42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’
teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers
43 Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and
signs were being performed through the apostles. 44 Now all the believers were
together and held all things in common. 45 They sold their possessions and
property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. 46 Every
day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and
broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble
attitude, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day
the Lord added to them those who were being saved.
In Acts, we see
a church that celebrated, connected, and contributed... a lot!
They celebrated
by devoting themselves to the teaching of God’s Word through the apostles. Joy was
genuine. Passion was real. Excitement was contagious. They connected with each
other through meals, communion, prayer, and time. They were a community of
people that radically cared for each other because they were constantly being
taught the way of Jesus. Jesus said in John 15:8 “By this all people will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” This love for one
another was attractive to people that weren’t following Christ yet... “Everyday people” were hearing about Jesus and were getting pulled into the community
of Christ followers. And their intimacy with God and each other led them to
contribute all they had and all they were to the church and people around them.
At Candeo, we focus on these
three C’s (celebrate, connect, contribute) we see in Acts. We celebrate God
corporately on Sunday with relevant Bible teaching and genuine worship. We
connect with Him and others throughout the week in connection groups. We
contribute our time, talents, and money to the church, to the community, and
throughout the world. We focus on these three C’s because we see it modeled for
us in Scripture, and we believe it is the most effective way to make disciples
of Jesus Christ.
The light of Jesus shined so brightly through the early church because they actually did what they were empowered to do. So much so, that people all over world - even people in the middle of cornfields of
Father, when I see what these disciples
did in Acts, my heart burns to be more like them. It’s easy for me to feel
guilty. I’m not as bold as they were. I don’t love as much as they did, and I
feel less committed to your cause than they were. I need your grace. God help
me change. Move me to action. Guide me. Guide your church. Oh, that
celebration, connection, and contribution would ring out from the Cedar Valley
