This week’s devotions are based on Week 4 of Confessing Christ in a Confused World (WATCH HERE)
Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
If you’ve ever sat around a campfire, you’ve probably noticed what happens when someone pulls a glowing coal away from the rest of the fire. At first it still glows brightly, but within a few minutes the red begins to fade. Soon it grows dark and cold. Place that same coal back into the fire, and before long it glows once again.
The illustration isn’t perfect, but it reminds us of an important spiritual truth. God never intended His children to live the Christian life in isolation. The Holy Spirit not only creates faith in individual hearts, He gathers believers into a family.
One of the most common statements heard today is, “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” There is a measure of truth in those words. Going to church does not make someone a Christian any more than sitting in a garage makes someone a car. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
Yet the question is not whether attending church saves us. The better question is this: Why would someone who has been called by the Holy Spirit want to stay away from the very family the Spirit has gathered?
Look carefully at what happened on Pentecost. Peter preached Christ crucified and risen. The Holy Spirit worked through that Gospel message, and about three thousand people believed. But the story does not end with three thousand individuals going home to practice their faith alone. Luke immediately tells us what the Spirit created.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Notice how naturally those believers gathered together. They wanted to hear God’s Word. They shared meals together. They prayed together. They cared for one another’s needs. They praised God together. The Holy Spirit created not only faith but also a community centered on Christ.
That should not surprise us. Throughout Scripture, God describes His people using family language. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are members of one body. We are living stones being built into a spiritual house. Paul writes in Ephesians, “You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” The Christian faith has always been deeply personal, but it has never been private.
Luther recognized this in his explanation of the Third Article. After speaking about the Holy Spirit calling him personally by the Gospel, he immediately continues, “In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth.” The Spirit’s work is both individual and communal. He brings us to Christ, and He brings us to one another.
Perhaps you’ve experienced seasons when you drifted from regular worship. Life became busy. Disappointments mounted. Maybe someone in the church hurt you. Churches are made up of sinners, and sinners sometimes fail one another. Yet despite our imperfections, Christ has not abandoned His Church. He continues to gather His people around His Word and Sacraments because He knows how desperately we need them.
Every Sunday, Christ serves His people. He speaks His forgiving Word. He reminds us of our Baptism. He feeds us with His body and blood. He surrounds us with fellow believers who encourage us, pray for us, rejoice with us, and bear our burdens. These are not merely religious activities. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit.
The church is not simply a place we go. It is the family to which we belong. It is where the Holy Spirit continues His gracious work of strengthening faith until the day we join the great communion of saints gathered around the throne of the Lamb in heaven.
So this week, thank God not only for saving you but also for giving you a spiritual family. Cherish the gift of Christ’s Church. It is one of the clearest evidences that the wind of the Holy Spirit is still blowing.
Reflect: How have fellow Christians encouraged or strengthened your faith during difficult seasons of life? How can you intentionally encourage someone else within your church family this week?
Prayer: Holy Spirit, thank You for gathering me into Your holy Christian Church. Thank You for surrounding me with brothers and sisters in Christ who encourage me with Your Word and remind me of Your promises. Forgive me for the times I have taken this gift for granted or allowed other priorities to crowd it out. Continue to gather Your people around the Gospel, strengthen our faith through Your Word and Sacraments, and keep us united in Christ until we worship together before Your heavenly throne. In Jesus’ name. Amen.