Participation

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” - Acts 2:42 (ESV)

This is one of those verses that stirs my heart. It’s my heart for our community of faith at The Crossover, as well as for the greater Body of Christ. This very concisely describes the “feel” of the first church. It shows us very simply what everything else was spring-boarding off of as they continued to grow as a church.

But one word in this verse, I believe, gets overlooked or misunderstood. It’s the word I highlighted in bold lettering… Fellowship. In the original Greek it is the word koinōnia and it means, “participation or sharing” and included the sharing of material goods.

This is interesting, because I have observed that many of us read this word and infer it to mean something about hanging out together and socializing. In reality that’s in this verse but falls more under the part where it refers to “the breaking of bread.” This is when they would hang out together and enjoy a meal or something together as a family of faith. I love that this was important and intentionally integrated into their culture of Christianity.

But the part I’m interested in for this discussion is the “fellowship” aspect of our faith. This “participation.” Loving Jesus together within the context of our church family as we gather together weekly. There just seems to be an opportunity to do things a little differently on Sunday mornings that gives us a more organic feel to coming together on Sundays rather than just the same old routine.

First, it’s important to note, there are many ways one may “participate” or “share.” We can join together in song and praise. We can serve in various capacities. We can help prepare for Sunday’s gathering. We can greet people as they come in and show them hospitality.  We can share our hearts with the children and pour into those impressionable lives. And we can get behind and partner with the church financially. All these are great and have been in place for quite a while. But I wonder if there are other ways we can make our time together more of a “dialogue” so to speak?

This generation of people coming up are not like any generation before. They are unique in the way they perceive things, prefer things and think. A couple of great resources that highlight these facts are “unChristian” by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons and “The Emerging Church” by Dan Kimball. Both books focus on this up and coming (or emerging) generation of people who are looking for something different than the same old, same old. According to these books, there is a strong desire to be an intimate part of something authentic. A desire to truly want to participate and belong. The proclivity to matter and know that they hold significance and have something to offer. These are admirable character traits I think we’d be wise to develop. So…

I’m wondering if any of you would be willing to brainstorm with me and explore the idea that maybe we could gather together on Sundays and do things a little differently. Not in a “freaky” kind of way that makes guests uncomfortable but in a way that might connect with this generation that has expressed a willingness and desire to participate and share. Looking forward to your insights and opinions!