Following Jesus Together
For Meditation
As we kick off our new fall season, it’s always great to return to the basics. And there’s no better place to look for a blueprint of the basics of the Christian life than the book of Acts. In our passage this week, we get a detailed description of the life of the early Christian community. In their life together, we see a prioritization of three vital relationships: relationship with God, relationship with one another, a relationship with the broader, non-Christian community. Speaking in terms that are familiar to us at Third, they followed a pattern of life with God (up), life with each other (in), and life for the outside community (out).
This pattern was not random; it follows the same rhythm of life that Jesus practiced. In passages such as Mark 9:2-29, we see Jesus following this same pattern. He set aside time with his Father, he prioritized his relationships with his disciples, and he moved with his disciples out into a world in need. It’s no accident that the early church organized their life in the same way as they sought to follow their risen Lord.
At Third, we seek to organize our life together in a similar way. We have a suggested set of 6 practices that follow this same Up/In/Out pattern for our common life together. This is in no way a rigid rule or the only way to live the Christian life. It is just a simple way to organize our lives around the way of Jesus, seeking to live in the pattern of the Kingdom that Jesus modeled. We do this only in the strength and power that God provides as he fills us with his Spirit.
In preparation for worship this Sunday, pray that the Lord pours our his Spirit on us as we renew our practices to follow Jesus together.
Acts 2:42-47
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.