Fellowship
27 September 2026
And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
(Acts 2:42-47)
Please turn in your Bibles to the Book of Acts, to chapter 2. We're going to read from verse 42 to the end of the chapter, as this week, continuing in our topical series on the subject of the church, we're now looking at Fellowship. So, we're going to read Acts 2 from verse 42. This is the word of God.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved." Amen. Let's pray together.
Almighty God, we come to you in prayer this morning, and we thank you for your Word. We thank you for the blessing of prayer. We thank you for the fellowship that we have in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to understand the profound beauty and majesty of the Lord who has brought us together, and of what the church is, how she is to function, and what it means to have fellowship together with one another. We pray that the word being preached would be faithful and honouring in your sight, and we ask all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
So, at this point in our series, we are very much getting to the practicals, the applications, the what is the life of the church to be like, how is the church to function, these sorts of topics. And today is very much one of these as we look at fellowship.
Now, as we have already noted in this series from this specific text, this is the formative point in the New Testament with regards to the church being established, as Jesus himself had said the church is going to be built. Now we see the building of the church from Acts chapter 2 onwards. So, these verses here are literally the, what did they do first? What were these first converts doing? And this is the passage that we've read. And verse 42, extremely important to note, we've got a number of things that are mentioned. We've got mention of the importance of doctrine, which we already looked at in a previous sermon. There's also mention of them breaking bread, which is communion, and also prayer, which is another topic we're going to look at later in this series. And sandwiched between that, in verse 42, we see the fellowship.
So, they're devoted to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, breaking of bread, and the prayers. Now, if we're wanting to flesh out, well, what does fellowship mean? What does that look like, this sort of thing? Just scroll your eyes two verses later to verse 44, because in verse 44 it said - All who believed were together and had all things in common. So, they believed, were together, and had all things in common.
This is where we begin to deal with our working definition of what fellowship means. It is the Greek word koinonia, and that literally means holding something in common. So, that's the word fellowship, holding something in common.
Now, with that, we could quickly think of many examples and many things that we hold in common with other people. So, if we go to a sports stadium, we are sharing something in common because we stand united together with the other people who support the same team, wearing the same colours. Or we go to that hobby or activity and we are together with people who share in a passion, a love even if you like, for the thing that you're doing. So, is that the holding thing in common that we have as a working definition with regards to Christianity? Well, on one level, we could say yes. Also, there's something that brings us together, like it could be sport, hobby, recreation, and so on. But what we have to very quickly establish right from the beginning is that this holding something in common is infinitely more deep and profound than any of these other examples.
In 1 John 1:7 it says - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. So, let me repeat this - But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
Now, note this. The word fellowship appears in this verse as it does in other verses, and it tells us the basis and means by which we have holding things in common as Christians. We have Jesus being the one who is in the light, for we know in the Gospel of John, he is the light of the world. So, a very simple picture to visualize this spiritual truth. We have darkness and we cannot see, but then there is the light which shines. That light doesn't come from you and your good work. It comes from Jesus, the one who cleanses us from our sins.
So, he is that light, and when you are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, you are now in Christ, and this light now shines upon you. You are walking in this light. And not just you. Not just you. By the grace of God, there are other people here in this room who also are walking in this light.
And so, we have darkness all around, the darkness of this world, and yet there is the light, which is Christ, and then there's us, the church, the people who have been bought with the blood of Christ, and we are in this light, and we're in it together, and therefore we see one another. That is what brings us together. That is how we have a foundation of holding something, this something, in common. Christ and this light which shines upon us, bringing us together.
Now, this is profoundly distinct from a membership in a gym or an association to a sports team or a club that you're a part of. Even these things, you could be missing from these things. You could not attend your membership or whatever for weeks, and nobody would know. Probably people don't even know you. But here, we have something distinct in what brings us together, which is Christ, and what therefore unites us together in fellowship, which is because of Christ, we are in this light. So, we see one another, and so we are brought together with the other people who are in this light. We don't just have an abstract third-party thing that brings us together, but we don't have a connection with the other people who are interested in it. No, the thing that we're interested in is the Saviour who has brought us into this light, and that is what brings us together with one another.
