A Gospel that Gathers

About 30 times per year, it‘s easy to find examples of devotion in Lexington, Ky. Whether it’s 60,000 people gathering at Kroger Field or 20,000 at Rupp Arena, we know what it means to gather for a common cause. Granted, these are just games, but they help us understand how shared bonds bring us together.

We see a similar though greater reality at the end of Acts 2. After over 3,000 people are saved following Peter’s sermon, the church is born. We see a group united by Jesus – gathered together for a common purpose.

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47)

There are numerous aspects of the early church that are important to us. I want to highlight just one: the gospel of Jesus gathers God’s people for God’s purpose. God’s command to share the good news of what Jesus accomplished through His life, death, and resurrection required the whole church working together with devotion.

They were devoted to the apostles’ teaching, which means they were growing in what it means to follow Jesus. They were devoted to the fellowship, which means they were growing in their relationships with other believers. This gathered devotion was used by God to bring people to faith in Jesus day after day.

Wouldn’t we all like to see something like this happen in our time and town? Though God doesn’t promise any particular result, the early believers’ example is not that complicated. They were simply devoted to being gathered by the gospel and living out the truth of Jesus. The same can be true for us today. In your own life, how devoted are you to gathering with God’s people? Are you involved in a small group that helps you grow in grace? If you are involved, who can you invite to your group?

May the gospel of Jesus inspire our life’s greatest devotion as we gather for God’s great purpose.

By Philip Jones

Philip and his wife, Stacy, have been attending Immanuel since 2015. They are blessed to be raising four kids. His passion in ministry is to help others follow Jesus through teaching, preaching, and personal discipleship.