Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

A Dynamic Movement

In Acts 1:8, Jesus had promised that the disciples would “receive power when the Holy Spirit comes,” and Acts 2:1-12 records the arrival of the Spirit at Pentecost. Peter declares that God will pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Acts 2:17). About three thousand people become followers of Jesus and “receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38, 41).

God poured out His Spirit in the context of community and Acts 2:42-47 is a concentrated description of that community. What is created and what happens does not occur apart from the work of the Holy Spirit. If we stress only their activities, we miss the profound unity and fellowship the believers shared through the Spirit. There is no dynamic movement, the glory of God is not expressed, and God’s message of salvation does not overflow into the world without the power of the Holy Spirit.

What kind of community would provide evidence that God is doing something?

Evidence: God’s Glory on Display

Everyone was in awe of what God was doing (Acts 2:43). The presence of God was evident in the believers. When God is in the room, people take notice. They were overwhelmed, not with the disciples, but with the glory of God, and they responded with awe and wonder.

Evidence: Dependence through Prayer

Prayer reminds us that we desperately need God with us. Their devotion to prayer magnified God by showing their dependence upon him.

Evidence: Spirit Inspired Generosity

The fellowship of followers is empowered by the Spirit to move past humanity’s selfish inclinations and be a community of caring and sharing (Acts 2:44-45). The Holy Spirit transforms them to practice radical generosity, being concerned about the human needs of food, shelter, and health.

Evidence: Unity and Fellowship

In John 17:20-23, Jesus prayed that believers would demonstrate a supernatural unity that would amaze the world. Jesus draws His community together, and the Holy Spirit welds it together (Acts 2:46).

The unity of the church in God is the supreme testimony to the truth of the claim that Jesus is God’s authorized emissary. The existence of such a community is a supernatural fact which can be explained only as the result of a supernatural cause.

Without the power of the Holy Spirit, the community that Jesus builds is unable to display evidence of the presence of God.

2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

The Apostles’ Teaching about the Mission of Christ

Through the apostles’ teaching, this community of believers had come to understand what God accomplished. They have heard the gospel. They have experienced the good news that God has achieved the salvation of the world through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Today we have biblical texts that reveal what Jesus taught the apostles about His mission, like Luke 4:18-19, where He said that the Spirit of God was on Him and He was sent “to proclaim good news to the poor…to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

We have Christ’s commissions:

Matthew 28:18-20 (NIV)

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

John 20:21 (NIV)

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

A Missional Fellowship

These believers had started living as a family with God as their Father. They met in one another’s homes sharing meals and celebrating what God had done and was doing.

People long to have fellowship like theirs. But community can’t be the goal. If community is the goal, it becomes a destination rather than a dynamic. If the focus is on teaching, eating, fellowshipping, praying, and gathering and leaves out mission, God’s people turn inward and become immobilized. God intends for the community that Jesus builds to be a “missional” fellowship.

Acts 2 tells us that this community of believers enjoyed “the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

Their fellowship was more than a meeting. Their lives expressed the love and generosity they had experienced in Christ Jesus and they pressed outward to make disciples.

Christ’s Community on Mission

This new community was given a task. The mission of Jesus was to declare and demonstrate the good news, and His followers were sent with the same mission. They continue to declare and demonstrate God’s good news to others. They are now part of God’s reconciling mission to the world.

This fellowship of believers demonstrated the gospel by caring for the poor, the hurting, and those on the margins. Their transformed lives gave evidence to the good news they proclaimed. They were filled with joy and purpose and celebrated gathering together. They were bound together in love for God and one another. The very community into which they had been formed became a testimony and a witness through their words and deeds.

The message they declared was an invitation to follow Jesus and discover Him as the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6). It was an invitation to find God’s good news of forgiveness and liberation from bondage to sin through repentance. It was an invitation to find wholeness and fullness of life. It was an invitation to be part of the community of the redeemed where they could learn to fellowship with their Father and fellow believers and where they could be transformed into the image of their Savior.

