Begin by thanking God for what you have experienced the last day or two.

What is one scripture that God has used to challenge you this weekend? Write it here.

Write down one truth that God taught you that you will take home and put into practice.

Are there relationships that you need to make right? Take a minute to write a letter to that person. You don’t have to give the letter to them, but taking time to record your thoughts will allow you to get in mind exactly what you want to say.

Is there a note of encouragement you have been meaning to write to someone? Take a few minutes now to jot that note and give it to them this week.

What is one truth you have thought about this weekend that you would like to share with someone back home? Write it here so you won’t forget it.

Spend the last few minutes thanking God for His presence with you.

As we start this last session let me say again how thankful I am that you have persevered to this point. Prayer is the power house that allows us to engage with God and others on a deeper level than we are capable on our own. As we pray God ignites power! The early church knew the power of prayer.
Acts 2:42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

Acts 1:14 “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

Acts 1:14 happens after they have just seen Jesus ascend into heaven and just before the Holy Spirit was poured out on them at Pentecost. They were preparing to choose a disciple to take Judas’ place, so they went to God to ask Him to reveal who the choice would be. What a great example for us. When we are in need of answers to all of life’s challenges our first call should be to call upon God through prayer to know and do His will.

The apostles taught what they had seen and heard from Jesus. Think of times where the bible records times Jesus prayed. Make a list before you go on then see if we thought of the same ones.

Jesus taught the disciples by his example as he prayed when blessing the food at the feeding of the 5000. He went away to be alone and pray when He had finished feeding them. His practice was to pull away to spend time in prayer. He prayed when he healed Lazarus. He allowed us to overhear his prayer in John 17 as He asked His Father to make the followers one as He and His Father was one. If you need some great encouragement turn to chapter 17 now and see what Jesus was asking for the Father for the disciples but also for you and me.

Let’s take a few minutes to look at a model prayer that Jesus used to teach His disciples. Matthew 6:5-15 Please read through the text considering what Jesus was teaching.

Jesus began by teaching his followers what prayer was not. It is not a spectacle for the consumption of others. It is not about flowery language and impressing others. It is for communicating with God. That is why you start by addressing God, “Our Father in Heaven.” Prayer is a conversation between you and God. As you speak to the Lord acknowledge who He is and his holy or hallowed name. It is not so much about the specific words you use. It is about agreeing with God about who He is. It gives us a right perspective of who He is and who we are. Because of who He is we can trust His will to be done both here on Earth and in Heaven.

When we have conversations with our friends we talk about things that concern us or even bring us joy. That is what God wants for us to do with Him. God desires to hear your requests and your heart about things you don’t necessarily need but just would like to see happen. It is not that He doesn’t already know your needs, but as we voice our requests it is our way of seeing God move in our lives. It also helps us remember God is at work in every area of our lives. He is not a hands off God who is far away making decisions that will determine how our life will turn out. He is a very “hands on” God who even knows the number of hairs on your head. His word says “cast all of your cares on Me, for I care for you.” He cares, He really does and He wants to be intimately involved in your life.
He instructs us to ask for forgiveness and to forgive others. What a great privilege and responsibility this is. The bible reminds us that none of us are perfect. We all fall short of what God wants us to be and do. When we fall short we need to ask Him to forgive us and help us do right. Just as God has forgiven us, we too must forgive others. Verses 14-15 put it this way, 14 “For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Ouch! My forgiveness is incumbent upon my forgiving others. It is not an option but a command. The reason it is so important to give and receive forgiveness is because Satan is standing at the door waiting for us to leave him an opening to step into our lives and cause death, chaos and destruction. Ephesians 6 tells us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, “but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We are not able to defeat the enemy alone. We need God and His power to defeat this foe. Chapter 6 goes on to tell us 18” praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” There is a great need to be delivered from evil because in our flesh we are so prone to satisfying ourselves. I, me, mine must be taken off of the throne in order for God’s Kingdom to rule in our lives and to keep the enemy far away! It is a privilege to lift up others who are fighting many of the same challenges we face.
Wow, what a privilege and amazing gift prayer is, but it is not just about us talking and telling God what we think. It is also about listening to His voice and following. Elijah described it as a still small voice that said this is the way, walk in it. Take a few minutes right now to just close the computer and have a conversation with God. If you need a little help take our Matthew passage and pray the prayer given there as your guide. The most important thing is just to spend time talking to God.
Prayer is a gift from God given to us to communicate with God so that we can be one with Him and one with each other. I challenge you to keep studying about prayer but most of all I hope you will practice it daily. Pray on your own, but also consider praying with a group of believers. The bible says where 2 or more are gathered in His name there He is in their midst. The ladies at this retreat are going to be spending time in prayer. We will be praying for you.

