Do You Do Acts 2:42?

I had a professor at Guilford College who used to always tell us that there are millions of Christians in the world but only a small number who actually understand what it means to be in relationship with the wild, radical, rebellious and loving Jesus that we find in scripture.  We USAmericans don't like our Jesus that way.  We want him to be easy to contain, to define and to follow.  We want to go to church on Sunday and then put Him back in the box until next week.  The professor then pointed out that one way to discover if you were truly in fellowship with the living Christ was to ask yourself this question:  "Do you do Acts 2:42?"   Here is what this very simple description of the earliest church says:

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

I tried for many years to use this model of ministry in my youth groups, seeking to keep in mind all 4 aspects of this verse.  Were we devoted to the teachings of scripture and the leaders around us?  Did we spend time together, sharing life and becoming family?  Did we eat together and take time to remember Jesus and his sacrifice?  Were we a people of prayer?  Very seldom were we on target with all 4 at once; but we were always striving towards the goal.

As the autumn of 2000 commenced and I began to try and turn around the student ministry of the Union Church of Hinsdale, I was realizing we were not being very faithful to any of those 4 directives.  I decided to try and form a small group that could serve as a model for the entire ministry- a place where we would seek to live in the true Christian community (Koinonia) described in Acts.  I invited anyone who was interested to join us for a weekly Bible study group that would be very important to the future of our student ministry.  After a few weeks of scattered attendance, a core group began to settle in.  I eliminated the high school/middle school division for this program, hoping to build some bridges in the ministry.  Around 10 students and a couple of other adults became the example of what I wanted to see the entire ministry become- and they were an amazing bunch through whom we began to see God's vision for UC come to light.  More on that tomorrow. 

 In the meantime, check yourselves.  Do you do Acts 2:42?  Are you involved with a group of people with whom you share life and a love of Jesus?  Many are not, and it is one of the reasons young adults often fall away from church after being very active in the youth group years.  They miss the family feel and fellowship.  They miss the opportunity to talk about their spiritual journeys.  They miss the shared meals and the silliness.  They miss prayer time with the gathered community.  Are you missing those things?  It is a question worth prayerfully considering today.  It's what church was meant to be...

Jesus- the only hope for me is you...and You alone!