Carrubbers' Blog

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Fellowship during COVID19 - The good, the bad and the sad.

We are now seven weeks into the new normal - lockdown, isolation, working from home, zoom, queuing to get into shops, clapping on our doorsteps with neighbours, spending more time at home, walking more. Sadly for many in our nation, city, neighbourhoods, families, their world has been turned upside down.
The UK has passed the 30,000 death mark. Families have been dramatically affected by the dark valley and the greatest enemy of mankind; death. Pain, bereavement, grief, crying, sleepless nights, loneliness have all invaded what was once normal.

Fellowship during Covid19. We are all in this together, the good, the bad and the sad. Together the world is facing a common pandemic, a highly contagious virus. New experiences, new challenges, new dilemmas and new words have become a common part of life in our 2020 world.

Luke writes Acts of the Apostles in the first century after the first Pentecost celebration and after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Luke writes a new word that had to be coined for the Early Church; Koinonia.

Koinonia: translated; fellowship, in English. Luke uses the term; fellowship (Acts2:42). The word includes the idea of sharing in something, sharing someone together.

The early Church; the fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ. Luke describes the church in Acts 2 primarily for Theophilus to recognise the unique characteristics of this group of people and the contagious nature of this group of people.

We are introduced to the unique characteristics and the contagious nature of this group of people in Acts 2:42-47.

They were devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles. All who believed were together and held everything in common, and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47 NET

This group of people believed in Jesus the Messiah, that he had risen from the dead!
They witnessed to the truth, that the resurrected and ascended Christ now lived in them by his Holy Spirit!
They devoted themselves to listening to and living by the living word of God!
They prayed together and depended on God!
They loved and cared for each other!
They committed in Christ-like sacrificial generosity to one another whatever it cost!
They praised God before a watching world!
They witnessed the favour and goodwill of others!

Experiencing this kind of fellowship during lockdown and yearning for this kind of fellowship beyond this isolation must be our continuing goal.
The seeds of this kind of fellowship that we are appreciating together now, need not die because this kind of fellowship is the life and soul of the true Church of Jesus Christ; Devoted to the Word, praying together, sharing genuinely with one another and meeting others needs with mercy and generosity. Seeing Jesus at work by his Holy Spirit in your life and the lives of others, witnessing God adding to the church those who repent and believe.

Let's continue to share this kind of fellowship till eternity calls!

Listen and pray. A Christian's Daily Prayer - from The Prayers of the Saints by Sovereign Grace Music.


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