Better Together
“People to Do Life With”
Acts 2:42-47			 

Why does the Church matter? 
In order to grow in our faith, we need to be connected with other Christians.

Acts 2:42-47	

1. Church is a place to belong, not just attend

They met regularly in Temple for worship.  
They gathered regularly in their homes.  	 

It is impossible to experience biblical community apart from relationships with other believers. 

Three ways Fairhaven mirrors the early Church (Acts 2:42) 
Teaching the truth of the Bible - “Devoted to the apostles teaching …” 
Focused on prayer - “Breaking of bread and prayers …” 
Building deep relationships	 - “Devoted to fellowship …” 

Koinonia (fellowship)
Association, communion, and participation; to share in something in common.

Sharing life together

“So that you may have fellowship with us, and our fellowship is with the Father and Son. We write this to make our joy complete.” –1 John 1:3-4

2. We are a spiritual family  

From the beginning, God created us for community. 

“It is not good for man to be alone.” —Genesis 2:18

What keeps us from connecting in community?
Isolation – drifting away; we need each other. 
Time/Priorities – too busy with other areas of our lives. 
Fear/Insecurity – being vulnerable with others. 

What does fellowship (koinonia) look like in practice?
One-another friendships

1. Love one another. (John 13:34-35) 
2. Serve one another.  (Gal. 5:13)
3. Forgive one another (Eph. 4:32)
4. Encourage one another. (Heb. 10:24-25) 
5. Worship with one another. (Acts 2:42)
6. Be accountable to one another.  (1 Cor. 5)
7. Care for one another (Gal. 6:2) 

“That they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that You sent Me and loved them even as You loved Me.” –John 17:23

"Our relationship with each other is the criterion the world uses to judge whether our message is truthful – Christian community is the final apologetic." –Francis Schaeffer

3. God shapes us in community 

Together, we experience God in a greater way
Together, we learn to think and live biblically.
Together, we care for others.
Together, we celebrate what God is doing in each other’s lives.
Together, we are a witness to the world! 

We are better together!