Being the Church #2

We began yesterday shifting gears from "remembering who we are as the Church" to "being the church." There is no better place to start than the beginning of the church in Acts 2:

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  

The first phrase used to describe what the Church did is devoted themselves. That's what God's people do. We need to devote ourselves to being God's people together: studying, praying, sharing, and never forgetting what Christ has done for us. God brought us together and will keep us together, when we get together to grow together.  Lack of such commitment allows us all to stray from Him and His will for us. We don't have to look far to see that evidenced in our society today.  Meetings and ministries are not magical, but they are meaningful when they mark our devotion to Christ and His church. May we be devoted.