“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. . . . They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” Acts 2:42, 46 (NIV)
You develop relationships through fellowship—spending time together in faith, purpose, and unity in Jesus Christ. And there’s only one way you’re going to build that kind of fellowship—and it’s through frequency.
If you’re already in a small group that meets regularly, that’s great! But if your group meets very infrequently, then you may not be allowing yourself the opportunity for meaningful fellowship. It works best when you commit to seeing each other at least once a week, when you schedule time to study the Bible together and encourage one another.
You need frequency in your fellowship.
Acts 2 describes the first church in Jerusalem this way: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. . . . They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42, 46-47 NIV).
One of my favorite tools of fellowship is food. I’m so glad the early church’s example included eating together!
Jesus didn’t do his ministry on earth alone. He shared life with his disciples. And almost every time Jesus taught and fellowshipped with the disciples, they were either walking or eating. Why? Because when people are walking or eating, they’re relaxed. Your walls are down, you’re not defensive, and you’re open to feedback and new ideas. That’s when the best communication and fellowship happen.
Jesus spent regular, intentional, focused time with his small group of disciples and enjoyed meals with them. The early church was “devoted” to being together and learning together and praying together. They found joy in spending time together around meals.
You’ll find that following their example of fellowship around food won’t just lead to amazing personal spiritual growth. It will show the world the joy we have in being part of God’s family—and they’ll want to join in too.
PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick
Rick Warren is an innovative pastor, renowned author, and global influencer known for founding Saddleback Church, the Purpose Driven Network, the PEACE Plan, and Hope for Mental Health. He has written several best-selling books, including The Purpose Driven Life, which has sold over 35 million copies in 200 languages. Time magazine named Warren the most influential spiritual leader in America and one of the 100 most influential people in the world. Since stepping down from the lead pastor role at Saddleback in 2022, Warren has continued to inspire people through his Daily Hope Devotional and podcast Pastor Rick’s Daily Hope. His first book in a decade, Created to Dream, was released in April 2023.
For more Daily Hope with Rick Warren, please visit pastorrick.com!
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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