Fellowship of Believers

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.  Every day they continued to meet 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.

– Acts 2:42-47

When we read this account of the fellowship of believers during the time of Jesus and his disciples, can we honestly say that it looks anything like what we see today?  Nowadays, many people play dress up and go to “church” buildings on Sunday mornings just to hear the music for only 1 or 2 hours a week and that’s all they can stand to be around each other!  Yet in Bible times, the fellowship of believers in Jesus (Yeshua) was entirely different from the apathetic approach to fellowship that we prevalently see today!  Believers in Jesus’ day were devoted to the teachings about him as well as to fellowship, which consisted of the breaking of bread in their homes and prayer!  The Bible never once said that Believers in Jesus (Yeshua) met together in “church” buildings.  Instead, they broke bread in their homes and they ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people!  Now, does that sound like anything we see today?!!  Absolutely NOT!  Today, if you are asked whether or not you go to Church (a church building) and you say “No,” you are either immediately snubbed or you are expected to attend that person’s Church (a church building) immediately and if you don’t, then you are not a Christian!  However, the Word of God specifically states that we (individually) are the Church -the body of Christ- and that Jesus (Yeshua) dwells within us through the Holy Spirit!  We do not need to be in a church building in order to experience God!  We can experience God anywhere we are through the Holy Spirit!  Believers in Jesus’ day did continue to meet together everyday in the temple courts, but the temple no longer exists!  The temple was destroyed just like Jesus (Yeshua) said it would – not one stone would be left on another!  And in the same way, we cannot set ourselves up in church buildings as if it is the temple of God, when we are the temple of God!  The fellowship of believers in Jesus’ day was filled with people who had everything in common, selling their possessions and goods to those who were in need!  We most defnitely do not see this kind of fellowship anymore because we need to see past the outward appearances of things to get to God!  We need to desire the Holy Spirit, to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Spirit, and be led by the Holy Spirit!  If we desire to see wonders and miraculous signs along with numbers of people being saved daily, then we need to get in tune with the Holy Spirit, seek God and his will for our lives, and be devoted to God everyday.  As we do these things, God will bring us together with people who are also being led by the Holy Spirit so that we will grow together in a fellowship of true believers in Jesus (Yeshua).