Question:
Hi,
It's dogar back again, now i cleared up the mess i made of the celibacy link... i have moved on to the second of my grippings of God.
Community.
Having seen both church with community in fellowship (tea and biscuits) and one with living together i can honestly say i see the difference. Firstly i do not live in community full time because i am a high school student who has to go to sarturday school, but after school and in the hollidays i spend as much time as i can there. Also i do not wish to offend any other church or peoples ho do not have community or might take offence to it.

O.k wise guy where is it the book eh?...
Acts 2 and 4 and strong references in other areas but those are the real 'hotties' on this subject
The Fellowship of the Believers
42They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
before i move onto acts 4 i would like to comment on parts;
when they were baptised they (not all) shared all they had, because 'wordly possesions and money didn't matter to them any more, also being with brethren helped them to grow and develop in their christian life. They didn’t do it with hostile but with “glad and sincere hearts” meeting every day, praising God.
Now before i go on i would like to sayMy beliefs iis that one cannot be christian all on your own, the biblical reference especially acts teaches otherwise, but if you do believe that please bear in mind i’m coming from a diferent view point that you have.
They were together. Not “goodmorning” do you wqant some tea and biscuits or “lovely weather were having” or “nice car desmond...” as it says in acts 4 (without jumping to ahead of myself) Acts 4:32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. They were together. In stripes, in gladness, is mournings, in praisings, in being blasted by god, and the rest they were together in all they did. Not a few hours on a Sunday or evening meetings in ALL they did!
Here there are three actions that take place:
They become filled with the spirit,
They form community... but then...
They go out,
46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.
They went out to do more community of all the believers, they were, if you will, the core group of the time.
Now I don’t know if youv’e experienced living with other christians (or anyone for that matter) but once youv’e had a few confrentations it is so easy to say “well i won’t speak to them again” and can move around them so as to not be ‘intruded’ by their way. But in community, the supernatural, they covered eachothers faults, prayed about it, confessed it to the brother or sister then forget it. It pushes you on as a person to excell to who god wants you to be.
I’m sure nobody would deny that you grow faster with other christians than non-christians. Does this mean that community is the fastest place to grow as a christian? (i would say yes but what are your views).
Now after they had had all their roo ha has they loved eachother and saw no fault, sure there would have been difficulties but they worked them through in the love of god. Then they...
They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
...enjoyed eachother! But then as tey grew inwards and were filled they went outwards and grew radically.
Im not saying all the believers lived in community but they lived in Koinonia.
Koinonia is the anglicisation of a Greek word (κοινωνία) that means partnership or fellowship. The word is used frequently in the New Testament of the Bible to describe the relationship within the early Christian church.
A one heart and soul people.
Now onto acts 4...
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
This is mostly a repeat of what it said in chapter 2 but it really hit home the point of ‘one heart and one soul!’ they all believed all wanted to live with other all shared and all had no need. Homes where shared possesions pooled lands given in.
Also if you want proof that jesus said it...
Luke 12:32+33(New International Version)
32"Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
Jesus is telling us that we need to have all in common as christians. How do you expect to fully grow if you don’t love your brother or sister?
O.K but why does this affect us today?
Even today communities are everywhere but in a land where church is dying and christians falling (Englands church no. Are dropping if you didn’t know) how can we help? I would say community is the only full way (not the only way) but the way in which god intended us to live in harmony with our brothers...
Do you agree?
Answer:
What exactly do you mean by community? Living together completely separate from the rest of society, like the Amish? Or something else?
Answer:
There are many types of community. the ones i refer to are when you live together. i'm not talking about any indervidual types just the i dealism. Of course my views are bias to what i know. My community that i stay at part of the Jesus fellowship, do not seperate themselves from society but enter into it to win the lost. What good are you to god if you stay in a room and can't speak to others about jesus. My church have community as the church core. not amish. ordinary people from different walks of life sharing in the love of god. We aim to live relitively simply but do not cut ourselves off from the world. eeg. we do not have a television, but read the paper so were not ignorant, we do not want to be of the world but seperate from it but cannot be ignorant to what happens.
Does that answer your question?
Answer:
Are you advocating communal living, or just a healthy view of the covenant community?
Answer:
I was talking specifically about communal living. after all thats what acts 2 and 4 and generally the new testament is talking about when it mentions community, (aswell as the community of the believers). I was wanting to know, does where you come from big up community. it is such a biblical key, i can't believe it's not bigger.
Answer:
Certainly, they had a strong sense of the community, and could be called communists in the truest form of the word, but...isn't that what the local church is supposed to be? A covenant community that regularly and routinely meets to worship, takes care of its own when they have need, and fellowships together often in -- to borrow from your post -- koininia?
Answer:
People have to stay together in Acts 2 because of the many visitors from out of town (vv. 5-13).
A communal living situation tends to birth a cult, especially because it blurs the distinction between family and church.
