Gathering Together – Part 1
Devotional Contributor: Therese Nehrt
“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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”
Acts 2:46-47
What a simple thing to do – hang out together! Sometimes in the temple courts, sometimes in their homes. In other words, they found a way to be together in each other’s presence. In being together their focus remained on the Lord, and on encouraging one another. The more they did this, the more they were encouraged. The more they were encouraged, the more they could focus on the Lord. The more they focused on the Lord, the more they influenced their culture.
We often think there is some super difficult level of spirituality needed before we can have an impact. But this picture looks pretty simple to me. It’s a place from which everyone can start.
The first location listed is the Temple Courts. The disciples and new believers gathered regularly to hear the teaching of the Apostles, to ask questions, to discuss. As they gathered, they not only grew in their understanding, but also experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit. There was power for miracles, signs and wonders. This location allowed many to gather in one place, to receive teaching, and to join together in prayer. They built community, and community could grow.
This demonstrates the spiritual dynamic that happens when we gather together. Jesus said that when ‘two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.’ We have the privilege of establishing the presence of the Lord here on the earth, right in our own home town. As this happens, we raise the spiritual climate, opening the way for the Lord to establish ‘His will on earth, as it is in heaven.’
The second location listed is ‘house to house.’ Hang out together, have dinner together, enjoy each other’s company. Fellowship is the environment in which God can refresh and encourage your heart, and build real connections with your kingdom family. A friend once told me about an incident in which they had a family crisis in the middle of the night. Her sad comment was that she didn’t know anyone she felt comfortable calling at 3:00 a.m. for help. I immediately realized that there were at least eight or ten people I would not hesitate to call in that circumstance. Why? We had already been doing life together for a long time. We had relationship, community. We were family.
This is a picture of the Kingdom. This is what the world is hungry for.
