Without Him we can do nothing! We need to pray as individuals and as a community!

| Photo by Adrianna Geo on Unsplash

The early church understood the need for community! They needed one another because the church was all that they had. They did not have buildings, programs, and the things that we feel we need in church today!

In Acts 2:42, we see what the Early Church focused on, and maybe we should focus on this today.

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teachings, and to fellowship, and to sharing meals (including the Lord’s Supper, and to prayer.”

What were they devoted to individually and as a church? What are we really devoted to today? How many people show up to church when they are able, but they are not devoted to community as a church of followers of Jesus?

They devoted themselves to:

* Word of God – they devoted themselves to the teaching of God’s Word. Today, we want the show, not the Scriptures!

We want to be entertained, not educated, in the Word of God! We want to be spoon-fed instead of digging into the Word of God and learning to live it out in our daily lives.

* Fellowship – this is more than just having a cup of coffee when we gather together. We need community, the opening of our lives to others. We need to connect, bond, and even be held accountable by other followers of Jesus. We need people to walk this journey with us.

* Outreach – sharing of meals together. The church must meet people’s real needs. We must serve and minister to people where they are in real life. What ministry or service are you giving to help us “Reach the City and Touch the World for Jesus?”

* Prayer – a church is a church only if they have the presence of Jesus in our lives and church! “Without Him we can do nothing!” We need to pray as individuals and as a community! We need to carry one another’s burdens in the church! We need to see that we fight spiritual battles in prayer!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Center (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at State‎n Island, New York, since 2011. He draws on many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and from significant emotional experiences.

His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is receiving rave reviews. The daily devotion appears in this publication.