That's where it's distinct. We're looking to that subject matter, which is not just something fleshly recreational, it is Christ himself. So, that already is a distinct, set-apart difference, and Christ is the one who brings us into intimate fellowship with him by the salvation we have in his blood, and it is a togetherness that we then have with one another. That is profound. Because right now, just as we're introducing this subject, when we think of this fellowship, this togetherness, the holding some things in common application is grounded in the thing that makes all the difference in your life. So, the thing that you have in common here with other people who you now call brothers and sisters is the thing that has saved you from darkness, that leads to death, and now light, which leads to life eternally with Christ. You share that with the people here. That's fellowship.
Now, just with this as an introduction and dealing as a working definition, we now then need to draw out in more detail what this fellowship looks like, to consider some of the key points regarding it, and especially as we think more in terms of the all things in common subject. So, we're going to think, as we work through this subject, about 2 key areas. The first one's just building on what we've just been dealing with. We're going to consider fellowship in doctrine, and then fellowship in application. So, fellowship in doctrine and fellowship in application.
Fellowship in doctrine
Because we do have more work to do with that Acts 2:44 verse, because we'll notice it says - all who believed, crucially, were together, and then it's saying had all things in common. All things in common.
A similar comparable verse in 1 Corinthians 1:10, in the Corinthian context, where the church was metaphorically at each other's throats, arguing about who's the best leader and who's greater and so on. 1 Corinthians 1:10, it says - I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
So, notice this, it says, united in the same mind and the same judgment. So, what does it mean when we think in reality about having all things in common, being of the same mind and the same judgment? Well, what it doesn't mean, it doesn't mean that you as Christians, well, you all need to have the exact same fashion sense and same food choice and preference and so on. No, no, we're not dealing with that. We're dealing with the what we believe. So, this first point, fellowship built upon doctrine, a unity built upon doctrine, is something that is crucial to stress.
Churches, Christians will talk about fellowship. They'll talk about unity in the church quite frequently, and that is a good thing to behold, but not actually flesh out the biblical foundation of what that is and what that is based upon.
Now, why is that? Well, let's just think briefly of the Corinthian issue. They would have said, well, we're together as a church. And then if pressed, why? Well, they say, oh, well, because we worship Jesus. So that's a good start. We've thought of 1 John 1. 1 John 1:7, which says -we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. So, the Corinthians, churches could say, well, yes, so we're in the light. We worship Jesus. We belong to Jesus. So therefore, we have fellowship together. So yes, essential that you are Christians because you believe in Jesus.
But then there's the next step, which is dealing with clarifying what that means and what that looks like. Because this book that we have in front of us, which is the Word of God, the inspired Holy Scriptures, contain 66 books with many chapters, many verses, dealing with a lot of key subjects and areas with regards to our life, our relationship with God, our relationship with each other. It is fleshing out how we are to live as those who worship and live for God because of the gospel.
And so therefore, tying into a previous subject in this series, doctrine matters. Doctrine matters, and it must be—and let's underline this so that we're not being vague about this—it must be at the centre of what unites a church. It's not an optional, and it certainly must not be, as it often now is, even in evangelical contexts, something that we will put to the side. We often hear people say and boldly assert, as professing Christians, oh, don't make doctrine an issue to divide over. Don't make doctrine, the teaching of the Bible, an issue to divide over. And we would say, well, what does that mean? Because surely you must unite over doctrine.
And yet, what we have today in many churches that would be even seen to be conservative is churches who unite together over not dividing over doctrine. Now, note this again. Churches today, their unity is built upon a common understanding. We're together, and we're not dividing over doctrine. That's what unites us together.
