The Value of Connecting with a Local Church Family
“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer … They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.” Acts 2:42; 46 (NLT)
What a description of the New Testament church! It must have been dynamic, exciting, and explosive with growth! The Book of Acts tells us that there were 3,000 people baptized in their first service at Pentecost, and it continued to grow exponentially. Every year we have a huge Super Summer Baptism Celebration at Woodlands Church on all our campuses, and we’ve seen thousands of people take this exciting step of obedience. It’s the highlight of the year for me as we get to see the life change that Jesus brings in such a miraculous way! I would have loved to have been at Pentecost to see 3,000 people respond to Peter’s simple message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day – about 3,000 in all!” (Acts 2:41 NLT)
Following that step of baptism, the Bible adds four characteristics that were distinctive of that infant church and contributed to its health and its incredible growth. It says, “all the believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, to fellowship, to sharing meals including the Lord’s Supper and to prayer.” These folks were not religious fanatics. They weren’t weird. But they were passionately in love with Jesus and committed to one another. The Bible says, “They worshipped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.” Imagine what every church could be like if all the members were that devoted to God and to fellowship with one another. It would change our world!
This is the commitment and vision of Woodlands Church. We exist to help people experience Christ rather than man’s creation of religion so they can grow strong in Christ and take the Christ experience from The Woodlands to the world! Last weekend we saw what the church can do when we serve together – packaging 80,000 meals for Haiti that have now been shipped out to provide much-needed food for those impacted by the recent earthquake and storm; serving our local community with food distribution, park ministry and partnering with a local church to restore their building that they may gather again for worship. In addition, three local hospitals were served with care packages to encourage their medical staff with gratitude for all they have done through the pandemic to save lives.
If you’re not connected with a local church family like those first Christ followers in the New Testament, I would challenge you to check out our Membership Class in person or online this Sunday following the 11:30 am Worship Service on all our campuses. You can register now and join us for lunch. Discover the value of connecting with a local church family and the difference it can make in your life!