Spiritual Growth - Fellowship

Its very apt, that this week at the time of Pentecost, we conclude our mini series on Spiritual Growth, focusing on the 3rd foundational pillar:

- Engaging with God's people.

Over the last 2 weeks, we have looked at how we can move forward into maturity, by immersing ourselves in Scripture and in Prayer. I would like to conclude this series on Spiritual Growth, with the words and thoughts from last Sunday's sermon from our Pastor Dom, who preached on Acts 1:3-26.

It was time for Jesus to leave the Apostles and join His Father in Heaven, but He was leaving them with the promise:

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you...." ( Acts 1:8).

Can you imagine their thoughts, their feelings and how bereft they must have felt that Jesus was leaving them?

It was 10 days from the time of Jesus' ascension to the time of Pentecost.

Why did God have this time of waiting?

God often uses seasons of waiting to build our character and faith. We can often feel waiting is wasted, but God wastes nothing. He uses these seasons to test and try us, and help our faith become more complete. It's a time for growth. A time, to become rooted in Jesus.

Whilst they were waiting for the promised Holy Spirit:

"They all joined together constantly in prayer......" (Acts 1:14).

They did not meet occasionally, or once a week for an hour, they met "constantly in prayer." They gathered for a purpose. Even those in the persecuted church, found ways to meet and encourage each other. This is because the coming together of the body of Christ, is essential for our spiritual growth. A holy life is a shared life together.

When believers meet together and share their experiences, there is an opportunity to encourage one another to walk more fully with God, and to share the Gospel more boldly. The more we engage with each other, the stronger our relationship with God will become.

Proverbs 27:17 says "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."

Meeting together, enables us to grow into better disciples than we could become on our own.

Believers not only joined together "constantly in prayer," but they were rooted in the Scriptures. They not only read and understood the Scriptures, but they applied and lived out the Scriptures in their daily lives ( Acts 1:21-23).

 In the Book of Hebrews 10:24-25, it reminds us:

 "And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

We need each other in following Jesus. The Scriptures tell us to love one another, forgive one another, carry each others burdens, serve one another and have a shared life together, living in community. The Church is the temple of the living God.

In the Book of Acts, we see that the local churches were known for their fellowship and mutual encouragement. They were rooted in Prayer and the Scriptures together, and they were passionate about Jesus, they were rooted in Jesus.

Their shared experiences were a major factor in their rapid growth.

Today, I would like to challenge you to think about how you are engaging with God's people in your own life?