Now, note that difference. And let's consider how problematic that is, because what that has to mean is, in the life of a church, in whatever size of a membership, you are openly admitting and acknowledging and willfully accepting a tolerance over wide-ranging doctrinal differences, including at times and often the gospel itself which would breed an unhealthy, divided, and destructive church. That's what this would mean.
And so, any sense of unity has to then be superficial because you've got a growing list of no-go zones. Well, don't talk about that subject because that group over there doesn't like it. Well, better not go too deep into that because we know that these 2 parties, they're going to disagree.
And what then happens? In order to achieve unity, because unity is still an important thing to the Christians and these churches. Well, it has to get filled with some nice fluff and cuddles. And sadly, the reality is, this is what many professing Christians want, and they're happy about it. They're happy about the warm atmosphere. Because we've buried all this stuff, this doctrine, this weighty, meaty stuff, we've buried that stuff, and we've got a nice big smile on our face, and we're going to keep it up at this level, and everything will be warm and happy. And people strive for this. They're not conceding, well, this'll have to do. No, people want this. This has become the accepted practice and standard of fellowship, of unity as professing Christians.
But the reality, brothers and sisters, is that this is not true fellowship. This is fundamentally and categorically not the fellowship we have of the New Testament and as is instructed in the Bible. So even if you've been in church context where you've seen a really seemingly joyful atmosphere and you quickly scratch beneath the veneer and you realize the truth, that's not Christian fellowship. Yes, you may have some things in common, like you like the nice bouncing atmosphere or whatever it may be, but that is not Christian fellowship. You are not united over doctrine.
This is why the Apostle Paul makes this point in Ephesians 4 regarding the building up of the church. The end of verse 12, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith. What is Paul's striving desire for the church in Ephesus? The unity of the faith. A togetherness of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
Think even of what we've looked at in our series in recent months in the Book of Hebrews with regards to going from spiritual milk to solid food and being built up as the church. The doctrine that you're being fed, the spiritual meal that you get, for example, on the Lord's Day, that is food for your soul. It's building you up. It's maturing you in your faith and in the unity of the faith that you have together. That's what we're invested in right here in this church. And that is where we begin to understand what the holiness of a church and a peace, an actual peace with a church body is actually brought about by, where there is a unity of the faith.
Because what begins to be built in a church that is united over doctrine, united over the things that they believe, is the very thing that Acts 2:44 and 1 Corinthians 1:10 is speaking about. How can we be having all things in common, being united in the same mind and same judgment? How can that be possible? I don't know what you think. You don't know what I think. We've got different personalities, different backgrounds, different cultures, and all of these different things. How can this be possible?
The gospel, the Word of God, a right theological framework of foundation is how. It's not just a reference point, brothers and sisters. It's what we're all about. It's what our lives are all about. And this is how we deal with differences and we deal with potential tensions and all of these things. Because as you are being built up together as a church on this unity of the faith in the knowledge of Christ, the gospel of biblical doctrine, what you begin to know and you know increasingly of your fellow brothers and sisters is these are people who get it. This is why they're here. This is the same gospel that we adorn. We've discussed this. We've fleshed this out. We know this. We treasure this.
And it does something to brothers and sisters that is profound. It produces a unity that cannot be attained by another means. Even in the name of Christianity, it cannot be attained. Yes, you may have experienced far greater closeness with people, but not this unity. And in a fallen fleshly world, this is hard. And we've seen this firsthand in our church, because the enemy has sought to attack from within the walls of the church and attacked the doctrinal unity of this church. And church history is full of this very thing. Because when you stand up and say, yes, doctrine matters and doctrine does divide as it should, we are declaring doctrine divides truth from error, from theological inconsistencies, from false teaching, from apostasy, heresy. We are distancing and dividing over that. And we will be even more specific with regards to these are the things we believe, and this is the means by which we grow together in our unity.
