What do you find most appealing about the description of this community of believers? The attention to the apostles’ teaching, the fellowship between the believers, the devotion to the breaking of bread, prayer, sharing, something else? There is so much here for us to learn from and apply. Communities such as this are unusual and uniquely associated with Jesus. They were also clearly good news to the surrounding city (v 47) – an embodiment of Matthew 5:14.

What do you find most challenging about this community of believers? Do you find one of these elements harder to be devoted to than others? Be honest with God about this. You are an important part of your local church and have a part to play in God’s purposes – there’s no such thing as a small contribution nor insignificant person.

Whether your church is struggling or thriving, why not commit to praying for it to become more like the description of this fellowship of believers? On a regular basis, ask God to work on the different specific elements, and don’t forget to pray for salvation and for people to be added.

When was the last time you shared deeply with another Christian?

How often do we hear about someone having been put off Christianity by the church? It seems to have been different for the first Christians. They attracted many: they had ‘the favour of all the people’ (v 47) and their numbers increased daily. However, we should remember that, despite the harmonious picture this passage presents, Acts does go on to make it clear that even this first church was not without its problems, as the story of Ananias and Sapphira and the disputes in Acts 6 testify.

Even taking this into account, there are clearly things we can learn from them about church growth. The key to their success seemed to lie in the Greek word koinonia, which is translated as ‘fellowship’ in verse 42. Fellowship today has become something of a tame word, often meaning little more than Christians meeting together for coffee and cake. However, what lies at the heart of this word is sharing.¹ This comes across clearly in their sharing of possessions and money and their sharing of meals, including the breaking of bread. It seems fair to assume that they shared their problems and needs with each other too, for how else could they have known who was in financial difficulty and needed support? 

Real relationships that went beyond superficial friendships seem to have been a major factor in demonstrating the reality, love and transformational power of Christianity. Such meaningful sharing is needed more than ever today, when so many people are longing for closer relationships and lack a sense of belonging. Indeed, if we as Christians better understood each other’s problems and struggles, how much easier it would be to be kind and understanding towards each other and avoid the factions and disputes that can plague church life. How attractive would our churches be then! 

How can we move our fellowship beyond superficial niceties towards deeper relationships? Are there any Christians with whom we could share deeper fellowship? 

¹ See Ben Witherington III’s discussion on koinonia in The Acts of the Apostles, Eerdmans, 1998, p160