God’s Mission Continues

Today, we must understand that this fellowship in which we are linked is more than a “holy huddle.” Our fellowship itself is to be extended to others. We are called to go and pursue Christ’s mission and make disciples who make disciples, inviting them into community with us so they might discover Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life.

These rhythms have repeated through the centuries and continue today. People whose lives are transformed by the good news gather in Christ’s community. They devote themselves to the apostles’ teaching and prayer, partnering in fellowship, breaking bread with glad and sincere hearts, living generous lives, going out to extend God’s good news to their family, friends, and neighbors. And they grow community day by day.

The community that Jesus builds is sent as a missionary to demonstrate and declare the gospel as it pursues the mission of God.

2 Corinthians 5:20 NIV

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Acts 2:42-47 describes the community that Jesus builds. God’s people are centered on Christ and linked together in fellowship. They come together and find unity around prayer, meals, the apostles’ teaching. They are also committed to meeting the needs of others. Jesus has a purpose for the community that He creates that goes beyond simply gathering together.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This passage tells us that God was moving and that everyone was in awe as the believers partner together. In their devotion to the apostles’ teaching, they would have learned about the instruction of Jesus to love your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:25-28) and the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). They would have heard stories like the radical generosity of Zacchaeus after his encounter with Jesus (Luke 19:1-10).

Grace leads to generosity

God’s grace had been poured out on them through salvation in Christ Jesus and had bound them together. This grace overflowed in a generosity that reveals their commitment to caring for the needs of others.

They centered their lives on Jesus and cared for one another because they have been given everything in Christ. They shared meals and possessions because they had been rescued, saved, and adopted into God’s family. John the apostle wrote,

1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.

A lifestyle of blessing

The believers were actively involved in meeting needs. It was more than random acts of kindness or part of a program that involved their giving from a distance.

The emphasis is not on the method of their sharing but their habit of lifestyle generosity. They did not sell all their possessions and not everyone sold (Acts 4:34-37), but they practiced periodic acts of sacrifice to meet specific needs. Their giving was organic as opposed to organized as they responded as needs arose.

They were not coerced or forced into this generosity. Their commitment was a spontaneous expression to the Holy Spirit’s prompting of how to care for others.

A commitment that challenges

The members of this community moved beyond feel-good fellowship to embrace the tough things in life. We are challenged to a counter-cultural lifestyle that runs against the grain of our American and Western mindset. We often look for ways to explain away their radical generosity because we do not want to live this way.

Having amassed a stockpile of possessions, belongings, and material things, our closets, cabinets, garages, and storage units are full of our stuff. We are in so much debt that we do not have any margin to assist those in need.

The challenge is to be aware of the needs around us, to move to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and to hold our possessions loosely.

Missional generosity

The community that Christ builds proves that it belongs to Him when it is committed to meeting the needs of others. This requires

• Time
• Personal resources
• Money
• Energy
• Tension
• Sacrifice

Generosity is part of a missional lifestyle. It is using what you have to serve people and bring glory to God.

2 Corinthians 9:10-13 (NIV)

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.

Acts 2:42-47 reveals that discovery communities, like churches, are centered on Christ. One of the distinguishing marks of the community that Jesus builds is that its members are linked together in fellowship.

Luke, the writer of Acts, uses the Greek word koinonia in Acts 2:42, which is often translated as “fellowship.” It is a word that is broad and rich in meaning. It refers to “sharing something in common” and “joint participation.” This community that Jesus builds is not a collective of individuals. It is a body of believers in partnership with one another.

The Vocabulary Is Plural

Consider the plural description of the community of believers described in the passage.

Acts 2:42-47 (NIV)

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

• They devoted themselves…
• All the believers were together…
• They sold…
• They continued to meet together…
• They broke bread…
• The Lord added to their number…

Their Fellowship Was Distinctive

The fellowship of the Christ-followers was different from all other fellowships. They shared a common faith that was markedly distinctive.

