Acts 2:42 – 47 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Describing the 1 st Century Church * sojourners * endured as foreigners * sharing of possessions * not living after the flesh * obey & surpass the laws of the land * dishonoured by others * seek to do good but often punished * “made life in the Greco-Roman cities more tolerable!”

1 st Century Christians Doing Life Together * Apostle's teaching * Fellowship koinonia * Lord's Table * Prayer * Giving to those in need * Worship * Favour – above reproach

Characteristics Of Our Present Society * Relativism truth changes * Individualism my rights first * Fragmentalism separate * Depersonalism loss of identity * Isolationism intentionally apart * Self absorbed egotistic

Doing Life Together Within the Body of Christ * We are an organism * We are interdependent * We are founded upon absolutes * We are a reflection of Jesus * We are in communication * We are vision motivated – service * We are Holy Spirit controlled

Biblically Doing Life Together * It is not good for the man to be alone Gen 2:18 * I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:22 & 23

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity – Ps 133:1 * The Body of Christ Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 1 Cor. 12:12 * 24 Biblical “One anothers”

“It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brothers and sisters.” Deitrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together “Christian community is not simply Christians who are really nice to their friends and the people they go to church with...Genuine community is more like a movement where groups of people have been set free by Christ.” Charles Moore, Doing Life Together “Early Christians did just believe in the power of Christ's resurrection, they lived in and by this power” C.S Lewis

“The crowning evidence that Jesus was alive was not a vacant grave, but a spirit-filled fellowship. Not a rolled-away stone, but a carried-away church” Clarence Jordan As God's people we do not gather for fellowship but we are the fellowship which testifies to Christianity's truthfulness.

A Y D O K D N J S G H X T D T G T E S H F S M U G D L O J A Z T O Z O X N Y D V B Q N I N L D H B Y W E U Q Z M Y I A Y R W Y T L A B T O S D I O C L I B D Y M B D E B N R M V J C L U M C H Z Y R Z C E E G C S Q Y W V Z T D A D W Z Z Y U Z M X S H O N X F I B G Q D Y F W B F G W E E D V L S L X Y U T V I O K F I R G W D H M Z M O I C B W S R B G Y R Q C A L M T Y A Z P O T A A R B O N P V V G G I D W Z V A C N C I W S A J R I E W C I L A O X E D C W Z J X Z D S G K E P C V S T R E N H R X V K W B L S D T M I M J Z N F E M K N P M A U S P Y Z Y N H T I M I V T U P G S L Q W A J G L Z O T Y R R E L L J P H Y E R P U D C I E P G U D X E R R R A S N V O K V E K B O S K E L M P W U L B U G O M Q N Z U V O I U Z X Y D C R A J U G V S V W C X W J N N I O T N H Y Z B I J M S N D K M D Q W I F X Y H Y C D Y F V L O T I E Y P E U S E N R K R U W D X B O T W O K S H R E X N Q J H I C Y X V C U D U V D U U D O O T T E Y E L M I R G A R B Z S C R W P O P L Z H O L N C E W P Q A I Y E J D H B J D U O Y P O I T C G O T B L N R G S M I T H L B P K L T Q C D P T H E Y T K D W A C T W L C I O B C N Y J H C E L G O G Q O Y E O D C P W H B K S G S C T R T R E U C L O A P Y Q I G E Q J A I H A R P J X I W Z Z S F X T U S E J O F O L M S O H K P G Q Q N V Z P B G Y W L N C X E S N U Z Z C K S T L X O V P E F X L X X U Q A G V K Z X P A N K G X Q A X Z O V S C Y X C H N O T D Q I B I D Y Z S O X J C I G Q F P T F L J G N J I N M F L F M E E W E R C G J V D O Y A V J P X U V D F M O F C D M B U K Y E Z P K Y S Q S W L C U S T B Y C F K S R U U I Q P V P K E W B L I U W O L T C P H G R O Z Y G A I H P S H U G Y T D D V V A Z S P N I T A J A F Q T K C B G J K T A Z Y B J K N Z U E T Y O U B U C K I N G E S T N U H C R V U N Q V F C P N D O A X R M J V L A W O D Z I I C Q C E L E V D S S O S A E K C W S S F R D C K A R I S W U I Q V A B R O W N M V L E V J H C Z R S J C Z E D C R S J G Y U S R B L S I T B D V E L H B X R V S E S E R P G G T H Q E A K X N U M P B X T E F L J O J H G A B J T U D B U B P S V S G H C K U R Z V Y J L L H I A D Z M N P L W C Y T P Q L H A H W Z A I R A Z E Q C W L C I N K O Y A D C P O B E X M C H X O T T E A L A R T S X D D L I K D Q R M Z X E P D T B T J X C E N Q A Y E I B F T F P J X D N U O Q X E B R I N E L E O V F D D I Z E I E L Z N U V F B W V W Y G G D Z I B F N K W U C A B G S I Z D D B Y N M R E T L Y B C L C I M G E V W L T Z D C W T W U A N X V U U P P I F S H E I Z M Y Q L S P Z W L R C N R V N A I T J X P L Y L K S E V F U S H Z I W V M O D T C T X V G D L E I F S N A M Z L W M K A A O P K I P A T O E U J I P R L B P I P A L C X A E G R I R V E M H S K C T X K Q S K Y J U P N G L Y U B R P V W M S E W I S Q Q C K M P X Z A R F Y R F H W Y P Q J Y I J J Q F Q K Z V C L U R V T S B S L H V O U L O D D L B J H Y N C V P X B Q I N O Z S H E R M O N S O N M O R T O N L Y O S N V I K O A G Q A G U F T Y H I C I H P T W T B D T M Y E S N G N E V P T E W D S I K S T R K X H D G U P N I A V S F K M L N E O K N U A H F X H Z S V S P R Z F H F S G T W V C V F Q E B E B N R S O H U A N S S G S L T O P U A C C B F T M Y N C W V O G H P B M C D W Y G B O D H B H R H G O U O X H S O Y P V L Q K T V M F S D E N O L P B J Z K P Y X C M I O V

What Could Doing Life Together Look Like Today? * Accepting one another Rom. 15:7 * Time * Space * Resources * Accountability * Priority

Then make my joy complete by being like- minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Philippians 2:2