Acts 2:41-47
The early church had a much deeper understanding and experience of unity and sharing than we settle for today. They met daily and shared everything; God responded with miracles, and people were saved daily because of their example.
1 Corinthians 5 and 6:14-18
True fellowship implies an extremely high level of accountability—even if it means disciplining or expelling someone for deliberate, unrepentant sin. The idea of not being “yoked together with unbelievers” applies not only to marriage and dating but to every area of life! In the early church, anyone could join the fellowship (see Galatians 2:9), but membership really meant something!
1 John 1
True fellowship with other believers is a natural outward expression of “walking in the light”—that is, being right with God. You can’t have one without the other.
Make “meeting together” a measurably top priority (see Hebrews 10:25)
Group Ideas
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Challenge your group to commit to one certain aspect of the early church’s unity for a specific amount of time—and keep that commitment. For example, agree to pool certain specific resources (e.g., their lunch money) for a specified cause (e.g., a missions opportunity) and time (e.g., one month or a six week period).
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Back off in a close relationship that drags you down (see 2 Corinthians 6:14)
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Start an accountability relationship with a fellow Christian you trust.
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Do a Bible study with a friend. You can study together or separately, but make sure you share what you’re reading, praying about, learning, etc. and hold each other to it!
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Throw a party with your Christian friends, and invite at least a few who aren’t Christians yet!
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If you play games, pick ones that make you laugh and/or ones that help you get to know each other better. (The Ungame, Choices or Scruples, Moods, and Imagine If… can all be found pretty easily at Wal-Mart, Target, some Christian Bookstores, or online.)
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Call, email, IM, meet for lunch, or otherwise contact someone you know but haven’t
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made time for lately. Even if it’s awkward, tell them how much they mean to you and why. Do something nice for them.
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Is there someone driving you nuts? Pray about it, and choose to be patient. If you need to, go to that person and work things out (see Matthew 18:15-17).
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Are you driving someone else nuts? Ask them for patience, and really try hard to reward the patience they show you.
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Spend some time with some refreshing people. You know who they are—those people who let you be 100% yourself and like you that way. The people who know your flaws—and patiently help you work on them—more than anyone else.
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Celebrate a good relationship you have: say thanks, write an encouraging email, call, go out for coffee, throw a party, etc., for the person/group who blesses you.
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Take stock of your closest relationships, and if there are any aspects of them that you know are out of sync with God’s will, realign them! Make sure your closest relationships are safe, strong, healthy, and godly.
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Challenge your group to create a morality code based on true Biblical values, and to commit to it. The code should be posted, published, and totally clear; visitors should know up front what it means to commit to your group, no matter how welcome they are to visit for a while.