And that is an increasingly comfortable place to be. You think, well, here's Christians to be comfortable, right? We need to be made uncomfortable, be challenged in our faith. Absolutely, because we've already noted this very thing, this very application is very hard and challenging, but it creates an increasing comfort as it creates an increasing peace. Because you have an assurance, a foundation that is anchored in Christ that you see with your brothers and sisters, and that is a good place to be with your brothers and sisters.
Where then you have the gospel framework, you have the biblical doctrine foundation by which to speak, by which to even thrash things out and discuss things, and even by which you may understand, oh, well, this person has a slightly different view on what songs, even hymns are to be sang in a church congregation. They have a slightly different outlook on parenting applications and all of these things, but you're anchored in the same foundation by which you know, well, this is where that brother, this sister stands, this is where I stand, and this is how we can grow in this unity together. This cannot be stressed enough as fundamentally important in the life of the church. What we believe matters, and it matters for how we are with one another, how we can be together with one another, and even as we get to a further application, how we can even feel towards one another. Because the trust is grounded in Christ.
Fellowship in application
Now, as we come to the second point, which will be slightly longer, but just to think of the application, the unity, the fellowship in application. This is where what we've already established must be clear in our minds as we come to then deal with applications. It needs to be clear in our minds, especially if we in any way feel somewhat beleaguered or downcast about this very subject. Perhaps there are some, still some, in the church who feel somewhat despondent about the nature of Christian fellowship because you feel you've already been hurt or betrayed by too many people, people that you've invested much time in within the church, and you might be wondering, well, could this happen again? The answer is - yes, it could happen again. But here is what we must be encouraged by and spurred on by day by day. What we've just been dealing with over these past few minutes. Christ is your anchor. The church is His bride, and the people before you are an investment to that end for his kingdom, for God's glory. Would circumstances all work out in the way we hope? No, they would not. Is the enemy going to try to attack again more subtly and in an even more vicious way? Potentially, that will be the case. But we know that Christ is building his church, and that what we seek to do with one another and grow together with one another is what he has ordained, and by the grace of God, as you increasingly invest in this, it does create something increasingly deep and profound.
Now, this is where the rubber hits the road, practically, metaphorically speaking, if you like, in terms of thinking about that reality with us as a church. Because on some levels, when we think about the investment in Christian fellowship with brothers and sisters, we could certainly see and observe many positive things in thinking about, well, we are a church who have a doctrinal clarity in being confessionally Reformed and Baptist. We have people who've come on board who are in agreement with that, and they would seek to grow, and we've already started to kind of build and invest in fellowship with our brothers and sisters.
But then we could look at the flip side and think, well, I've only been here for a set amount of time, and there's some people in the church that I barely know more than their first name. Prayer points, or what I hear on a Wednesday, I know nothing about their lives. It's gonna take a long, long time for me to know anything about them. And all of these things, not only could be, but in many ways are true.
And this is why verses like Hebrews 10:24-25, are so important, not just with regards to the worshiping of God, but also in the doing so for and together with one another, which states - And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Note this, stirring one another up to love and good works, not neglecting to meet one another but encouraging one another. That is what is being exhorted to the church, spurring one another on to love and good works. There is to be not just a sitting here and spending a bit of time, but there's an intentionality to what we have with one another. There's a purpose in the relationship to and for one another. And that's not, you have your agenda for your own goals. That is, you have a purpose and an investment for Christ and his kingdom.
Now, as you look around at your brothers and sisters, ask yourself, first of all, am I, or can I do more to prioritize and dedicate time to getting to know and building up that fellowship with my brothers and sisters? And second of all, ask why? If you're lethargic, then why? And if you are invested in this, then is it for the right doctrinally grounded Christ-exalting reason?
