Community

When I was attending the University of Illinois way back in the late 80's, I lived in a Christian fraternity house on campus called Koinonia, which happens to be the Greek word for fellowship.  Let me tell you, thirty college guys living under the same roof was a unique (and sometimes downright frightening) experience.  

However, looking back on some of the experiences I had in the "Koin" house has made me appreciate the significance of biblical community.  

Deep, authentic relationships based in the power of God's Spirit have a tremendous, lasting impact on our lives.  In fact, just yesterday I had a lengthy phone conversation with one of my roommates from the "Koin" house, a longtime friend and best man at my wedding who is now serving as the pastor of a Presbyterian church in Southern Illinois.  As we reminisced about the Koinonia days and some of the crazy things that happened in the house, our memories were also drawn to the times we gathered together for Bible study and prayer.  We would often spend time talking and dreaming about what God could do with our lives.  The relationship I established with this friend years ago at the U of I is still impacting me to this day and it is a joy to know that we are partners in the gospel, even if we are living many miles apart.  

In Acts 2:42-47, Luke writes about the early church community:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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.      

As I reflect on these verses, I am moved by the thought of more and more people being saved every day as they observe the unified, loving, and generous community of believers called the church.  The early church was expanding in a spontaneous, supernatural way.  In his book, The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church, author Roland Allen defines the dynamic phrase captured in the book's title:

This then is what I mean by spontaneous expansion.  I mean the expansion which follows the unexhorted and unorganized activity of individual members of the Church explaining to others the Gospel which they have found for themselves; I mean the expansion which follows the irresistible attraction of the Christian Church for men who see its ordered life, and are drawn to it by desire to discover the secret of a life which they instinctively desire to share...

In a world where people are more "connected" than ever before through social media, there is also the feeling that people are more disconnected than ever before from meaningful, transformative relationships.  The connectedness that many people are experiencing in the virtual world is not facilitating an Acts 2 biblical community.  In reality, the more "high tech" the world becomes, the greater the opportunity for the church to provide "high touch" relationships.

Are you committed to koinonia?  Do you value face-to-face interactions more than Facebook communication?  When is the last time you met someone for lunch or invited someone into your home for a meal?  One of the greatest ways the church can move forward in mission in the world is by modeling relationships that are based in the radical love, grace, and hospitality of God.  

Here's an assignment for you: Grab lunch with someone!  Have some FaceLook time.  It's Biblical...and fun!   

Timing

One of the important aspects of following Jesus is learning to trust his timing in our lives.  Our rapid pace of living, along with incredible advancements in technology, make it difficult for us to wait for anything.  We have been conditioned to expect the immediate.  

 

It is no trivial matter that some of Jesus' final words delivered to the apostles prior to his ascension revolved around the topic of waiting.  Luke, the gospel writer, tells us:

 

On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you heard me speak about."  (Acts 1:4) 

 

Final words are important.  Research tells us that when a person is trying to remember a list of words, the easiest ones to recall from memory are the first and last words recorded in the list.  Just imagine the disciples walking back to Jerusalem after seeing Jesus disappear in a cloud right before their eyes on the Mount of Olives.  Think about their conversations with each other as they recalled some of the parting words of Jesus...Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait. I suspect the questions in the apostles' minds outweighed the answers as they trudged along the dusty road back to Jerusalem:

  

Wait?  For how long?  For "the gift" promised by the Father?  What will the coming of the Spirit be like?  How will we know the Holy Spirit's arrival?  

Perhaps you feel as if God has placed you in a season of waiting right now.Maybe you're waiting to hear back regarding a job interview.  Maybe you're trying to be patient as you wait for some important medical test results.  You might even be waiting for "Mr. or Mrs. Right" to come along and deliver you from singleness.  

Whatever the issue, we have all prayed the "How long, O Lord?" prayer before.  

And yet, in the middle of our questioning prayers, we are called to trust in God's timing, believing that He not only knows what is best for us, but that He is also working things so He is most glorified.  

By reading Acts, we can infer that the apostles had to wait approximately 10 days for the Holy Spirit to come at the Feast of Pentecost.  The Greek word pentekostemeans 50th, indicating the 50th day after Passover.  During the Passover (also referred to as the Feast of Weeks), Jews came from all over to celebrate God's provision and faithfulness in the wheat harvest.  While the Jews in Jerusalem at that time thought they were there to celebrate the wheat harvest, God had a bigger plan.  There was going to be a tremendous harvesting of souls when "about three thousand were added to their number that day" (Acts 2:41).  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost enabled people from every nation under heaven to hear the gospel presented in their languages when the Spirit filled the apostles and empowered them to speak in other tongues.  

It is interesting that Pentecost was a one day feast.  The population of Jerusalem was vastly inflated on Pentecost due to the worshipers traveling from a large geographical area.  The sending of the Spirit on Pentecost maximized God's glory because when the worshipers heard the wonders of God being declared in their own languages and when they repented of their sins and were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, the newly saved returned to their homelands and served as missionaries to spread the gospel message.  God's timing in sending the Spirit was perfect.  

In his letter to the church in Rome, the Apostle Paul uses Pentecost language when he writes, "...God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us" (see Rom. 5:5).  The pouring out of God's love in this passage is reminiscent of the pouring out of the Spirit on Pentecost.  

And, in the next verse, Paul mentions the importance of timing:   

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  (Romans 5:6)

The crucifixion of Christ happened at the perfect time--when we were hopeless and powerless in our sin--so that God would receive maximum glory by demonstrating a most radical, saving love.  

If you are waiting on God for something today, take some time and thank Him for sending His Son--at just the right time--to deliver you from sin.  Thank Him for sending His Spirit--at just the right time--so that you have the opportunity of being born again.  God's timing has been faithful and perfect in the past.  His timing will continue to be perfect in the future; perfect to maximize His glory!