That said, there is certainly a difference between "going to church" and "being the Church." The latter is what is right.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Vershal Certainly, they had a strong sense of the community, and could be called communists in the truest form of the word, but...isn't that what the local church is supposed to be? A covenant community that regularly and routinely meets to worship, takes care of its own when they have need, and fellowships together often in -- to borrow from your post -- koininia?
to come back at this quote - a local church (or any church) should certainly, (must), have in order to be a church. But that is what my church calls style 1. being a fellowshipped people. But in todays society it is shockining, upsetting if not worrying that people give so little time to god. style 3 (style 2 is becoming 3) is a constant living for jesus 24/7. you could argue not possible with work andd sleep and everything else but we try to push ourselves as close to god as we can (not that we can do half the stuff in our own efforts). They pray and speak in tongues when we get up, work in church businesses, and go to meetings when we get back. todays society is in need as much as a core group which is very much what community is (all though not all). It's living fully for god (im not saying you can't do it on your own although sort of because god created us that way to live with other believers [the old testament and new testament]) you live fully for god with other christians, being forced out of your comfort zone (believe me i thought i new mine before community but now...) you convict one another by the holy spirit allowing you to constantly seperate the 'natural man' (and mind etc.)' and fullness of spirituality. you push eachother forward.
'covering each others weaknesses' is a very over used and cliche'd term. in community your strength can convict a brother or sister of their weakness, so then they pray and get it dealt with and grow further in god, but then their strength convicts your weakness, you all push eachother to be the most denying and most spiritual being possible.
"That said, there is certainly a difference between "going to church" and "being the Church." The latter is what is right."
certainly, their is a difference between going to church and being the church after all it talks in the new testament about being the body of Christ. but going to church "if i may quote Keith Green" "going to church doesn't make you a christian as much as going to MacDonald's makes you a hamburger!". I'm sure this isn't what you implyed but there is a great differnece between going to church on a Sunday and living a day-to-day life with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and other believers. It is so easy to leave God out of your day-to-day life. I struggle with this personally since I'm not yet living full-time in community (but I'm sure it will always be a struggle). But whether it's a question of what is right is simply answered by looking through the Bible, specifically the new testament.
"A communal living situation tends to birth a cult, especially because it blurs the distinction between family and church."
Calling it a cult is certainly very dangerous considering it is written in the bible in Acts but also Jesus taught about living together.
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
(I know this refers to Revelation, but it also refers to the whole Bible.)
About reference to family and church, it taught about them all having "one heart and one soul". They lived as a family, not because they had to, but they felt that all desire of wordly possessions left them, they shared all, "nothing was their own".
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance, against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
As for natural family, Jesus taught that all his followers were family as well;
Luke:11
27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
and; Matt 12: !!!THE CRUX OF MY POINT!!!
46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."[g]
48He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
I hope this clears things up.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Dogar Calling it a cult is certainly very dangerous considering it is written in the bible in Acts but also Jesus taught about living together.
Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.
(I know this refers to Revelation, but it also refers to the whole Bible.) 1) The verse at the end of Revelation refers only to Revelation. The book was written before there was a New Testament so it certainly couldn't have referred to something that didn't exist yet.
2) Even if it did refer to the whole Bible, which it doesn't, he did not add anything to it.
But you also seem to be missing a crucial point in Acts 2 & 4:
Acts 2.45
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.

Originally Posted by Dogar About reference to family and church, it taught about them all having "one heart and one soul". They lived as a family, not because they had to, but they felt that all desire of wordly possessions left them, they shared all, "nothing was their own".
Mat 10:35 For I am come to set a man at variance, against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
As for natural family, Jesus taught that all his followers were family as well;
Luke:11
27As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd called out, "Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you."
28He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."
and; Matt 12: !!!THE CRUX OF MY POINT!!!
46While Jesus was still talking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to him. 47Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you."[g]
48He replied to him, "Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?" 49Pointing to his disciples, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers. 50For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother."
I hope this clears things up. Not really, it shows that the Christian may have to go against their family if they are not Christians, it says nothing about the Christian family or honoring your father and mother. In leaving out this, it begins to sound like a cult.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Chrysostom A communal living situation tends to birth a cult, especially because it blurs the distinction between family and church.
That depends on what you mean by "communal living." I think it's a lot more healthy to be living with other Christians than to be living alone. As a single guy graduated from college, I could probably afford a place of my own, but instead I've sought out Christian roommates.
A lot of the NT assumes that we'll be sharing our lives with other Christians on more than just Sunday mornings. That's not to say that church should occupy all of our time, or that an entire church should live together in a commune. But for that matter, any church small enough for everyone to live together in one place is in great danger of becoming a cult anyways.
I have plenty of Christian friends who are connected to large, reputable denominations who live in community with other Christians, including two married couples and quite a few singles who all share one house. There's nothing cultish about that. In fact, it seems a lot more healthy - in terms of accountability and support - than living alone would be.
Answer:
Roommates, etc. is not what I mean by communal living. I'm talking about the kind of stuff we saw in, say, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians' Mount Carmel compound.
Answer:
Originally Posted by Chrysostom Roommates, etc. is not what I mean by communal living. I'm talking about the kind of stuff we saw in, say, David Koresh and the Branch Davidians' Mount Carmel compound.
Whats that?
Answer:
They bought a big building and lived as a "community."
A similar example is the Amish... They live in somewhat secluded communities, and it keeps them from interacting with the world at large. This prevents them from being the "light of the world."