot function on principles they have not learned. Despite the hate, ridicule and persecution the early disciples suffered, they remained faithful to the apostles’ teaching. It should be noted, contemporary devotion to the apostles’ teaching means submission to the authority of the New Testament.

Christian compassionate

Luke goes on to say that these early disciples also devoted on their own to fellowship (knononia); Koinonia comes from the word koinos meaning “common.” As believers we share in common the “life of Christ” – and as Christ was in this world, so we are also to be His eyes, ears, mouth, hands and feet in the world. Luke immediately goes on to describe the way in which these first Christians “common its property” with one another as anyone had need (vv. 44-45). Many of the early Jewish Christians lost their livelihoods due to their profession of faith in Christ, and the rest of the fellowship stepped in to meet their needs. It is interesting to note that the Essene leaders of the Qumran Community (an ultra conservative, monastic, ascetic Jewish community near the Dead Sea), were committed to the common ownership of property; any candidate who was accepted into its membership was obliged to hand over all of his property to the community. The issue of “preferred assets” has been debated at various points throughout the history of the church as to whether or not this “injunction” is one that all believers should heed. It is important to note, however, that even in Jerusalem the sharing of property and possessions in the early church was “volunteer” – the fact that “they broke bread in their homes” clearly suggests that many believers had obviously not sold them. No where are we told that the church sold everything and pooled the proceeds into a common pot. Furthermore, such a principle for Christian living would have obviated the responsibility of each believer to give in response to the Spirit’s prompting (cf. 1 Cor 16:1-2). The message conveyed in Acts 2:45 is that people sold property since anybody have you would like. Regarding the sin of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 – it was not one of greed or materialism, but one of deceit; they simply pretended to give everything they had so that others would revere them and think more highly of them. The “injunction” given to believers in Scripture is that of being generous toward the poor and the needy; essentially Christians are called to “generosity.” Thus Christian fellowship is and Christian revealing.