Because we know, every one of us, what we're inclined to, what we're attracted to, maybe in a person, maybe it's because they're at a similar life stage, they understand our cultural context, or we've shared some sort of a background and past where we can really talk in a deep way, but then we know that there's these other people in the church, and it's just so hard. It's just so hard. And maybe even you'd be thinking that when I do try to spend a bit of time and talk to this person, I'm not really getting very far, and they're quite a closed book, not very sociable, these sorts of things. But let's stop and realize, you are getting somewhere. Because every time that you spend any dedicated time with a brother or sister, and even all that you take away from that is things that you've learned about that person that either annoy or frustrate you, you're still learning more about that person as you're learning more about yourself and how you react to certain different types of personalities. So, what do you then do with that? Do you think, well, I'm off that bus, forget them, I'll focus on the people I like. Or do you think with regards to what fellowship is and invest more?
And that's not with, well, I'm gonna railroad this person to ensure that this person becomes the way I want them to be. Now, this is often the attitude that we can have. Well, I need to sit down and talk to that person, because that person's not very talkative. Or that person was a bit off with me one time. We need to sit down and sort this out. Often you don't, you just need to spend more time and get to understand how they operate, get to know more of their character, get to know more of the way by which they are functioning.
There is certainly a place for dealing with sin, but often there is the building and investing in that fellowship to get to the point where a deeper level of trust built upon the unity you have in the doctrine that you together stand upon. This is where we begin to think about application of our Christian unity. And it's why Psalm 133 verse 1 states – Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Now, let's think about 3 specific ways in these final minutes about how we can be intentional and invest in our Christian unity with brothers and sisters in fellowship. And the first one is in the bracket of encouragement, being encouraging to our brothers and sisters.
Now, one of the main difficulties we have in this area is because we are so prone to do the opposite. Think about, not even the people that you are not close with or people that you would say, I don't really like them. Think about even the people that you are close to, the people you do like, for example, in this church, and then analyse, when you're maybe at home and your own thoughts are speaking to your husband and wife, what percentage of the time are you spending saying critical things, even about the people you like? And this is what we do. We criticize, we criticize, we moan and we complain. This is the disposition of our fleshly bent here in this fallen world.
That's not spurring one another on to love and good works. Now again, we do need to hold this intention with, there is a place to be addressing sin, we will get to this, but by and large, especially when it comes to, as a relatively new church plant, you, in most cases, are at a stage with brothers and sisters here where you're getting to know your brothers and sisters. You have very little maneuvering room to be complaining and to be coming out with critical things about your brothers and sisters because you just don't know them well enough. And you've not bothered probably at times to dedicate the time to do so while you still complain about them in your own thoughts and maybe with those you're closest to.
And this is what we do. And this is something that we do need to bring before the throne room of grace, with a repentant heart as we pray for our brothers and sisters. In 1 Corinthians 12, it says in verse 26 - If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together. Now the basis of this in verse 27 is you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And as we're already drawing out, there is something that brings us together as we've looked at in previous sermons in this series about being living stones, being united together, built up as a spiritual house. We know that spiritually. and so therefore we are to be invested in that practically.
And it could well be that possibly some of the areas that we notice are weaknesses in our brothers and sisters, they maybe are, but we don't know the reason, the foundation, the things behind them. And actually, in that specific area, that brother or sister you've been criticizing is actually doing well in that area. They're growing and maturing from a place they were 5 years ago to the place they're at now, and you don't know any of it. You just look from afar and you see, well, there's a problem there.
This isn't meeting up with the biblical category that I see in this text. But again, when we're thinking about the biblical categories and principles, we need to be investing in the lives and getting to know our brothers and sisters in order to do this. And as we do this, as we spend more time with our brothers and sisters, and we get to know more of the struggles, the challenges, the actual prayer points in their lives, we will have increasing grounds to actually encourage. Not just, oh, I'll say something nice to that person to make them feel better. That's not biblical encouragement. No, this is actually noting and seeing that this is a brother that I'm getting to know. I've seen he's got a struggle in this area of sin, he's been fighting that, and he hasn't done that thing for 2 weeks. Or I'm seeing this area where there's an aspect of this sister's character that is a lot more mature than people would realize. As I get to know her, I'm seeing the fruit of that.
