Community

Experience the early church community through our resdiential opportunities

• Live with us for a weekend, a month, half a year or longer.
• Be encouraged by daily contact with other believers.
• Experience the joy of constant fellowship, accountability and worship.
• Work full time w/ the Holler or go offsite for work.
• Partake in the ministry throughout the week, on weekends and during summer projects.
• Work to contribute to the overall welfare of the community and the Holler.
• Costs are minimum and include room and board.

Below is the Biblical basis for the community here at the Holler:

 The Scripture, Acts 2:42-47

They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; ⁴⁵and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. ⁴⁶Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

The Essentials

-                      We’ll devote ourselves to the Apostles teachings (teachings of Christ)

      -                      We’ll devote ourselves to fellowship

      -                      We’ll devote ourselves to breaking of bread

      -                      We’ll devote ourselves to prayer

-                      We’ll have everything in common (Share everything)

-                      We’ll sell positions to help those in need

-                      We’ll Meet everyday in the temple

-                      We’ll break bread and eat together regularly with sincere hearts

-                      We’ll praise God and enjoy the favor of all the people.

Devoted

To begin understanding this text I think we need to understand the word devotion. Devotion means to give or apply (one's time, attention, or self) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person.

Devoted to the Apostles teachings

One aspect of this devotion is a continual commitment to hearing, discussing, questioning and studying the Apostles teachings. Another aspect is the continual commitment to living out what was being taught. I now ask what the apostle’s teachings were. Let’s go back to some of Christ’s last words to his disciples before he ascended to heaven, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you...” (Matt: 28:19-20). There’s no reason to doubt that the apostles were doing exactly what Christ had instructed in the great commission. Ultimately, the Apostles teachings were the teachings of Christ and the community would have been devoted to learning and living those out.

 Living It

• Regular Bible Studies
• Regular accountability sessions
• Regular service opportunities

            To begin understanding what it meant when the community devoted themselves to fellowship I looked up the word fellowship and found that it is companionship of individuals in a friendly atmosphere on equal terms. Fellowship is like hanging out. This would have been a time of just getting together and building relationships. I see them gathering together daily to just talk about God, what He was doing in their lives, the weather, their work, etc.…I can see them gathered to be entertainment and to celebrate special occasions. As a result of their common passion for Christ, God’s presence would naturally overflow into their gatherings.

  Living It

• Group recreational opportunities
• Group service opportunities on and offsite
• Group celebrations, parties and outings

Devoted to breaking of bread

            The first act of breaking bread mentioned in the Bible was at the Lords Supper where Christ “had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’" (Luke 22:19). We find the Disciples of Christ continuing the tradition just as Christ had commanded in Acts 2:46, Acts 20:7 and 1 Cor. 10:16. The act of physically breaking the bread was a way to remember Christ. I think it’s important not to label breaking of the bread as eating. Its clear eating and breaking bread are two different things. Eating would have naturally followed breaking of the bread but it isn’t its definition. The churches devotion to this tradition was most likely taken place at least once a week as suggested in Acts 20:7.  

I imagine that the “breaking of the bread” was often accompanied by the “taking of the cup”. The Lords supper was the 1^st communion, of which we still practice today. At the Lords supper, Christ broke bread and then went on to take the cup after he had eaten and said, “"This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.”(Luke 19:20). These acts of breaking bread and taking the cup were a way to remember Christ, His body, His blood and His new Covenant. We also find Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:16 blending the “cup and bread”. The breaking of the bread is what some might call communion today.

 Living It

• Weekly breaking of bread and taking of the cup followed by a meal

            Christ as their ultimate example and teacher taught and showed the disciples to pray continually without loosing heart (Mt 26:39-44, Mk 14:32-39, Lk 18:1), to pray for those who persecuted them (Mt. 5:44, Lk 6:28), to pray not as a way to be seen by men (Mt. 6:5, Mk 12:4, Lk 20:47), to pray w/o meaningless repetition (Mt. 6:7), to pray alone and in the wilderness (Mt 6:6, Mt. 14:23, Mt 26:36, Mk 1:35, Mk 6:46, Mk 14:32, Lk 5:16, Lk 6:12, Lk 9:18, Lk 9:28) to lay hands on people to pray for them (Mt. 19:13), to pray w/ believing to receive (Mt. 21:22, Mk 11:24), to pray so they wouldn’t enter temptation (Mt. 26:41, Mk 14:38), to forgive others in order for our prayers of personal forgives to be answered (Mt. 6:15, Mk 11:25), to pray for demons to be exercised (Mk 9:29), to pray for strength to endure persecution for Christ (Lk 21:36). The early church’s devotion to prayer wouldn’t have been just to praying together. Based on the prayers of Christ and the disciples throughout the New Testament, this devotion to prayer would have been an individual effort to get alone with the Father. I see the community aspect as a venue for group prayers, but also as a resource for instructions on prayer and accountability with individual prayer life.

