I. Introduction

A. Illustration – Tonto and the Lone Ranger were riding through a canyon together when all of a sudden both sides were filled with Indian warriors on horses, dressed for battle. The Lone Ranger turned to Tonto and asked, “What are we going to do?” Tonto replied, “What you mean ‘we,’ White man?"

B. Context – We all have a hard time trying to understand what this concept of biblical community and fellowship is all about. There are two passages we’re looking at today that will help us understand what God expects of us in terms of fellowship and unity. Let’s start with Acts 2:42-47, and I’m reading from the New Living.

II. Scripture Passage

A. Acts 2:42-47 (from the New Living) – (NEW SLIDE) They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. (NEW SLIDE) 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together constantly and shared everything they had. (NEW SLIDE) 45 They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. (NEW SLIDE) 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity – (NEW SLIDE) 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the good will of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.

III. There’s No Such Thing as a Christian Loner

A. It’s easy to read that passage and think it was easier for the early church because they didn’t have to face the kinds of problems we face as a church today. There are two problems with that kind of thinking. First, if you want to get a glimpse of the problems the early church faced, read the letters Paul and Peter and John and other apostles wrote in the New Testament. Tough stuff! Even bordering on the bizarre! So the early church was loaded with problems. The second problem with thinking that the early church had an easier time than we do is that their circumstances had absolutely nothing to do with their success as a church. Even though they were well liked by the regular people, they faced persecution from the Jewish authorities. There was also a great deal of confusion about what they believed. If that’s the case, then what was the secret of their success? The same thing that is the secret to success for any church in any era of history.

B. The truth that God is trying to teach us is found in verse 42. Verses 43-47 give specifics about some of their activities, but the key is found in verse 42. They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. (NEW SLIDE) The key to the success of the early church was their focus. The only focus the believers in the early church had was becoming more like Christ. Everything they did revolved around learning to become more like Christ. They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, sharing in the Lord’s Supper and in prayer. They devoted themselves to becoming more like Christ. But notice something important – they didn’t go off into caves and contemplate and meditate and become hermits. (NEW SLIDE) The early believers learned to become like Christ within the context of community. While they were becoming like Christ they were becoming a biblical community.

C. Biblical community is a problem for American Christians. We grow up being taught to be rugged individualists, able to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps, trying to do everything on our own. That’s what our society values. But even some unbelievers have learned that they’re missing out on something with this kind of thinking. Actor Viggo Mortensen, who portrayed Aragorn in the Lord of the Rings movies, commented on what he had learned from shooting the trilogy. Mortensen said, (NEW SLIDE) “The lesson is the union with others is more significant than your individual existence. It doesn't deny the importance of your individual existence; it just means that you are a better person the more you connect with others. You're going to know more, you're going to be stronger, and you're going to have a better life if you get over yourself” (as cited on PreachingToday.com). We don’t have to keep buying into this individualistic philosophy of our culture that kills any attempts at community. God has something much greater for us.

D. Notice what the believers did in our passage from Acts? First, they joined with other believers. They didn’t try to go solo. Second, they devoted themselves to four things: biblical teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer. They devoted themselves to learning how to become more like Christ as a community. William Greathouse, in a powerful book called Wholeness in Christ, wrote, John Wesley viewed connection to other Christians in community as essential to maintaining faith, growing in spiritual maturity and reaching others with the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ. Listen to Wesley’s own words on this matter: (NEW SLIDE) “Holy solitaries” is a phrase no more consistent with the gospel than “holy adulterers.” The gospel of Christ knows no religion but social, no holiness but social holiness. Faith working by love is the length and breadth and depth and height of Christian perfection (as cited on SermonCentral.com).

E. Wesley and Greathouse paint a beautiful picture of what the church is supposed to look like. Jesus shared this viewpoint in John 17:21-23 (from the New Living) – (NEW SLIDE) “My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father – that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe that you sent me. (NEW SLIDE) 22 I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are – 23 I in them and you in me, all being perfected into one. Then the world will know that you sent me and will understand that you love them as much as you love me.” Jesus prayed that our oneness, our unity, would be a convincing and convicting testimony to an unsaved world that Jesus is the answer to their needs. As Mortensen said, we have to get over ourselves and truly connect with each other.

F. (NEW SLIDE) Our mission statement says that we exist to share His love with each other, or fellowship with each other, to experience true biblical community in our church. That’s an ambitious and worthwhile goal, but how do we achieve it? How do we reach the same level of fellowship as the early disciples enjoyed? How do we go from having some fellowship to being united in fellowship and in purpose? Once again, the key is found in what the early church did. (NEW SLIDE) First, they devoted themselves along with other believers to the apostles’ teaching. There are several ways we can do that. But first note that these times of learning together are not a substitute for daily personal time in God’s word. Both are necessary if we’re going to become mature and united. We can and should worship together each week at church and learn what we can from God’s word during Sunday School and our services. Discipleship Training groups provide an excellent time of learning together how to apply God’s word to our hearts and lives. Bible studies are also a great way to get into the Bible with other believers. There are lots of other methods we could use, but the point is that all of us have got to become united in being devoted to God’s word through church, Sunday School, and other venues.