And what do we do with this? We encourage our brother and sister. We don't stay silent, and we're less and less inclined to stay silent because we're spending more and more time with our brothers and sisters in the church. And again, we need to establish the crucial focus, the gospel drives this. The gospel drives this, because the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ humbles us and it leads us to not thinking so much about ourselves as the centre of everything, including in this church, but thinking more about Christ and His bride, and seeing there are other members, and they're doing many things for the sake of Christ's body and for His glory. And we're increasingly encouraged to see that and to let our brothers and sisters know that. And that includes especially when we see people in our church congregation who have spiritual gifts and they're serving in ways that we're not, and it humbles us. And instead of thinking, oh, well, he's just doing that because such and such, no, instead going to that person and saying, what an encouragement and a blessing you are to the life of this church. It's challenged me, but I'm encouraged by what you're doing for Christ's kingdom. Think about a church functioning like that compared to tearing one another down.
1 Thessalonians 5:11 - Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, as he was able to say, just as you are doing. Now, brothers and sisters, to be able to do that takes time and investment in the life of the church. and coming with a humility and a gospel-centred focus. And this takes us to a second way, which is giving godly counsel to one another.
Now, this is an important application in Christian fellowship because we would all say, that's what we need. Think about when you're faced with a dilemma in your work, or a struggle in your family, or even a question about the Bible, whatever it could be in your life. What would you long for as you study the Scriptures, as you seek to grow and mature in your Christian life? Well, in the companionship that God has made mankind to enjoy in your church life, to have brothers and sisters that you don't simply have to seek out, even though I don't know them, oh, he looks like somebody I could talk to, but you've actually and are increasingly building that sense of closeness to know, yes, this is somebody that as I'm continuing to walk and grow with this brother or sister, I can walk with, talk to, and seek counsel from, and at times also give counsel to.
How profound that is. And this is something to analyse, again, brothers and sisters, in terms of who we turn to. Do we have people in this church that we can turn to for godly counsel because of lives that we are building together with one another? And again, this can't simply be manufactured. If we just simply continue to say, oh, well, how's your Bible reading going this week, and how's your prayer life? These are good questions to ask but what in reality should be the case is, we know how the Bible reading and prayer life is going, because we've got an even more regular investment, and we're talking about these things. And if that brother's Bible reading has been a struggle over the past month, then you're already meeting, talking about this, and you're building on what you already know and have established, and therefore what happens, you are already in a place to, and you already are giving godly counsel.
It doesn't feel forced, it's not manufactured, it's what happens in Christian fellowship, and by so doing, you're spurring one another on to love and good works, and increasingly so, you're holding all things in common, because you're not outsourcing. Oh, what does secular Sam over there say? And what does this group of people over there in the philosophical realm think? No, you're grounded in God's Word. And everything else is built upon that foundation by which you then address and speak to and build this fellowship and can give godly counsel.
And this takes us to one other crucial point, which is that we should be ready to rebuke and where there should be godly reconciliation in the life of the church. Now, this isn't something that should be happening regularly, but it is something that there should be a readiness for. And again, the investment of relationship with our brothers and sisters is crucial.
Because if, for example, you spot or you know an issue of sin in another brother or sister, somebody that you haven't spoken to in any meaningful way for months, and maybe you're right and there's a sin issue there, and it does need to be addressed. We've thought of church discipline. Think already of the disconnect and the increasing sense of mistrust that person who needs to be rebuked will be towards you, you who've never spoken to this person until there's a sin issue to address, compared to Month after month of encouragement, of godly, Christ-focused investment, time spent in the Word and in prayer together. And then there's a sin issue that's coming up, and you say, with those hours, time invested in the bank, trust that's been built. Brother, sister, this is something that I have been praying about. And you begin to address and confront a sin issue, what a different framework that is, to again, necessarily here, address what is the necessity in their life.