• Their lives centered on Christ made their fellowship distinctive (1 Corinthians1:9)
• The indwelling of the Holy Spirit made their fellowship distinctive (2 Corinthians 13:14)
• The teaching they adhered to made their fellowship distinctive.

Sharing Life Together

God intends for His people to have more than a weekly meeting in common. The fellowship of these believers meant that they shared life together. The New Testament depicts God’s people in relationship like a family. This passage presents the idea that they loved being together and did things with each other, over and over again.

• were together – verse 44 (an imperfect tense which means that they made it a practice of gathering together)
• Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together – verse 46

They did not live compartmentalized lives. They enjoyed each other’s company and were committed to one another.

A Remedy for Fragmented Society

Our western culture is immersed in individualism, which masks the value of the community that Jesus builds. The fellowship of believers linked in their one another family has the capacity to attract those who do not have a relationship with Christ. Jesus told His disciples, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)

Randy Frazee, in his book The Connecting Church lists some of the key problems that society faces that are addressed by a community linked together in fellowship.

(1) The problem of individualism

• Self over Others
• Discord over Harmony
• Individual Rights over Community

(2) The problem of isolation

• Internet shopping
• Rear driveways
• Privacy fences
• Automated drive-throughs

(3) The problem of loneliness

• Physically detached from each other
• Change places of residence frequently
• Do not know our neighbors

Partners in the Gospel

God’s people are linked together in service. The Greek word koinonia can be translated as “partnership,” “communion,” “participation,” and even “generosity.” Paul used it to refer to partnering in ministry (Philippians 1:3-5.) It can also mean sharing material possessions seen in 2 Corinthians 8:1-4 and evidenced in Acts 2 verse 45.

The fellowship of the church was a partnership as the believers joined together to advance God’s mission.

In this passage from the second chapter of Acts, we see that the believers were linked together in fellowship with God and with one another.

Larry Crabb writes,

There’s no higher dream than experiencing God as He moves through every circumstance of life to an eternal encounter with Himself where transformed people will enjoy perfectly loving community around Jesus Christ, the source of Perfect Love.

Let’s spend some time in Acts chapter 2 verses 42-47 to examine the idea that discovery communities are centered on Christ.

Acts 2:42-47 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Verse 42 tells us that the early believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

The Apostles Teaching Centered on Christ

What Did the Apostles Teach?

Luke concludes his gospel with a couple of stories. One is the account of two disciples on the road to Emmaus following the crucifixion of Jesus. They had not yet learned of the resurrection, but Jesus appeared to them as they journeyed. As they traveled, Jesus explained to them everything written about Him in the Old Testament scriptures (Luke 24:27).

A few verses later he recounts a second story. Jesus now appears to the gathered disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem and “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45-47). He reminds them that they are witnesses of all that God has done and is doing and that God will fulfill his promise of sending the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:48-49).

In Acts 2:1-13, Luke records the events on the Day of Pentecost as the Holy Spirit comes to indwell the believers. Also, remember that Jesus had told them that the Holy Spirit would be their teacher and remind them of everything he had said while he was with them (John 14:26).

Acts 2 continues with a sermon delivered by Peter and provides an example of the apostles’ teaching and how it centers on Christ (Acts 2:14-36). Peter emphasizes

• Christ’s work and mission
• Christ’s crucifixion
• Christ’s burial
• Christ’s resurrection
• Christ’s ascension
• Christ’s ongoing work

Acts 2:36 NIV

Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.

Because the Apostles had been eyewitnesses of the life and mission of Jesus, it stands to reason that He would be at the center of their teaching. They would tell the new believers the story of God’s Son. They would point to His teaching, miracles, death on the cross, rising from the dead, and ascension into heaven.

At the very center of the Apostle’s teaching would be the Good News of Jesus.

Fellowship of the Believers Centered on Christ

The believers found their identity in what Jesus had done for them. It was Jesus who had given them new life and salvation, and their fellowship was centered on Him.

1 John 1:1-4 NIV

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.

