One body.  One reason.  Why so much separation?  Yesterday I came across a passage in the Bible I have read before.  But, this time, I got more out of it.  Maybe because of our discussions in discipleship, maybe because I am living in community, maybe because God laid it on my heart.  I don't know exactly.  What I do know is that it caught my attention and I have been thinking about it since.

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added o their number daily those who were being saved.

    I am living in community right now and, what I can tell you is it looks nothing like that.  Don't get me wrong, we get along, we show God's love.  But it's not, by any means like this.  As much as I miss having my own room, my place to get away, the comfort of home, the ability to walk by myself, while I'm here, I want to live in this community, to understand what true community is.  I want to follow through with how the disciples lived their lives.  Isn't that what God has called us to do?

    I'm not attempting at all to criticize our team, we have 40 people, it is difficult to have community, especially when you're not used to it.  But, in verse 41 of Acts 2, it says, "...and about 3,000 were added to their number that day."  Three thousand.  I can't say any more about us being 40 students and not making this work. 

    Maybe a lot of it has to do with what one of my leaders said.  Really, this is faux community.  We didn't know each other before this trip and we didn't necessarily want to be living in a community like this, certainly not with 39 other people.  But the fact is, we can be this, we can choose into it.  If we are the body of Christ, we should be able to be the body no matter what the circumstances.  Right now is a once in a lifetime opportunity to really live in this sort of community, and, if we begin it here, we might be able to bring it back to our homes, to live in this way. 

    I guess I really don't know what I'm getting at with this post, maybe I'll add more later, maybe I'll leave it as it is.  What I do know is I now have a lot to think about, a lot to process, and a lot to discuss.  Do we have the ability still to be the Acts 2 church?  I have no doubts.  It's whether or not we want to choose into it.

    I type out my blogs before I get to the internet café so I have time to think about them before I post.  My last post was on this passage of Scripture:

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added o their number daily those who were being saved.

    I figured that maybe I should explain what I understand from this passage.  First, they DEVOTED themselves to the teaching, we can do that through church, I suppose, but also through teaching each other, through listening to the messages we are presented with, to listening to our leaders, to reading the Bible (we have it, shouldn't we take advantage of it?).  Then, I looked up the word ‘fellowship'.  Here is what the dictionary stated:

1.  sharing of experiences: a sharing of common interests, goals, experiences, or views 

2.  group of like-minded people: a group of people who share common interests, goals, experiences, or views 

3.  companionship: companionship or friendly association 

4.  similarity: membership in a group, or the sharing of characteristics with others 

    Is that true fellowship?  Does that define what God desires for us to have with one another?  I'm not sure.  Yes and no if I can answer in that way.  I find it difficult to define the fellowship I believe God desires because it's so much more than we can humanly perceive.  It is the fellowship of believers, the true community, but it is held together by the one thing that will never, ever change and can overcome any barriers.  God.  Anyone can fellowship with each other, but I believe God has something so much better for us as a Christian family. 

    The next part of the passage is to the breaking of bread.  Communion, yes, but more than that.  Breaking bread in the Bible signified becoming one with each other.  The church has changed it so much.  It is now a once a month thing at church when it used to be a daily thing with any body of believers.  I could go more into that, but I'll leave it for a different post.

    Prayer.  The best way I have ever heard daily prayer described was on my first missions trip to South Chicago.  The pastors at the church literally walk in prayer.  They are so committed and focused on God and their relationship that, as they are even walking across the floor to the offices or to the door, they are in constant prayer.  I have never seen anything like it before.  Once again though, that could be an entirely different post.

    They were all together and had everything in common.  They sold everything they had and gave it to anyone who had need.  What has happened?  We have all been taken under by this self-seeking, materialistic world.  How can we have everything in common if we are so focused on ourselves?  How can we sell everything we own if we desire what we have more than we desire the well being of others?  And how can we give to anyone who has a need if we are more concerned with the money WE made and the things WE own than the One who has given it all to us? 

    This isn't meant to be condemning to anyone but myself really.  I have been struggling with this for a long time.  I know how materialistic I get, I know how caught up in the things of this world I can be.  I know I need to change something about myself.  The plank is in my own eye, I'm not going to deal with someone else's speck.

    Anyway, my mind is racing, I have a lot to think on and a lot to pray on.  Just thought I would post this out their for anyone who wants to rack my mind.