Better Than Chicken

Acts 2:42 (NASB95) — 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

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Well, I feel like I have a personal relationship with God...I pray, I just don't like religion.

I don't see why we need to meet together in a church. Sometimes I feel like they just want my money.

Church is just good for families anyway.

Why are there churches? What do they do? Are the churches we have today doing what they are supposed to be doing?

I think these questions can be answered by going back to the root. Let's see what church is for and what it's about by going back to when it started.

It's in the book of Acts that the Christian church really started to become it's own thing apart from Judaism. In the beginning it was still seen as a sect of Judaism and it was known as "The Way."

Jerusalem is the heart of Israel, it is where the temple was built and it was also where the highest religious and political affairs took place. People would travel from all the surrounding areas in order to visit the temple and worship in Jerusalem especially during certain times of year. It was Pentecost and Jerusalem was filled with Jews that lived in different parts of the world, all had travelled there to be in the Holy city of Jerusalem.

This is the scene that the Christian church was born into. Below is an excerpt from Acts...Peter has just stood up and reasoned with a crowd of Jewish believers regarding Jesus....let's see what happened...

Acts 2:36–47 (NLT) — 36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!” 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.” 40 Then Peter continued preaching for a long time, strongly urging all his listeners, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all. 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Seems unreal...right?

This is what church started out as. 

The intent of church is this - a real relationship with Jesus will profoundly change your heart...and once you've experienced the love of Christ, you want to share it. Church is about getting people together who have experienced the love of Jesus in order to show that love to others who have not yet experienced it that they may also come to know the love of Jesus.

So how do we go about this?

Acts 2:42 (NASB95) — 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

I want to be straight forward about this. Your natural instinct is to hate this. What comes naturally to us is to not want to be at church. If you are going to try and use your own moral strength to go through the motions...you will fail.

So what are we suppose to do then?

I want to tell you about verse 42 and then we'll answer that question.

At the core of verse 42 is fellowship. The breaking of bread, the teachings of the apostles and prayer are important too, but I believe that they flow out of fellowship. Let me explain.

In the context, fellowship is immediately referring to living in community with other believers in Jesus. But it's more than that....it has to be or it wouldn't work.

It's not just a sharing, a living with, a community experience with believers in Jesus....it's a sharing, a living with, a community experience with God Himself.

If that's not at the core of it, then it will fail. 

What do I mean by it will fail?

Think about in the past when you've gone on a camping trip, or lived in dorms, or had a friend stay over at your house. In general it seems that we can get along with people when we're only around them a little bit, but to actually do life with them?! That's when friendships can really take a turn for the worst.

Maybe they're messy and you're neat, or they like to listen to loud music and you like it quiet, or they're night people and you're a morning person. Being around a lot of people, for extended amounts of time, on frequent occasions tends to stress us out or get on our nerves.....add to that sharing resources with them like money, food, property, etc......that's precisely what church is about.

Do you see? Do you see why this isn't a natural thing? What's natural is to think, "I don't need that. I can take care of myself. I don't need others to help me out and I certainly don't want to help others that can't take care of themselves. They need to learn how to take care of themselves anyway, if I help them then they won't learn."

If you are going to try and muster up the "feelings" to go out and fellowship with Christians...you won't be able to do it.

You will never enjoy fellowship unless you first see that Jesus lost the ultimate fellowship in order for you to have the only fellowship that will ever matter. On the cross Jesus lost the fellowship He had with His Father so that you can enjoy that very same fellowship!

God is the only being whose fellowship fuels our desires, our emotions, our needs, instead of draining them. Any human fellowship you have will ultimately drain your "resources" in some way or another. A fellowship with God is the only fellowship that supplies you with more "resources" by satisfying your desires, your emotions, and providing for your needs.

Only when you see what Jesus has already given you can you truly enjoy human fellowship. A church is built on this kind of fellowship. Because you have fellowship with God through Jesus, God gives you "resources" that not only fill you up but leave you overflowing. Once you are locked into living with, sharing with, doing community with God, you won't want to let those overflowing "resources" go to waste.

You will want to help others, you will want to love others, you will want to include others, you will want to let others know what God has done for you, and you will want to show others the way to this amazing love.

Once you see what Jesus has freely given in order to bring you into His community, only then can you can be set free to give so that others can be in your community.

That's what church is.