Remembering my happiest times

At church today, Pete was doing a sermon on Acts 2 and the 4 hallmarks of a Christian community based on what the apostles (Jesus' disciples were doing)

The Fellowship of the Believers42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Pete identified the main hallmarks as being:
1.Fellowship, 2. Giving to those in need 3. Meeting together and breaking bread.  4.  Praying.


He talked about how this time was a really happy time and if the Christian community did these things, it made for a joyous time and their number were added to.  He mentioned his search for fellowship and community as a teenager and how he looked at things like Communism and being a hippy before he found it in the church.  He asked about whether our church does those things and whether we did and it put me in mind of one of the happiest periods of my life. It was when I was first an adult Christian. I did all these things and I really was happy and fulfilled.  I remember one Christmas where I felt like I was possibly going to be a little lonely as my Mum and sister both had partners and they had both been invited over to the families of their partners on Boxing day and I was going to be spending Boxing Day on my own.  I had just planned for a day of general Christmas TV and craft but I received a call from the vicarage in the morning to ask me if I would like to go with them for a walk in a country park.  They were joined by another family and we had a wonderful walk then returned back to theirs for 8 hours of board games and meals. I will never forget that Christmas, it was so fun and I think so fondly of those times when we had church fellowship but also there was nothing ostentatious about that gesture, it was just a simple loving gesture which meant so much to me but had 3 of those hallmarks to a certain extent.

It made me think that to a certain extent that I have held back from my current church a bit in terms of fellowship and joining in with lots of things because I've always felt that I wouldn't be there for a long time, we knew we couldn't afford to live in that town when buying a house, and it would be a wrench when I had to leave. I think I have done myself and my fellow church members a disservice.It's been harder when geographically, I have moved to the next town and it's quite a pain to get there (it's over a mile from the station) but still...

I'm not sure where I am going with this but I certainly have felt and seen the benefits of those hallmarks of what the church should be and do. I was most fruitful and most happy when I was living those 4 hallmarks.

xxx