Fellowship is often a word that is thrown around a lot in the church, yet what does it mean and what does it look like? Acts 2:42-47 has a perfect demonstration of what the fellowship of believers looks like, so today, let’s dive on into those few verses and figure out what exactly this means in today’s world.
Acts 2:42-47 says, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, 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.”
So, that’s a lot to digest by just looking at that large chunk of scripture, so I’m gonna go verse by verse first, and then we’ll put it all together to get a big picture of what’s going on here.
Verse 42
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
This shows Jesus’ followers eating and praying together. Sounds like what a typical after church meal looks like with friends! This time, which can be done at any time of the week, involves praying, eating, and talking. Loving on each other, sharing about your week, and after church, discussing the sermon that was shared that morning. True fellowship. It’s simple, yet it builds relationships between believers. Those that eat together tend to make special connections, and that is what Jesus is calling us to do here.
Verse 43
“Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.”
This one is a little more tricky. Obviously, back in the Bible times, miracles were performed by Jesus’ apostles, and that doesn’t happen nearly as much in the present times. So, what does this mean for today? I’d say this translates into meaning that we are able to be in awe of what God has done in our lives. While eating dinner, we can share our stories and testimonies (which brings us even closer to each other!), and be amazed at God and all that He has done in our lives. We can also be in amazement at how God is working through each other to reach those that are lost and hurting. Simply stated, God is good and He is working in and through us! Let’s rejoice with each other over that fact!
Verse 44
“All the believers were together and had everything in common.”
Obviously, no one has everything in common, however, God is our everything, therefore we have everything in common. As long as we are connected through Christ, then we can make instant connections with each other, and friendships are created just off the simple fact that we are fellow believers. We spend time together to build those relationships that are created due to a common belief in Jesus and what He has done for us.
Verse 45
“They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
This doesn’t mean that we all need to sell all of our possessions in order to provide for others, that’s a little too literal here. However, we as Christians are called to look after one another. That looks like devoting time to a fellow Christian who is hurting or needs help or even helping someone who needs a little bit of extra money to pay rent this month. Being greedy can wreck a relationship, and as seen in the previous verses, Jesus wants us to be united, therefore, greed needs to be far away from these friendships. Living in a servant minded way, like Jesus did, is a humbling and fulfilling way of life that allows us to point others to Christ, and that’s what is being displayed in this verse.
Verse 46
“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”
The first part of this verse refers to a regular meeting of believers, however notice that it doesn’t say once a week on Sunday, it says every day. That means that these friendships shouldn’t be just church friendships, rather we are instructed to make these our main friendships. Meeting several times during the week and doing life together. That’s how true friendships and true communities are formed. Of course, the second part goes along with verse 42, so I’ll just skip over that to avoid being repetitive!
Verse 47
“praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
For the first part of this verse, it is a continuation of the second sentence in verse 46, so that’s saying that they are thankful for their food and thankful for these friendships that are created with Christ being the center which have led to generosity of the people. The second part is a promise, a beautiful and exciting promise: God will add to our numbers. More people will follow Christ! As people begin to see what it looks like to follow Christ, they will join in and praise God for all that He has done! It’s a ripple effect due to true fellowship.
So, after breaking down each verse, what does this mean? Overall, this means that we as Christians are called to live in a community of fellow believers. This looks like eating together, sharing your testimonies, praising God, spending time with each other, helping each other out, and inviting others to join in! That’s what the fellowship of believers looks like.
On a mission trip, we spend lots of time together sharing His word, praising God, and focusing on Him. It’s a beautiful time of true fellowship. If you’re interested in coming on a mission trip with Mission Discovery, learn more here.