The believers centered their lives on Christ as they shared life together.

Breaking of Bread Centered on Christ

The breaking of bread points to two things. One, is simply that they shared meals with one another, and two, they observed the Lord’s Supper. People can come together and eat for many reasons, but in these early church gatherings, it was Christ that drew them together. Observing the Lord’s Supper helped them stay centered on Him. When they broke bread, they were reminded of the broken body and shed blood of Jesus (1 Corinthians 11:22-26).

Prayers Centered on Christ

Their prayer would have been centered on Christ because Jesus had taught His disciples to pray in His name.

John 14:13-14 NIV

And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

John 15:16 NIV

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

These Christ-centered prayers were for one another, for those in need, and for fulfilling God’s mission.

In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” If He is the builder, we must stay centered on Him.

Ephesians 1:22-23 NIV

And God placed all things under his [Christ’s} feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

A Discovery Community Story:

A nine-year-old boy was the first to read from the printed sheet, which contained several verses to lead us to reflect on God’s love for us, our love for God, and our love for others. As he finished 1 John 4:19, his brother, age 11, followed almost immediately, reading John 3:16-17.

Fellowship with One Another

Ten years ago, I was providing leadership for a network of simple churches (what I would now call Discovery Communities). They met at a local retreat center where we shared some fun games and spent some time in worship. Ranging in ages from 23 months to 60 years, we sat in a circle as the Spirit of God spoke to us and through us. I sat in awe with my face beaming as I observed God’s one another family responding to His presence among us.

A few of the adults told some stories about where they were seeing God at work in their lives. Others led the group in singing a few songs and choruses which were prompted from the scripture passages. A 23-month-old danced and clapped as we sang Father I Adore You.

A young woman in her early twenties said that she was suddenly reminded of a scripture song she learned as a young girl but could not remember the tune. As soon as she finished quoting the words, three other women were singing it, teaching it to the group. Some shared stories about memorizing scripture songs as children. Another young mother played her guitar, and we worshiped as she sang from her heart.

Instructing One Another

A four-year-old sitting in his uncle’s lap was learning from his elder in Christ. He pointed to a scripture passage on the handout and indicated that he wanted to read. He repeated two or three words at a time as his uncle read the passage…

The Father himself…The Father himself
loves you…loves you
because…because
you have loved me…you have loved me
and…and
have believed…have believed
that I came from God…that I came from God
John 16:27 NIV

Praying with and for One Another

In closing, I asked if three people would pray. Without hesitation, a man in his 50s opened with praise for the love God has shown us and that we were able to respond to that love. The nine-year-old who read at the beginning chimed in thanking God for loving us first. Our hearts joined his as he prayed the scripture passage he and his brother had read earlier. A young father of two closed with a confession for himself and all of us about our lack of being aware of opportunities to love others.

Join the Conversation:

Biblical community connects people in relationships that lead to spiritual transformation.

What are some of the benefits of participating with one another in this fashion?

Are you part of a small community of Christ-followers where you have the opportunity to practice “one anothers” of the New Testament?

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithfull stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

There are at least 59 one another commands in the New Testament that portray the way members of God’s family are to relate to each other. As these exhortations are lived out, God’s One Another Family becomes a witness to the entire world (John 13:15).

The groupings below are simply provided to help you read through this rather long list. You will quickly see that it is difficult to categorize these “one another” imperatives and that they often overlap from group to group.

