Part 5: Our Faith Community

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.
Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.
They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.
~ Acts 2:42-47 [The Message]

I’m encouraged in the many ways that I see the members of our Living Room family naturally following the patterns of the Early Church. Real people showing real love and faith by:

• Gathering for prayer and concerns as we share our burdens during “Inward / Outward”
  Our commitments to community and the needs of those within the Living Room family
• Our vision and actions to help those in need that touch our lives, both locally and throughout the world
• Sharing the fellowship of a common meal together, gathering around tables and in groups to feed our bodies as well as our souls
• Those precious times of worship when we pray together, sing together and share the Lord’s Supper together
• We value each other and those around us in all aspects of our beings in a holistic way that allows for acceptance, respect and dignity. What a blessing!

We are showing ourselves to be counter-cultural by exhibiting the love, grace and forgiveness that Christ offers us to each other and those we come in contact with. We are taking off the masks and revealing who we really are — warts, stains and all, with the purpose of this openness being to show that life is not about us, but about Christ and His glory. Our ability to obey Christ’s directives and follow His example as true disciples comes from the impact and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives on a continual basis.

Are there ways that we could do more? Of course! This is not about us being prideful with a “look at me — I’ve arrived” attitude. It’s about encouraging each other to strengthen our faith and do good works with the assurance that God is at work through us.

May what our Master Jesus Christ gives freely be deeply and personally yours, my friends. Oh, yes!
~ Galatians 6:18 [The Message]