Acts 2:42 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

In our first session we talked about how the early church was built up and held together as they followed the apostles’ teaching. The early church met together to worship and to hear the apostles teach but they also spent time together eating and sharing times of fellowship. Fellowship may be a “churchy” term, but what the term means is they spent time talking, encouraging one another, lounging around and getting to know each other. They shared about their families and their own joys and struggles. When a need was made known the community of faith shared what they had to meet the need.
Acts 2:46  says “And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,” I love that they had generous hearts. It was through worship and spending time together getting to know each other they became a family of faith.

Jesus is the perfect example of having a generous heart and expressing hospitality through spending time eating and fellowshipping. Think for a minute about times Jesus ate with people or spent time visiting with them. Stop here before you go on and maybe even list as many times as you can remember of Jesus sitting down and eating or spending time getting to know people.

Compare your list with this one. I bet you listed many more. You may have thought of times when He fed 5000 or 4000 people, the time He told Zacchaeus to come down for He was going to his house. Did you think of the wedding at Cana of Galilee where He turned the water to wine? Maybe you remembered the last supper or when Jesus made fish for the disciples as they were coming in from fishing. There are many other times when Jesus spent time with people and a great number of those times included a meal. Jesus found that eating was a great way to sit with people and really get to know them. Jesus provided the food many times, but other times like when Peter’s Mother in Law had been sick Jesus healed her and she got up and cooked. Mary and Martha’s home was one of His favorites to visit because they made Him feel at home. Maybe your remember the encounter the travelers had on the road to Emmaus when they said Luke 24:35 “Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” They knew who Jesus was immediately as He broke break with them! It was something familiar because it was His custom.

You may be thinking, that is great for Jesus, but how can I become a person of fellowship and breaking of bread when I don’t have a nice house or I don’t like to cook? It is not just about preparing meals and having people in your home. It starts with caring about other people. Romans 12:9-13 says, “9Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit serve the Lord. 12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
As we take our eyes off of us and put them on Christ, it is a natural response to want to serve and encourage others. Genuine love is a natural out growth and looking to how to serve and encourage others was the example Jesus set. My favorite verse is verse 13 that says, help those in need, practice hospitality. As we the church minister to one another and to those in our community, the reputation of the church and even God is revered.

To express fellowship you may want to invite friends out to eat. I love it when someone else cooks. You may want to pick up a bucket of chicken and serve in your home where conversation comes easier and time restraints are not as demanding. You could plan a picnic and ask friends to contribute to the meal. One of the things we have always enjoyed is going out to eat or having friends over after church. On Sunday nights we always went to a pizza place after church when our children were small. To this day if you call the name of Mazzios, my children will immediate talk about great times spent on with church friends on Sunday evenings. One warning here, please remember to include new people! So often we get into unintended cliques because it is easy to just keep doing the same thing with the same people. I can’t count the number of times I have heard people say, “I just did not fit in with their cliques” and that is why they stopped trying to develop togetherness.

You may be thinking yeah Page I hear you, but what happens when not everyone acts or behaves like Christ? I wish I could say that will not happen, but I know it will and it does. God also knew that humans would not treat each other kindly at times so He left us these scriptures to instruct us. Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. 17 Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

You can’t control how others act, but you can control you. So live at peace as much as possible. When it is not possible, choose to love anyway and do the right thing whether they do or not. I love the last verse that says overcome evil with good. People are always watching to see how we respond. As we treat each other with kindness the love of Christ is evident to all. Let me go ahead and say, if you have been hurt by church people I am so sorry. Please don’t allow your hurt rob you of the joy that really can be yours as a follower of Jesus in a family of faith. Please choose to forgive and allow God give you a new experience. Pray asking God to send you a new friend or group of friends who are chasing after Him!

