Doing Life Together

God desires for us to be in community. The Devil likes it when we are alone. The early church spent lots of time together & knew how important fellowship was.

Doing Life Together

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common."

(Acts 2:42, 44)

Two weeks ago, I ran my third Dopey Race at Disney World. It is called the Dopey Race in honor of the smiling, likable dwarf, Dopey, in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. But you do have to be a little crazy to run almost 50 miles through the 4 parks at Disney. People shake their heads and laugh at me when I tell them how much fun I have each time I run one of these races. "Fun?" they ask. Then they tell me I have a strange concept of what fun is! I laugh with them because I recognize that it is not everyone's idea of having a good time.

But what makes these races so much fun is not the months of training leading up to the races or the pain one endures, especially when running the half and then full marathon back-to-back. The real fun, for me at least, is running the races with people I love. I was so blessed to be able to run the 5k with both family and church family. Here is a picture of our version of the Seven Dwarfs as we finished the 5k race:

It was a blessing to run all four races with my son, Bryant, who serves as a student pastor in Dallas, TX. He trained hard and did great. It was his first marathon, and I am so proud of him. At mile 18, he hit the proverbial wall and fell back a little, but by mile 20, he was back with me and going strong. His friend, Matt Harrington (a cool guy and ultra-marathoner), ran the hard races with us as well.

It was a blessing to be able to run these races with others. I could run them by myself, but it would be much harder. Running together allows you to encourage your fellow runner and receive encouragement.

Four years ago, I completed an Ironman in the Woodlands, TX. My friend, Gary Jones, was with me in the 5 months of training and in the race itself. I really could not have done it without him. He mentored me in all phases of a grueling Ironman. Life is so much better when you have someone walking with you, or in this case swimming, biking, and running with you!

God desires for us to be in community. The Devil likes it when we are alone, especially men. Guys, we can do some stupid things when we are not in accountability groups with other men. Notice in Acts 2, the early church spent lots of time together. They knew how important it was to have fellowship with each other. The Greek word is koinonia, which means to share. They shared their meals and their very lives with one another.

Are you a part of a church that meets regularly together? If not, then please find a church where you can be blessed and be a blessing to others. I would like for you to take it a step further: get involved in a small group that meets weekly. Talking about the Word of God and being with like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ is not just enjoyable, it is most essential if we are to thrive in our relationship with God.

Community is vital! Do not try and go it alone. The New Testament does not endorse our American lone-ranger version of faith. God wants us to be in fellowship with Him and others. I don't think you can live effectively for the Lord without both.

Partner with us in spreading the Gospel!

Will you help fuel our efforts to spread the Gospel
and equip and empower other Christians to do the same?

Count me in! ▶

Podcast of the Week

Be Determined

Did you make New Year's resolutions for 2023? Many people think it is a waste of time. You may not usually make those resolutions, but this year, we at DFEA invite you to be determined with the Apostle Paul to let some things go and instead embrace that which is most important and noble: to pursue Christ wholeheartedly and share Him with others.

Listen on your preferred platform: