Dave spoke from Acts 2;42-47 this morning, a challenging passage about the life of the early church which needs to be replicated in our churches if we are to see similar life and growth. The believers devoted themselves to four things:
- the apostles’ teaching
- the fellowship
- the breaking of bread
- prayer
If we do not devote ourselves to these things, then we will become people who are lifeless and lost. The father of lies tells us it doesn’t really matter what we believe and that we don’t need to bother with meeting with other Christians, that prayer and the breaking of bread are peripheral activities which don’t really matter, but he is a liar. The secret of every growing church is hearing the word of God and obeying it. This will involve praying together and meeting together or we lose our sense of direction and faith. It’s all too easy to be sucked into the belief that individual happiness is all that matters or that material things are the answer to all our needs, but we need to be rooted and built up in Christ.
Everyone knows that a coal, when separated from the fire, soon turns dull and grey and loses its fiery glow. Similarly, if we separate ourselves from Christian fellowship, our faith can often soon diminish. Devotion, dedication and commitment are always needed and these four things listed in this passage lead to multiplication and growth.
The phrase ‘cool as a cucumber’ (meaning metaphorically to remain calm and collected, even in difficult times) is actually true of a cucumber connected to the vine: it actually is cooler on the inside than on the outside when it is attached. We can only know calm and peace if we remain attached to the vine (see John 15:1-5). Jesus is the gate for the sheep and we need to listen to the Shepherd and follow HIm, being devoted to God and to each other.
Are we a coal that’s part of the fire, joining with other believers in these practices, or are we a coal that is separate and cooling down? Are we a cucumber that’s cool under pressure because of our attachment to the vine or are we detached and struggling on our own? God wants us to devote ourselves to these vital things and to flourish and be fruitful.