Last thought. Do you believe we should do what God says to do? When the verse says practice hospitality it is not a suggestion, but a command. Again, we are back to God knowing how we will work best and what it takes to be together. He says that as we work, eat and minister together, the kingdom of God, His church will grow. So what are you waiting for. Think of someone you will break bread with in the next few days. Call and set a date. Do your part at your home church to build up the body of Christ by choosing to have fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. Pray and ask God who around you might not have a relationship with Him yet and engage them in friendship. Who knows what God may want to do through your intentional relationship with them. So party on!!! And build the kingdom.

This quiet time is designed to have time with just you and the Lord. Grab your bible and a notebook along with this page to guide you through a special time with the Lord.

Spend your first few minutes praising God for who He is. List 10 characteristics of God you praise Him for.

God is so good and holy that He desires no sin to stand between you and Him. Take a few minutes to confess any sin. Sit still and ask Him to reveal any sin and agree with Him and confess it. (don’t be afraid, He has forgiven it already. He just wants you to acknowledge it.)

Take a time to look back over Matthew 5-7, Is there an area we looked at last night that you need God to help you in? If so ask Him. He is faithful and will help you.

Is there a relationship you need to make right? Today we will be talking about fellowship and breaking bread together. Having right relationships is huge in building togetherness. Pray for any strained relationship.

Using your notebook take a few minutes to write out a prayer to the Father. List any concerns or worries that have caused you anxiety. List the names of family and friends you want to lift to Him.

Now it is time to just listen. Sit quietly and write down anything you feel like God is saying to you.

Before you get up and run to the next thing, take a few minutes to just praise God and give Him thanks. List 15 things you are thankful for.

Oh how I wish we were sitting face to face having this time together.  As you well know the written word is a restricted form of communication because you can’t see my face or hear the inflections in my voice, but please know I am thrilled you are joining us on this journey.  I would want you to hear the longing in my voice for you to understand what togetherness with God and His church really looks and feels like.  I would want you to feel my arms as I hugged you and looked into your eyes as you told me all about you.  It would be my desire for you to know I know I am nothing special, just a pencil in the hand of God as Mother Theresa used to say.  He does the writing and I am just an available tool.  I long for you to want a relationship with Jesus and to grow deep in your understanding of Him and how to walk in abundant life daily.  So, I want to take you to His word.  Our theme verse for this weekend is Acts 2:42

Acts. 2:42 “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer.”

At the end of our time together I pray you and I both will understand how to be One with Him and how to live as one as the body of faith.  So lets get started.

Together in the Apostle’s Teachings

Acts 2:42 tells us that the new believers were being woven into a strong church. The first thread in the fabric was devoting themselves to the apostle’s teachings.  As I studied to see what these teachings were I was directed back to the beginning of Acts 2 where Peter has just completed a sermon where people from all nations heard the words spoken in their own language and many became believers.  (3000 in one day)  Acts 2 reminds them of who Jesus was and is.  He was the one who they had just seen preforming miracles. Vs. 22.  Jesus had been crucified before them vs. 23.  He had been raised by God from the dead. Vs. 24  David had prophesied about him.  Verses 25-31 quotes his prophecies about the Son of God, the Messiah who would come.  Then in verse 32 the writer, Luke says, “We are all witnesses.”  What they had seen with their eyes was the truth that Jesus was the son of God and the response of the people was that they were cut to the heart and repented.

This family of new believers needed to be taught be not just believers, but also followers. The apostles took them back to the teachings of Jesus to teach them how to grow.

Take your bible and look up Matthew 5 where Jesus was teaching the people on the hillside about how to live.  He starts with the beatitudes teaching them to be Kingdom minded vs. 3-4, meek (strength under control), vs. 5 Right walking vs. 6, Merciful (seeing the needs around them) vs. 7, Pure of heart vs. 8, Peace Makers vs. 9, Strong under persecution for righteousness sake vs. 10-11.  He reminded them that their rewards would be seen in heaven not just here on earth.  Jesus taught that there is something beyond life here on earth and our life lived here is preparation for life lived there.

