Finding Family: How God Connects Us in Unexpected WaysExemplo

Day 5: The First-Century Church

One of the most memorable scenes in the Bible is the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. His sudden arrival, complete with the sound of a rushing wind filling the house and miraculous flames settling on each believer, enabled Jesus’ followers to speak other languages and empowered Peter to preach with such authority that 3,000 people joined their group that day.

The Spirit’s presence also prompted the fledgling church to make a radical change to their way of life: “And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved” (Acts 2:44-47, NLT).

Today, the church may not sell everything they have and physically live together, but the call to be a family remains. In the same way that God drew unlikely people together in the past, He continues to bring us together. Jesus’ prayer for us reflects that same desire to unify us as His family: “I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (Jn. 17:21, NLT). 

We don’t need to be related to each other to be brothers and sisters in Christ and love each other well. The same Spirit that was in the early church is alive in us. We belong to each other.

Things to Ponder:

• How do you, your church and your community take care of those in need?
• How do you interact with others who are like you? How do you interact with others who are different from you?
• What gifts has God given you that you can use to be a blessing to those around you?

We hope this plan encouraged you! Looking for modern stories of unexpected community? Meet the team translating Scripture for the Deaf of Japan and learn how they’ve found family in each other.