Disconnect

Now all who believed were together, and had alll things in common, and sold their possesions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.  So continuuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.  And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2: 44-47 NKJV

This scripture from Acts 2 gives a wonderful account of perfect christian fellowship.  From people who have in abundance giving to those in need without government intervention to the breaking of bread and worshiping together, the early church certainly had the right idea.  I asked my friend David some time ago if he thought that we could replicate this type  of fellowship today.  Yes, but remember that the early believers lived in a different society than we have today.  I believe it would be possible, with alot of effort on our part.  Another important message from Acts 2 is the vital importance of christian fellowship.  Whether it's with a small or large group, fellowship is a important part of this faith we believe.  I don't believe that anyone can make it through this life on their own, and there are more than a few passages in scripture that encourage us to not to become disconnected from other believers.  Unfortunately, this is where I ended up.
I've really never been that much of a social person.  Oh, I had friends, but these were people who I'd known for more than a few years.  A wounded self confidence, fears of rejection and not knowing who I was in Jesus all contributed to my isolation.  Of course, I always thought that I could do just fine on my own.  Interacting with others  brought pain and discouragement, so I simply avoided as many people as I could.  The fewer people who really got to know me, the less chance there was I could be hurt...again.  Opening myself up to others was simply not a good option.  Of course, the longer I avoided the pain and people, the more secluded I became with my brothers around me.  There is a good reason that secluding ourselves is not a good idea, and I learned this lesson many times.

Is anyone among you suffering?  Let him pray.  Is anyone cheerful?  Let him sing psalms.  Is anyone among you sick?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, annointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up.  And if he has commited sins, he will be forgiven.
James 5: 13-15 NKJV

Notice this passage from James.  If anyone is suffering or sick, we're to reach out to our bretheren in the church for comfort.  Hey, how can you reach out to someone if you've secluded yourself from most people?  Yeah, that was my situation.  Many of the trials I faced, I faced alone.  In case you're wondering, it sucked.  A big part of having friends is having a support network when life comes knocking at your door.  I managed the best I could, but my stress level would have been reduced alot had I been connected to a network of friends.  This isn't to say that I lost my faith.  I knew God was in my corner, it was just he and me most of the time.
Fortunately for me, after going through more than my share of trials, I finaly reached out to a few guys I'd known for more than a few years.  What took me so long?  Fear, pride, all the usual suspects that hold us back from reaching out to others.  I feared what others would think of me, not realizing that Jesus already dwelt in me.  Do people see God as insignificant?  Well, since I was created in his very image, my DNA includes the heredity of Jesus!
I cherish the friendships of those four Godly men who I reached out to, they've been a huge influence on the man I've become.  I would never encourage anyone to go it alone, but hopefully I can be that Godly influence to someone as well.

~Scott~