So, we think in terms of the category of something like church discipline, and we bring this into the realm of Christian fellowship, and we think, well, that's how that can be something of a blessing to our fellow Christians. Because as we are increasingly of the same mind, we know that the areas of sin that we know of and we're convicted by can also be that there's others which are blind spots and others who get to know me would begin to notice and seek to address. And because of the gospel, because your soul is anchored in Christ, this is what you want. Would you want, truly, as you examine your heart now, to have other brothers and sisters in this church that you know and are growing in this togetherness to point out and address sin in your life? Hopefully, by the grace of God, we'll humbly say yes, and where there will be a framework for actual repentance and reconciliation and forgiveness where it maybe has involved other brothers and sisters.
Now, with this, as we begin to draw this to a close, this is not just, well, we need to have meetings to study the Bible every time. There is a practical nature going back to Acts chapter 2 that needs to be dwelled upon. Because as we see that these people had all things in common, we see in the subsequent verses that they were selling their possessions, distributing proceeds to those who have need, they were meeting daily in the temple, breaking bread in their homes, which would mean they were eating together.
What are they doing? This is not a checklist of these are the things you must do here now today, but this is giving you the principle of what our approach should be towards one another, and that was that they were spending time with one another. And that includes things that you do in the home. That includes things that you do recreationally. That includes even utilizing a space like this to maybe even play sport or do some other activity together. Sharing one another's lives together. And again, it needs to be stated there's a priority there.
Think of the difference if you have maybe one night that you can dedicate to do something, and option A is the hobby that you like with people you don't know, or option two is an activity you're not really too bothered about, but it's church family that you have time to spend with. Now, it's not to say that you should never do any hobby activity, but our desire prayerfully should increasingly be to maximize time towards option B, because this is something of a kingdom investment for the sake of Christ and His glory, and it builds us up as we grow in the time we spend with one another, and it impacts all areas of our lives. And this is something that we do need to be challenged by, and because of the biblical truth, of the gospel and what the church is, it's something we should be encouraged by. And it's where texts like 1 Corinthians 12:26 are the known reality in our church's life.
When if a member suffers, we're not waiting to maybe get an update in WhatsApp, but we actually know and we're invested in these people's lives. When one member is honoured, we know and are aware, oh, this has been a struggle in this person's job, and it's been great to see that it's worked out okay, or they've been waiting for a while, and then they get this good news regarding their health or circumstance, and we rejoice together. And it's invested, it's meaningful, it's not superficial. No, this is my brother, my sister who suffered and I am suffering with them. This is something I care about and it grieves me. This is my brother, sister who is rejoicing in this news and it brings joy to my soul because this is somebody whose life I share with and Christ has brought me together with them because we are in this light and we have fellowship together and that is what the gospel has done. That is true Christian fellowship.
And may it be that we pray day by day, week by week, month by month, for this and for the application of this in the life of the church. That first, we would be more doctrinally grounded and aligned together with one another. Look at some of the prayers that Paul prays for churches in Ephesus, Colossae, and so on, and how they're focused on that richness, like we saw the unity of faith in Ephesians 4. And let's pray that in the application of this in our doctrinal unity, there would be an applied unity and fellowship, and we'd be invested in this. And where we may feel there have been issues, struggles, barriers, that we pray the Spirit of God would work and move and bring us closer together, deepen the understanding we have of one another, deepen the care, the affection that we have, and that there would be a growing sense as the months then become years, and as the years increase, there would be something that would be all the more cherished, that we can cherish together with one another as the church of Jesus Christ in fellowship with one another. Let's pray together.
O Father, we pray that we would know the challenge of this, the blessing of it, and the joy of koinonia, the Christian fellowship of holding things in common, which is not based on the external or superficial, but it is built upon Christ and the doctrine we have before our eyes in the inspired Word of God. Lord, may we be united in doctrine, and may we be united in application. Build us up, that we would seek to build one another up, spurring one another on to love and good works, seeking to encourage, seek godly counsel, to at times rebuke our brothers and sisters, that we may be built up and grow together in our togetherness of fellowship as brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.