And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved, Acts 2:42-47.

Perhaps there is no better passage that describes the life of the earliest Christians. Their life consisted of:

* a sense of awe and heartfelt unity.

* selling their belongings and taking care of the needs of others.

* assembling together daily.

* breaking bread together at home, with generous hearts.

* praising God.

* having favor with all the people.

For them, Christianity was much more than a once-a-week occurrence. It enveloped every aspect of life. It was life! American Christianity struggles with this. We are busy, rich, overworked, and often distracted, which can make us push our spiritual pursuits down the priority list to a mere subsection of life, rather than them being our life. With all the pressure of American culture, it is not surprising to see brothers and sisters disconnected from and relating superficially to the rest of their spiritual family.

How can we correct this tendency?

In Disciples Devoted to Fellowship, we intend to reinforce these objectives:

* a yearning to be together.

* the development of a servant's heart

I'm excited you have joined me in this challenging study. To God be the glory!

Matthew Allen (June 2023)