Fellowship and Brotherly Love in the Early Jerusalem Church : Congregational Profile

CHURCH ARTICLE | Chadwick Brewer | Richmond, Virginia

Fellowship

When, in our modern vernacular, we use the term fellowship, we often talk about doing activities with others who share our faith and the ability to get along with one another. Our modern term for fellowship is usually based on shared interests, commonalities, and a personal like of those you have fellowship with. However, this is not how this term is used in the New Testament.

The New Testament fellowship is the familial relationship that is the result of us being made one in Christ Jesus. By being baptized into Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13) and participating in the memorial supper (1 Corinthians 10:16-17) and continuing in righteous living (i.e., walking in the light, 1 John 1:7) we have a deep kinship that transcends our many differences. This is not a fellowship based on shared interest and commonalities or a personal liking of each other, but on sharing the most fundamental thing in our lives; our love and submission to Jesus.

Brotherly love is the set of actions that are to grow out of this deeper reality of fellowship. We are united and made one in Christ, and because of that, we are to have deeds in keeping with this fellowship. The modern religious world views fellowship as a result of time spent together. The Bible teaches that fellowship is a result of our relationship with Jesus and should produce a brotherly love that makes us want to spend time together.

But how did the early church grow and nurture this fellowship? How did that fellowship manifest itself in their actions? Was their unity based on their commonalities, or was there something more to it?

Background
Similarities and common ground in the church
The early church was composed entirely of those with Abrahamic heritage. They also all shared a common faith, Judaism, before becoming Christians. When it comes to unity and getting along, these are often major contributing factors. The crowd to whom Peter and the apostles preached on the Day of Pentecost where united in their purpose of worshiping God already. What a great start to this unity!

Differences and challenges to unity
In reality though, these were not always contributing factors to the success of unity. In fact, they can be detractors. The early church had major hurdles to overcome, and their differences and challenges to their unity were far more numerous and daunting than their commonalities.

Even though all these people were of Jewish descent, they did not share the same language or culture. Yes, they were Jewish, but they came from all different parts of the world, bringing their own culture and language to the early church. This causes division and prejudice in the church even today! What enabled them to make this church work and even thrive?

Political differences were huge among the Jewish society in the first century. There would have been people who were Pharisees, some would have been Zealots, some would have been employed by Rome, and some would have been apolitical. Politics is a huge division point among Christians today. Many Christians are free and easy with their judgments on one another based on their political party. How did the early church overcome this point of contention?

Maybe the most dramatic challenge to unity and fellowship in the early church was their past sins. Since the gospel was open to all and preached to all, there would have been some that would have had no real affiliation or connection to the events surrounding Jesus’s arrest, trial, and crucifixion. There were also some who would have been dramatically opposed to all the things that were done to Jesus. And, out of the abundance of God’s love and forgiveness, there would have been some who were at his arrest, voted against him in his kangaroo trial, and were active in his crucifixion. How would any church overcome these obstacles?

Fellowship and Unity in a Challenged Congregation
Luke first describes for us the actions that each individual took in their personal devotion to God and secondly the actions that they took towards one another to maintain this unity of the Spirit and to have a bond of peace.

Personal Devotion
Before Luke gets into the actions that each Christian took towards one another to grow and maintain their fellowship, he first describes four things to which individuals devoted themselves that laid a solid foundation for their efforts towards one another.

“Devoted themselves to the apostles teaching” v. 42

This is a key and fundamental factor of the success of the church in Jerusalem. The individuals devoted themselves to the truth. The church in Jerusalem held the preaching, teaching, and application of truth forth as the rallying point of their unity together. Only with this personal devotion to doctrine could this church overcome all its obstacles to be the light that shined in the dark world and spread the gospel to all creatures.

Many people are willing to sacrifice the truth in order to have some semblance of harmony and unity among their church members. Churches have stood for less and less to try to have a facsimile of peace. A devotion to truth has to be the cornerstone for our local congregation’s unity and fellowship. We must never abandon truth in order to get more people in the door.

“Devoted… to fellowship” v. 42

One of the simple facts about the success of the church in Jerusalem was their devotion to making it work. It was not as if the early church was ignorant of the differences and the challenges that would have threatened to rip this brand new community apart. They recognized the value of what they had, and they devoted themselves to making this venture work.

