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The Biblical Definition of Community
Community is any group of people [both Jews and Gentiles] that love Jesus and live in loving fellowship with one another in the ever presence of the Lord [Matthew 18:20 and Acts 2:42-47]. A day will come when “all Israel shall be saved” [Romans 11:26], but God has, in the meantime, chosen a new people, in whom “there is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for ye are all one in Christ Jesus” [Galatians 3:28]. We are now “one body in Christ, and every one members one of another” [Romans 12:5]. Source: The Institute for Creation Research Romans 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Matthew 28-16-20 Then the disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Benevolence and Discipline in the Early Church
Acts 4:32-5:11 In Acts 4:32-5:11, benevolence and discipline in the early church interweave. Both illustrate that the early church understood that God's commands must be obeyed. From the beginning on the Day of Pentecost, Christians had tended to one another’s needs. In Acts 2:44-45, immediately after the establishment of the church, the believers took care of the destitute: "44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need." Acts 4:44 picks up this story of brotherly kindness manifested through the church. Read more... Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good [1 Corinthians 12:4,7]. Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything [2 Corinthians 2:9]. |
Attributes of a One in Messiah Learning Community
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