“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper) and to prayer.  A deep sense of awe came over them and all the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.  And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.  They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people.  And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”  Acts 2:42-47 NLT 

What a beautiful snapshot that is of the first church.  How impressive it is to see how they looked after one another.  There were two reasons, I believe, why they were able to carry on as they did.  One is that they were filled with Holy Spirit love, and the other is that they stuck together.  Those who could help stuck with those who needed help and those who needed help didn’t go off in a corner and say “find me if you can.”  They stuck with those who wished to help them.  

Ten years ago or so, at the end of our term of service in France, Karen and I were based in Florida and I traveled for the Alliance speaking in churches about our work in France.  During that period we attended a local Alliance church. 

About a year into our two year stay there, the pastor resigned to go to another church and an interim pastor was assigned to the church.  One couple who had been in that church for many years decided that they didn’t like the preaching of the new interim pastor and without saying anything to anybody, they stopped attending.  Since they didn’t belong to a small group, and didn’t attend the Sunday evening service, Sunday morning was their only contact with others.   It was the month of July and those who noticed that they weren’t there simply assumed they had taken some time for a well deserved vacation.  Eventually someone from the church ran into them and asked how they were doing.  To the great surprise and chagrin of the person, the couple unloaded on them informing them of their great displeasure that no one had come to find out why they hadn’t been attending church. 

It should be noted that the interim pastor, who was just getting his feet on the ground so to speak, didn’t even know they existed and the others simply assumed that they were on vacation.  Meanwhile, the couple was in a funk that a few words of communication could have resolved.  There was, of course, nothing that could have been done about the pastoral situation which was only temporary anyway, but folks would have been glad to follow-up if only they had known of the need. 

The obvious solution would have been for that couple to have been in a small group where their absence would have been immediately noticed and followed up on.  But that was not the case.  A second problem was that the couple in question was not one that attended every Sunday without fail so an occasional absence would not have been considered abnormal.  Thirty years ago, when people used to attend church EVERY Sunday, when someone didn’t show up it was more easily noticed.  These days, with people attending perhaps only a couple of times a month, it is very difficult to know when someone is taking their “regular leave of absence” and when there is a problem with that person.  A month or more can go by before you realize there may be a problem. 

Also, let’s be honest, there is another factor.  When you pick up a group picture, the first person you look for is—yourself.  It is very easy, but inaccurate, to assume that everyone else is first looking at your image.  It would be a great thing if we were all tuned into looking for others first, but human nature being what it is that very generally is not the case.  It is easy to be critical and to point the accusing finger at faults in human nature, but the fact remains that we are all human and that failing to notice the absence of another is probably no greater a sin than that of pouting over a perceived slight.  

In a Reader’s Digest article entitled “What Good Is a Tree?,” the author explained that when the roots of trees in a forest touch, there is a substance created which makes it possible for all of the trees to survive. A special fungus grows which helps link the roots of different trees—even of dissimilar species. A whole forest may be linked together in this way. If one tree has access to water, another to nutrients, and a third to sunlight, the trees have the means to share with one another. That is a picture of what we should be like as we experience our life together here on earth — mutual support and sharing and sticking together.  At the same time we need to remember that it would be impossible for those trees to help another tree that was totally separated from them.

When one is baptized into Christ, one is baptized into the body of Christ. Through Christ we are bound together in a community of faith. Belonging to Christ we belong to each other. Fellowship with Christ means fellowship with each other. Through Christ, God has made us a family, a community of faith. This is our God-given support system. As such, it is intended to meet some crucial needs in our lives.   Ephesians 2:19 reminds us that as a result of our relationship with Christ, “…YOU ARE NO LONGER FOREIGNERS AND ALIENS (SEPARATED FROM GOD), BUT FELLOW CITIZENS WITH GOD’S PEOPLE AND MEMBERS OF GOD’S HOUSEHOLD.”   It is our firm conviction that God has called us to be a place where we can minister and be ministered to. We need each other. 

 Since I have come to this church I have been continually impressed by how generous and loving the congregation is.  The Holy Spirit love is there!  There is unquestionably a willingness and a desire to help!    At the same time, you can help us to help you by communicating and being available, and by carrying out your part as the first church did in sticking with us, in staying close by and most definitely by becoming involved in a small group which in itself would help resolve all of these issues.  In so doing our roots will be intermingled and we will be able to fulfill that wonderful plan that God has for us.