It would seem as if many people today believe that fellowship, peace, and brotherly love are things that just happen with little to no effort on our part. Maybe we view them as something that happens on occasion or when opportunities arise rather than areas for constant growth and improvement. For us to make our local congregations work, we cannot just let fellowship happen. We have to work at it and devote ourselves to it.

“Devoted… breaking of bread and prayers” v. 42

These are two more elements of corporate worship. These early Christians devoted  themselves to meeting together and taking the Lord’s Supper and praying. Worship is a voluntary action. For the church in Jerusalem to be a success, the Christians had to be personally devoted to meeting together, taking the Lord’s Supper, and prayer. Their unity and oneness in God are the basis for their fellowship together. Only through constant and persistent devotion to worship did this church thrive.

Far too often people want to skip their personal devotion to worship and expect the local church to succeed and for themselves to have a deep and meaningful fellowship with other Christians. As is exhibited for us in the Jerusalem church, a personal devotion to worshiping with other Christians is essential to fellowship. It is through worship, and humbling ourselves before God, that we can then look around with the proper perspective and view our brethren with the love, care, and selflessness that we need to maintain fellowship.

Actions Towards Others
Christianity is not a deserted island where we have a close and personal relationship with God and little to no interaction with His family. As John is quick to say, if we have fellowship with the Father, then we also have fellowship with one another.  If we love God, then we must love the brethren. That love must be shown in actions and deeds, not just in words and talk.

“All who believe were together” v. 44

For the Jerusalem church to build itself up in love, grow closer in fellowship, encourage one another, grow in the faith, or obtain any measurable change, they had to spend ample time together. To try to achieve any of those things while separated or barely being together would be nearly impossible.

Yet, many today hope, pray, and expect their local congregation to grow and thrive with very little input on their part. Sometimes this is by sheer neglect, sometimes this is by misplaced priorities, and sometimes this is the effect of church-hopping or excessive travel. To grow in fellowship, we must have time together and be together. Growth requires time on task.

“Had all things in common… [sacrificing] as any had need” v. 44-45

There were some special needs in the Jerusalem Church. Israelites from all around the world traveled into Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Once they had learned the gospel, the new Christians were unwilling to go back home and leave the teachings of the apostles and the fellowship of the brethren. This generated considerable need for Christians to support one another. They saw the value of their brethren as more important than their earthly wealth.

Sharing and sacrificing are great ways to grow close to one another. It shifts one’s focus from the internal to the external by focusing on the needs of others. How much can we grow as a congregation if we spend more time shifting our focus towards the needs of our brother, both physically and spiritually, and viewing them as more important than our worldly goods?

“Attending temple together” v. 46

The saints in Jerusalem, with all of their diversity, had to find a way to worship together. They were made one in Christ. They were made a part of His body. While they were personally devoted to acts for worship, they had to be collectively united in their corporate worship.

Some Christians today plan to be in heaven with other Christians whom they cannot stand to be around, whom they might refuse to assemble together with to worship God in the same building while on earth. How can we expect to be together in heaven, and worship God eternally, while not getting along here?  Just like the church in Jerusalem had to figure out a way to get over their differences and to be united in their worship, we too have to figure out how to bury the hatchet, overcome obstacles, and praise God with a united voice. Far too often we are content to simply move membership to another congregation, rather than working through our problems and differences. Fellowship and brotherly love are non-optional.

“Breaking bread in their homes” v. 46

In the context of verse 46, the breaking bread in their homes was the sharing of common meals. The fellowship and the brotherly love that was demonstrated among this diverse group of early Christians extended beyond talk and beyond the assembly of saints. It extended to their homes via hospitality. They demonstrated that this new life is one that is categorized by an inclusion of other saints into daily life.

Our fellowship and hospitality should extend beyond those that we feel naturally close to. Many Christians don’t want to share time with other Christians, and some do not want to invite certain Christians over, and yet we expect to all be invited to sit at God’s table together!

Summary
The early church in Jerusalem provides critical insight into a functioning congregation that is full of potential reasons for disunity. We see that they first individually devoted themselves to God, His truth, and His worship. They then devoted themselves to the actions that would bind them together as a local congregation. It was a combination of these two things that made the church grow, and eventually spread like wildfire.

For our local congregations to grow, we must follow the pattern of the New Testament Church in Jerusalem. We must first be devoted to God, His truth, and His worship. Then we must overcome our differences and do the things that maintain the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace.

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” – 1 John 3:18

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October 2022 | GROW magazine