 Living It

• Daily, individual prayer times
• Meal time prayers
• Prayer to accompany teaching, fellowship and service times
• Regular accountability to keep members in prayer

            In other words, the early community shared everything. Their houses, clothes, tools etc… would have been made available for the use to the entire community. They must have understood Gods claim, “The Earth is the Lords and all that is in it” from Psalm 24:1. We get further insight into their mindset in Acts 4:32, “not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own but all things were common property to them.” I think these early believers were so focused on Christ and his teachings they wouldn’t have put much value in worldly treasures, “seek ye 1^st the kingdom of God…” This community would have everything in common as an overflow from an appreciation and understanding of Gods blessings in their own lives.

 Living It

• Verbally limiting the possessive clauses in speech
• Making one’s own possessions available for use of the entire community

Selling their positions is a simple concept, but just like having everything in common it’s hard to believe and seems especially hard to do. The early Christians were selling and sharing as they saw a need and needs were always at hand, “the poor will always be with you”. I can see one group being hungry and another group sharing their food or selling some property to help out. These Christians took Christ commands of not storing up treasures on earth, but storing up treasures in heaven” literally as they should be.  Being very literal, I thought this out to the extreme and imagined them selling shelter and food, but as I read further in Acts I see they have houses and their eating food. I believe they keep their bare necessities and the rest is to benefit the heavenly kingdom. In 1 Tim 6:8 we find Paul being content with food and covering.  A point I want to make that seems clear is that if selling possessions to help those in need then they’re not buying unnecessary possessions either. The time, money and effort that would have gone into acquiring unnecessary wealth would have been focused on helping other w/ more needs. Sharing everything and living this modestly wouldn’t require a lot of income and the believers would have more time for God, family and community! God would have been a number one priority. Something beautiful about living simply is that you would have more free time. It’s important to note that families wouldn’t have remained idle and solely worked for their own survival. The New Testament is filled w/ orders to work and refrain from being idle. The believers would work beyond what was required for their own survival to help the poor (Eph 4:29). 

 Living It

• Selling unneeded possessions for the benefit of the community and/or the poor.
• Obstaining from acquiring unneeded possessions.

We’ll meet everyday in the Temple

            Early Christians simply met everyday in the temple. At the temple they found teaching, a place to pray, discussion and fellowship. They most likely went at a certain time, probably around 3PM. It would have been an opportune time to teach and hear the teachings of the Apostles and ultimately the Lord.

 Living It 

• Every day we’ll meet in our temples (barns, houses, fields, etc...)
• Temple will be a time of studying the teaching of the Apostles, Christ and God.
• Temple may include worship in song, preaching, teaching, skits, dancing, Bible study, accountability, giving etc…

We’ll break bread and eat together w/ sincere hearts

            I already addressed breaking of the bread above. Notice though, that breaking of the bread is mentioned twice in the short text. This must have been of some great significance to their community.

            Here I want to address the eating together w/ sincere hearts. Eating is such a social activity it’s not even funny. It’s a bonding experience as well. Eating is something we all have to do. Cultures have made it pleasurable and sociable for years. It’s a time to be thankful, talk about the day, praise God and each other. I like to take notice of the words sincere hearts. This adds to the eating more than just eating and talking. To have a sincere heart means being genuine with each other. We must be honest. I don’t want to hear that your day was good if it wasn’t. We must be open with feelings, conflicts, rebukes, apologies, challenges and the truth. Just as in all the aspects of community we must hold each other accountable to living out a sincere heart.

 Living It

• Regular meals together
• Group and One on One accountability sessions

            Praising God would have been found in the temple, in the fellowships, in their prayers, at the meals and during everyday life. The believers would have found favor w/ each other because each individual would be trying to love as Christ loved. I think the early church would have worked out problems through because of their genuine attitudes. Problems would have been addressed and resolutions would have been found. Favor would be found because others would know so much about them. The community would know our struggles and would be praying for us. It would be hard to judge because each member would know everyone’s business. After all they will know God bye our love for one another.

 Living It

• Keeping the Praise of God as a big part of everyday life.
• Holding each other accountable to lifting up God.

Definitions:         

Devote- To give or apply (one's time, attention, or self) entirely to a particular activity, pursuit, cause, or person.

http://www.ibs.org/niv/wordsearch.php?form_type=word_search&word_request=devote&submit=Search&match_type=all&selected_version=niv&limit=10&limit_select=span&start_book=47&end_book=73

Breaking of Bread-

Luke 24:30 “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.”

            Matt 26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body."

            Mark 14:22 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take it; this is my body."

            Acts 20:7 on the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

            Acts 27:35 after he said this, he took some bread and gave thanks to God in front of them all. Then he broke it and began to eat.