"Believing" changed, from a mere thought to action, at a Retreat I attended in early 2009. With my new found friends, Jesus rekindled the fire in my heart that for a time had grown dim. I innately knew that I could not keep the fire burning on my own, so I returned home to purposefully grow roots in my church and develop relationships. One year later, I am still going to the same church, and participating in several ministries there, all of which validates what I have learned about the power of fellowship. Of course, I still struggle with my human sins and imperfections, but I find it easier to pursue a Christ centered life with the friendship and support of others. Apparently, my new friends are struggling in their own way. The shared struggle is easier than the lonely struggle.
To reinforce what I have learned about the power in numbers within the context of the Body of Christ, I wanted to jot down a few notes here...
MATTHEW 18:20
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
* Jesus is with us always, but it seems the emphasis is on us being together, too. He is with us, we are with each other, and [together] we are with Him. "Jesus with me [us]" sounds like a good thing.
LUKE 10:1
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
* Safety in numbers? Not all the gospels mention Jesus sending them out in pairs, but Luke mentioned it. I like the idea of accountability, and I now recognize the need for support. It is tough doing anything of significance in this life when doing it all alone. I certainly haven't been able to accomplish much on my own...
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 to their number daily those who were being saved.
* I get to see some of you once a week. If I could get the small group off the ground, maybe I'd see you twice a week. What would it be like if our lives were intertwined with each other everyday?
JAMES 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
* I realized how powerful this passage was when I dared to share one of my "secrets" with trusted friends. I was tired of asking God for forgiveness for the same things over and over again. Two things occurred when I opened up to my friends: 1. I discovered I was not alone, because they had experienced the same problem, and 2. healing took place. My problems [sins] didn't completely go away by magic, but shining some light on the issues that normally reside in the dark certainly curtailed some of the behaviors. It appears that Jesus gave us more than I realized. He gave us the power to heal each other...
There is more, but rather than ramble endlessly, I'll stop and chew on these ideas for a while. Going forward, I hope to find myself in fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ more frequently. I see Jesus in them [you], and that is what I truly want to see more of.
Parting thoughts:
- How often do you fellowship specifically with other Christians?
- If you fellowship only on Sundays, do you have any free time in between Sundays for more fellowship?
- What would our life look like if we lived like they did in the 2nd Chapter of Acts?
The Journey continues...