G. (NEW SLIDE) Second, the early believers devoted themselves together to fellowship. Spending time with fellow believers was a high priority for them. They spend time sharing with those in need. They spent time eating together. They spent time worshipping together. They spent time learning about Jesus together. They spent time praying together. In our society it’s very easy to be a loner. It’s very easy for us to get so busy that we decide that our activities are more important than spending time in fellowship with other believers. But if we’re going to have the kind of fellowship that results in unity like the early believers had, we’re going to have to spend time together.

H. (NEW SLIDE) Third, the early believers shared the Lord’s Supper together. They celebrated together the sacrifice Jesus made for them on a regular basis. And it involved more that just the physical act of receiving the bread and wine. It involved a true celebration of what Jesus had done for them. They were truly joyful together as they remembered the work He did on the cross. There is something about remembering together Jesus’ sacrifice that builds a sense of gratitude and joy among us. We spur each other on to new levels of thankfulness because we build on each other’s joy. That’s what the early church experienced. The community atmosphere of fellowship gave them an overwhelming sense of joy and awe, and it kept building. That’s the kind of atmosphere God wants to build among us. He wants us to remember what He’s done, and to look ahead to what He’s going to do, and to spur each other on to new heights of thankfulness and joy. If we build each other up in fellowship to the point where we achieve this great joy, our unity will witness to those who don’t know Jesus.

I. (NEW SLIDE) Fourth, the early believers prayed together. And we’re not talking about simply agreeing on what someone else prayed during weekly meetings. They met together and everyone cried out in prayer – that was the Jewish style of praying. They met together daily, which tells us that we should have some kind of prayer meeting going on within our church body each and every day. Dee Duke of Jefferson Baptist talks a lot about the power of corporate prayer. During his first seven years of ministry, JBC went from 300 to 100 to 300 three times. People were unhappy and were involved in fighting over little things in the church. Then he went to the first pastors’ prayer summit in Oregon. He planned on skipping the meetings and walking on the beach and writing his letter of resignation. But he decided that since he was there he’d go to the first meeting. There he experienced the power of corporate prayer. He came back to his church a changed man, one who believed in the power of prayer. He told his congregation that the only way their church would become united and grow is if they started praying together. He told them times he would be at the church specifically to pray, and said that he’d pray with anyone who came. First only a few came, and then more and more. Dee says that today most of their regular attenders and all of their leaders are consistently involved in prayer meetings and in their special prayer events. He says that the best thing about praying together is that JBC has unity that he never experienced in church before. There are no nit-picky squabbles because they are united in love and in the Spirit. Fellowship through prayer did that for JBC just as it gave unity to the early church. (NEW SLIDE) If we really want to achieve unity in our church, if we really want to have the love of Jesus overflowing in our fellowship, then we will pray together. ‘Cause it ain’t gonna happen ‘til we do!

J. I want to be quick to say is that this lack of true fellowship and unity is epidemic in the Church in America. The churches that get it, like Jefferson Baptist, are reaping the rewards. God is using those churches powerfully. Our church is a good, hard-working church. (NEW SLIDE) We’re going to have to make some intentional choices if we’re going to experience the fellowship and unity that God has for us, if we’re going to share His love with each other the way He has in mind. We’re going to have to learn together from God’s word more frequently. We’re going to have to spend time together more frequently. We’re going to have to celebrate Jesus’ sacrifice for us together more frequently. We’re going to have to pray together more frequently. (NEW SLIDE) We’re going to have to become much more intentional in what we do to create more and more opportunities for every last one of us to fellowship together.

K. The biggest obstacle is that all of us, myself included, are going to have to do a much better job in giving up our rights. Our rights stand directly opposed to God’s plan and purpose for us and for our church. Todd Coget writes, During a heated debate at a church’s board meeting, one of the overheated deacons rose to his feet and with clinched fists declared, “I have my rights.” Quickly and sensitively, one of the older men replied, “You don’t mean that. If we had our rights, we would all be in hell” (as cited on SermonCentral.com). Praise God that He doesn’t hold us to our real rights! He has so much more for us than we are allowing ourselves to experience. (NEW SLIDE) My prayer is that each and every last one of us will choose to do whatever it takes for our body to experience the unity and fellowship God has for us.

IV. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. Let’s spend a few moments listening to what the Holy Spirit has to say to us about unity and fellowship.

B. What has God’s Spirit been speaking to your spirit? If you are surrendering with me this morning to doing whatever God wants us to do to build the kind of fellowship and unity He has for us, please stand with me as a sign of that surrender. Let’s pray.