John K. Jenkins Sr - Bible Study, Fellowship

So tonight, we’re back in Acts 2:42. Last week, we finished discussing the doctrines. Acts 2:42 states, «And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine.» We examined six of the foundational doctrines of the church listed in Hebrews chapter six. Now, we return to Acts 2:42 and continue with the theme for our church in 2019, which is «doing life together.» These four components of what every church should have are outlined in Acts 2:42.

The first component is the apostles' doctrine, which helps us understand what we believe. I have been encouraging you to know our beliefs as a church, so no one can come and tell you that what your church teaches is wrong because you know what your church teaches. Amen?

The second component is fellowship, which we are going to discuss tonight. The definition of the word " fellowship» is derived from the Greek word «Koinonia» (Koinonia). You don’t need to write that down, but you should note that it means to share, to be part of a community, to participate jointly, and to contribute collectively, having things in common. It signifies that we are on the same page, headed in the same direction, working together and living life together.

When I reflected on this point, I realized that if you are truly connected with our church and actively involved, our church excels at this. In fact, we might even do it a little too well. If you are engaged in the life of our church, and if you become sick, die, or if someone in your family passes away, our church will envelop you in kindness. I have had more than one person say to me, «Pastor Keith, tell the people to slow down a little bit because we overwhelm others,» and that’s a good problem to have. I would rather face that issue than the problem of not having people engaged in our ministry.

If anyone complains about their sickness, condition, or a death in the family, and no one came to their aid, it usually means they were not actively involved in the church. That is typically the case because if you engage, it becomes the culture of the congregation. This is not something I instituted; this has been the way at the First Baptist Church of Grenada long before I arrived. I grew up in this church, and it embodies a genuinely spirited community where we care for each other.

This is what this is about; we are sharing life together. Let 's look at Acts 2:42 to see how these people cared for one another. I want to go beyond verse 42 and explore some other verses in this passage. I didn’t provide this text to the AV team, so they won’t have it for now. It says, «And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.»

Verse 43 states, «Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.» Verse 44 continues, «Now all who believed were together and had all things in common. They sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all, as anyone had need .» We are indeed called to be in communion and community, but we’re not at the point of selling all our goods to give to the church and share equally.

Nobody responded to that, but wouldn’t it be great? I was thinking about this today, as I live in a community with a small number of houses-about thirty on the street. Several of the people who live here are members of our church. I thought, what if we could turn this entire street into «First Baptist Boulevard»? If we could unite, work together, and share life, then no one would need to own their own car, a lawnmower, or other resources.

Alright, let me leave that idea alone for now, but that is what they did — they shared life together. If someone needed a ride, they would give it. In those days, of course, they didn’t have cars, but they must have figured it out, perhaps by picking people up on a donkey.

When I was growing up in the church, I went to a revival where someone testified about picking someone up for church using the Metro bus. He didn’t have a car, so he used the bus service to bring someone to church. We laughed so hard at that story because it illustrated that you use what you have. It 's about having enough care and concern for each other that you find ways to be there for one another.