Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 NKJV
In the begining there was God and Adam, and Gods creation enjoyed fellowship with Him. Then, the Lord assured Adam of fellowship once again as he created Eve as a "Suitable helper" for Adam. Alot has been made of our christian fellowship over the years. Jesus even made it a point to mention in the sermon on the mount that where "Two or more are gathered" that He is among them. The fact is, one person living solo act is not a good thing. Our Lord created us as social creatures, so it's no surprise that one of our most basic human needs is for the companionship of others. I would suggest here that one our greatest periods of companionship with our Lord was when Adam and Eve walked in the garden of eden. It was here that Gods beloved creation enjoyed a unique closeness with Him. Oh, what a joy that must have been! Then things changed. For at the suggestion of satan, Gods creation fell into disobedience. Even here, I believe God had our future salvation planned before the world began. Perhaps God wanted His creation to experience the fall of sin therefore appreciating the glory of His forgiveness and salvation. Of course, God could have created Adam and Eve as robots, blindly following in obedience to Him. However, I believe that our Lords plans are far greater than ours, so it would seem that He knew what He was doing.
Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possesions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing 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
I find it interesting that if a church such as the one found in Acts 2 existed today, I believe that it would be viewed as a cult by todays society. Of course, we've seen such congregations before in tragedies in Jonestown, Guyana and Waco, Texas. Do people today view christian fellowship as somehow strange? Perhaps, or maybe they see it simply as those bible thumpers gathering to visit after church on Sunday or at some pot luck. Yet, this was a common practice in generations past. I've often viewed the church described in Acts 2 as the "Perfect" congregation. Could a church such as this exist today? Perhaps, but there would need to be some changes in our society as well. All too often today, the "Lone wolf" christian is seen as the model of christian behavior. It is this believer who goes into his room to pray, alone. He attends church on Sunday, alone. Then, he reads and studies Gods word daily, alone. Where is the fellowship? Perhaps in one or two people he encounters in his daily life. For people who were created as social creatures, we seem to have gotten away from our roots. That's never a good thing. What is the value of fellowship? Well, besides the obvious reason of human companionship, there are other benefits. For our christian fellowship not only brings us closer together as a community, but closer to our Lord as well. For there is nothing quite like a large group of christians in prayer, worship and community. Think of the popular Billy Graham crusades of the past. One of the most memorable part of these gatherings was the altar call near the end. Dr. Graham would invite all who would like to invite Jesus into their hearts to come forward. Then, as the the choir would sing "Just as I am," the aisles would fill with those who chose to accept Christ that day. While probably not a example of community, it certainly was one of fellowship. For as far as God is concerned, two are better than one.
~Scott~
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