"And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers" (Acts 2:42 ESV).
This week Robin and I started visiting different WCC Community Groups. Our plan is to visit all of our groups over the coming weeks. We want to start the Fall season off by encouraging all of our groups and reminding them of the importance of being "devoted" to one another.
Last night, we visited the Minter CG. Man, do they have a bunch of kids in that group! It was a little chaotic, but it was a sweet chaos. The kind that you experience in healthy families.
We had a wonderful time of food (tasty lasagna and Mrs. Agee's cake balls for dessert, yum), fellowship and prayer. Robin and I left feeling that we had been to a family reunion. That's what community groups are, God's family meeting together regularly to keep the four devotions.
What are the four devotions?
- Apostle's teaching - WCC's community groups unpack the same text that the pastor preached that weekend. In this way they can work on deepening the learning together and move the teaching from head to hearts to hands.
- Fellowship - The Greek word here is koinonia, which can also be translated communion. This implies more than just hanging out together. We believe that true fellowship takes place when God's people gather and invite the Holy Spirit to be present in their midst. This allows for a spiritual communion to take place as the Spirit knits us together.
- Breaking of bread - Something special happens when people sit knee to knee and eye to eye breaking bread together. It lowers walls and allows for relationships to blossom. Breaking of bread may also imply the remembrance of the Lord's Supper, which we encourage our CGs to practice regularly together.
- Prayers - Bringing our prayer needs together weekly and lifting them up together is powerful. Providing updates to one another, we see God's hand at work. And we obey the Scripture's teaching to "bear one another's burdens.
The Minter Group is keeping the four devotions. As one member of their group said, "I don't know what I'd do without this group. As a new WCC member, I really didn't know anyone when I first started coming. Now, I feel like I have a family!"
Robin and I are looking forward to visiting all the groups in the coming weeks. Will we find you there?
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