THE RHYTHM OF COMMUNITY
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, Acts 2:46 (NIV)
As we continue our devotions based on Acts chapter 2, notice the words every day and they continued. Being together wasn’t a once-in-a-while thing for these first-century believers. Meeting together became a regular and ongoing practice as they grew in their Christian walk. And this isn’t just a description of what the early believers did. It reveals how they lived and loved together in the Spirit of Christ. Their faith wasn’t confined to temple worship or corporate gatherings. It overflowed into homes, meals and daily rhythms of life. In a book titled Searching for Sunday: Loving, Leaving, and Finding the Church, Rachel Held Evans writes, They reminded me that Christianity isn’t meant to simply be believed; it’s meant to be lived, shared, eaten, spoken, and enacted in the presence of other people. They reminded me that, try as I may, I can’t be a Christian on my own. I need a community. I need the church. Though she had been wounded in a relationship and a toxic church culture, the longing to be known and experience belonging did not go away. It never does.
Something else that stands out in this verse is their glad and sincere hearts. Gladness here isn’t shallow happiness—it’s a deep, Spirit-filled joy that comes from gratitude. Sincerity speaks of hearts without pretense or hidden motives. Where else can we go to be honest and work through our struggles and heartaches? Who else can relate to the victories other than those who have also experienced the love and grace of God? We’re not supposed to go to church as much as we are to be the church, which means staying connected with others who are moving in the same direction.
APPLICATION: Reach out to a friend today and talk to them about the kind of community you long for. Either thank them that you have already experienced this with them, or invite them to meet and talk about life on a more regular basis. Whatever you do, seek to build community into the regular rhythm of life.
PRAYER: Lord, give us glad and sincere hearts. Help us love one another as You have loved us. Break down the obstacles that keep us from sharing our lives with each other. I pray you’d make spending time with really good people the rhythm of my life. Amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?