From Claire Castley

Four Pillars and One God

COMMUNITIES THAT ARE GROWING, HEALTHY AND FRUITFUL

Somewhere to belong – a place to feel accepted and included, where young women can share what's going on in their lives, and support and encourage one another. That was the dream my friends and I had when we were thinking of starting a small group. We wanted to create a space where we could experience community by growing in our relationships with each other and with Jesus.

As I reflect on my own experience and the experience of the early church, I can't help but notice similarities.

It says in Acts 2:42 (NLT) that "All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer."

How wonderful it is that 2000 years later, we're still building Christian community on these four pillars: learning from the apostles' teaching, fellowship, sharing in meals, and prayer. This is how the early church started. So how might we apply the same principles of the early church to our ministries today?

1. Learn from the apostles' teaching: How do we grow in our knowledge and understanding? By reading the Bible, learning about Jesus' character, and allowing the Holy Spirit to transform us. The YouVersion Bible app has some great plans to help individuals and groups grow in their understanding of the Gospel.
2. Prioritise fellowship: Building connections with others in your church or small group is key. Get to know one another, listen, encourage, and learn from one another. Create an environment built on respect, acceptance, and belonging.
3. Share in a meal together: Food is a great equaliser! Invest in serving people through hospitality. Think about who you can share a meal with. It might be people inside or outside of your church. Sometimes, sharing in a meal might involve taking the Lord's supper together. Other times, this might look like serving food to those who need it most in your community.
4. Prayer: Pray before, during, and after everything you do. Always stay within a whisper of God. Allow the Holy Spirit to come and fill your space, and to meet people where they're at. Encourage others to pray, too, and give thanks to our Lord for his faithfulness.

Above all else, everything we do needs to point to Jesus. Learn more about the Gospel out of your love for God and His Word. Encourage people with the kindness Jesus has shown to you. Serve others out of the joy in your heart. Pray out of the faithfulness you've seen in your own life.

It says in Acts that all the believers devoted themselves to these four pillars, and in doing so, they saw more and more people come to know Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. While you may find some of these pillars more challenging to do than others, I encourage you to continue asking the Holy Spirit to equip you. Serve in the ways in which you naturally excel, and grow in the areas you may find more challenging. It takes all of us to build communities that are growing, fruitful, and healthy. Let us use these four pillars: learning from the apostles' teaching, fellowship, sharing in meals and prayer, to continue seeing transformation in our own communities.

Reflection

• As you read Acts 2:42, which of the four pillars do you feel most comfortable doing, and how might you use this gift to help others?
• Which do you find most challenging? What could you do differently to develop this pillar?
• How could you make sure each pillar is centred on Jesus? What's going to remind you to keep doing this?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I praise you for the ways Christians have been connecting and worshipping you in community for generations. I thank you for the lessons we can learn from the Christians who have gone before us, and the ways you are transforming the hearts of people today. Please help us to align every aspect of our lives to face you. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.