“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Acts 2:42 (NIV)
We had our 16th annual “Hot – Diggity – Dog Schools Out” event last night. I still remember our first one in 1992. We thought we needed to get together to celebrate the start of summer vacation, so we cooked hotdogs in my backyard and hung out together.
That’s how WCC got started. We did a lot of just hanging out together. We loved being together. And as we invited others, they were attracted by our love for God and for the family atmosphere that our love for one another showed.
I don’t remember us having to work very hard at being together in those days. We just seemed “devoted” to one another. We’d rather be with each other than any place else. We made space in our busy calendars for the WCC family because of our love and devotion.
As our church has grown we’ve had to work harder at this. I’ve noticed this is true in my own family too. As my children have grown and the older family members have gone to be with the Lord, my family really has to work at this “devotion.” We have to plan more, work harder, and finally, we have to practice our love for one another by showing up. We have to be present. We have to make room for “the koinonia.”
What is “koinonia?” It is the Greek word that can be translated as “fellowship, communion, communication, sharing, participation, contribution, or partnership. It is the word that describes the family of God. And notice in the Scripture above it is preceded by the definite article, “the.” The first century Christians weren’t just devoted to fellowship in general. They weren’t just loving to party. They were devoted to “the fellowship.” This means they were devoted to a specific fellowship, a specific family, they were devoted to their church family.
There are so many competing voices asking for our devotion today. Our world is too busy, too chaotic, and at the end of the day too lonely. I long for the simplicity of devotion that the first Christ followers displayed. They were devoted to the teaching of God’s Word, they were devoted to eating together (hotdogs?), they were devoted to praying for one another, and they were devoted to “the koinonia.”
We had a great evening! But for those of you who missed it, I wish you would have been there. It would have been even better with you present.
By the way, do you think hotdogs and cupcakes count as “breaking of bread?”
I’m glad you explained “koininia.” it’s annoying when we Christians speak christianese and think everyone knows what we are talking about!
Hey PG,
I know it’s disheartening when we have a low turnout for our koininia events. But, no matter how big or small we are still gathered, right? I hate I missed it, too, but big girls don’t do good in the heat. Anyway, keep the faith !