Lifelines That Last预览

Lifeline of Devotion

Everybody needs a lifeline. Everybody. Yet, our lifelines are only as good as the strength of their connection and the source of what they are connected to.

Sailors understand this. They understand that their lifeline does them no good if it’s not connected to the right thing. They attach their lifeline to themselves, other sailors, and the ship.

The early church understood this, too. Acts 2:42 tells us they were continually devoted to gathering together for the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.

Continually devoted implies this wasn’t a one-and-done. It wasn’t a gathering only when they felt like it, it was convenient, or it was easy. There were no “Creasters” in the early church, gathering only for Christmas and Easter. The early church had a continual devotion, a repeated devotion, a day-by-day devotion. They understood the more they gathered, the stronger their lifeline was.

Their reason for gathering was so much more than to eat nachos and play cards. Why they gathered matters. They gathered on purpose, devoted to certain things, the things that would strengthen their lifeline.

Devoted means to tarry, to remain somewhere, and to continue steadfastly with someone. I love that last definition. To continue steadfastly with someone. That’s gathering. That’s linking arms. That’s your lifeline.

The early church had a strong lifeline because they continually linked arms and stood side by side while they were devoted to certain things – the apostle’s teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer. Doing these things collectively strengthened their lifelines individually.

While we can assume they also did these things individually, we know for a fact they did them collectively. We know they were devoted to doing them together. We know they gathered. We know it was their lifeline. We know they did life together, in this way, for this purpose. We know in our heads. We need to also know in our hearts. Why? Because everybody needs a lifeline. Even me. Even you.

Application Questions

1. Imagine what it would have felt like to be part of the early church, to gather together with other believers who had just experienced the same outpouring of the Holy Spirit, had just listened to the powerful message of Peter, and now were gathered together. What would you be thinking, feeling, wondering? Why do you think gathering together would strengthen their lifeline?
2. When you think about being continually devoted to something, what do you think of? What are you continually devoted to today? What does that devotion look like for you?
3. What would be different in your life if you were continually devoted to gathering together with other believers? Think Sunday and beyond. How would your week change? How would your calendar change? What would shift? What would need to shift?