He went on to teach about how to treat others.  We are to be salt and light pointing to the way to Christ. Vs. 13-16.  We are to not carry anger and really understand that by hating we are really killing relationships. Vs.21 Jesus told the followers to not lust or divorce knowing how satan uses our fleshly desires to take us away from the purity God has in store for us not just personally but in our marriages.  Vs. 27-32.  Jesus wanted his followers to be people of their word and not swear by anything to prove their integrity.  He simply said let your yes be yes and your no be no.  vs. 33-37.  Jesus taught not to retaliate but to love your enemies.  Now that was a foreign concept then just as it would be today.  In the philosophy of the world “get yours before they get you”.  Vs 38-48.  In chapter 6 Jesus taught on caring for the needy, vs 1-4, how to pray vs.5-15, the purpose and act of fasting vs 16-18.  Jesus’ followers would be different from the world because they would lay up treasures for a life yet to come and not be anxious believing that God was in control.  Vs. 19-34.  Chapter 7 taught the believer to not judge others vs. 1-8 and to depend on God by asking for what was needed. Vs. 9-11.  The rule to “do to other as you would have them do to you” must have blown many away because their rule had always been do as they have done to you.  Jesus’ teaching were never easy and often went counter culture. Vs. 12-14.  God’s disciples were easily identified by the way they lived bearing good fruit. Vs15-20.  Their faith in some One and something bigger than them would be evident. Vs 21-23 The ultimate picture was painted of a Christ follower being one who built his home on a firm foundation so that when the storms of life came, because they were coming they would stand! Vs. 24-27.

Are you overwhelmed yet?  I know that is a lot to drink in at one sitting.  But take time to look back over the things Jesus was teaching because it is a followers handbook.

Many in our world might consider these truths to be rules and be a rigid way of life.  For the Christ follower we come to realize that they are teachings that help us to have true life.  John 10:9-10 says that the sheep hear their shepherds voice and they follow.  The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy but Christ has come that we would have life and have it abundantly.  The apostles were teaching the people that abundant life comes in following Jesus’ teachings.  Matthew 7 vs. 28-29 concluded by declaring that Jesus is the final authority and as these new believers saw and knew He was the only one who not only was raised from the dead and many of them had seen with their eyes.  He was also The One who ascended into heaven right before them.  They were eye witnesses to His authority.  That is still why though we have not seen Him physically with our eyes we have read the stories from God’s word that are true and we too believe.  He has all authority to tell us how to live.

My closing illustration has to do with how life works best.  We know that in our homes God chose to make the man the head of the home.  It doesn’t mean he is smarter, wiser, or even the most discerning.  It does mean that in God’s order this is how the home is to work best.  When we get out of order with the wife trying to lead the home things can quickly become chaos because you can only have one leader.  There is life in the right order but chaos ensues when things get out of order.  It is the same in a job situation where the workers try to take the reigns and tell the supervisor what they will or will not do even though the supervisor knows what is expected from the owner.  It is the same in a church where the laity tell the pastor what they will or will not do no matter what the pastor has heard from God.  God has order there for our safety, security and yes LIFE!

True togetherness starts with a relationship with The Shepherd, Jesus.  Just as Acts 2 taught.  Jesus was not a character from a fiction novel but a real man who was and is the one and only Son of God.  John 3:16 tells us because God loved us He sent Jesus to die for our sin so that we believe in Him we would have eternal life.  He says, if we confess our sin, which is anything that does not obey what God says to do, if we say, God you are right I did do that please forgive me. He will forgive our sin and cleanse us.  Through forgiveness of sin we are made right with God.  That is where togetherness starts.  Then we follow His teachings as we learn to live together as a community of faith and grow as a Christ follower.

The question we all need to ask ourselves is “has that relationship with Jesus started”?  If not, pray today and ask Him to forgive your sin and help you get started on that relationship. The next question is “what will I choose chaos or order, destruction or life”?  By following the apostles’ teachings we can know true togetherness with Christ and other Christ followers.  The next two sessions will address how to grow in your relationship with others and with Jesus.  Spend a few minutes in prayer asking the Father to help you grow to be one with Him and those around you.

Our next post will be a quiet time that we would love for you to do with us.  Then tomorrow we will post two more sessions that we will have tomorrow.  We will post pictures of the girls here so you can be a part of all that is going on!  Welcome to the party.