Love one another

1. Love one another – John 13:34 NIV
2. Love one another – John 13:34 NIV
3. Love one another – John 13:35 NIV
4. Love one another – John 15:12 NIV
5. Love one another – John 15:17 NIV
6. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love – Romans 12:10 NIV
7. Love one another – Romans 13:8 NIV
8. Make your love increase and overflow for each other – 1 Thessalonians 3:12 NIV
9. Love each other – 1 Thessalonians 4:9 NIV
10. Love one another deeply, from the heart – 1 Peter 3:8 NIV
11. Love each other deeply – 1 Peter 4:8 NIV
12. Love one another – 1 John 3:11 NIV
13. Love one another – 1 John 3:23 NIV
14. Love one another – 1 John 4:7 NIV
15. Love one another – 1 John 4:11 NIV
16. Love one another – 1 John 4:12 NIV
17. Love one another – 2 John 5 NIV

Serve one another

1. Wash one another’s feet.” – John 13:14 NIV 
2. Serve one another in love – Galatians 5:13 NIV 
3. Carry each other’s burdens – Galatians 6:2 NIV 
4. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others – 1 Peter 4:10 NIV

Encourage one another

1. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs – Ephesians 5:19 NIV 
2. Encourage each other – 1 Thessalonians 4:18 NIV 
3. Encourage each other – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV 
4. Build each other up – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 NIV 
5. Encourage one another daily – Hebrews 3:13 NIV 
6. Spur one another on toward love and good deeds – Hebrews 10:24 NIV 
7. Encourage one another – Hebrews 10:25 NIV 
8. Pray for each other – James 5:16 NIV

Live in unity with one another

1. Be at peace with each other – Mark 9:50 NIV 
2. Live in harmony with one another – Romans 12:16 NIV 
3. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you – Romans 15:7 NIV 
4. Be patient, bearing with one another in love – Ephesians 4:2 NIV 
5. Be kind and compassionate to one another – Ephesians 4:32 NIV 
6. Forgiving each other – Ephesians 4:32 NIV 
7. Bear with each other – Colossians 3:13 NIV 
8. Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another – Colossians 3:13 NIV 
9. Confess your sins to each other – James 5:16 NIV 
10. Live in harmony with one another – 1 Peter 3:8 NIV

Be humble and submit one another

1. When you come together to eat, wait for each other – 1 Corinthians 11:33 NIV 
2. Have equal concern for each other – 1 Corinthians 12:25 NIV 
3. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ – Ephesians 5:21 NIV 
4. In humility consider others better than yourselves – Philippians 2:3 NIV 
5. Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another – 1 Peter 5:5 NIV

Honor one another

1. Honor one another above yourselves. – Romans 12:10 NIV 
2. Greet one another with a holy kiss – Romans 16:16 NIV 
3. Greet one another with a holy kiss – 1 Corinthians 16:20 NIV 
4. Greet one another with a holy kiss – 2 Corinthians 13:12 NIV 
5. Greet one another with a kiss of love – 1 Peter 5:14 NIV

Instruct one another

1. Instruct one another – Romans 15:14 NIV 
2. Teach [one another] – Colossians 3:16 NIV 
3. Admonish one another – Colossians 3:16 NIV

Do not harm one another

1. Stop passing judgment on one another – Romans 14:13 NIV 
2. If you keep on biting and devouring each other…you will be destroyed by each other – Galatians 5:15 NIV 
3. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other – Galatians 5:26 NIV 
4. Do not lie to each other – Colossians 3:9 NIV 
5. Do not slander one another – James 4:11 NIV 
6. Don’t grumble against each other – James 5:9 NIV 
7. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling – 1 Peter 4:9 NIV

Think it through

Are you part of a small community of Christ-followers where you have the opportunity to practice these “one anothers”?

What does this list tell us about God?

What does this list tell us about people?

What are you going to have to do to be obedient to what you discovered here?

This is the final post in the series, Making Disciples through Discovery Community.

A Discovery Community is a developing group of people following Jesus Christ outside the walls of a church building who are discovering Him as the way, the truth, and the life.

You can read the series here:

Part 1: What Is a Discovery Community?
Part 2: Discovery Community – Suitable Name
Part 3: Discovery Community – Strategic Environment
Part 4: Discovery Community – Simple Meeting Format
Part 5: Discovery Community – Repeatable Rhythms

Frameworks for meetings are needed, but they should be simple and reproducible. Dave DeVries writes in Six Word Lessons to Discover Missional Living, “Habits and practices embodied together in community with other Christians will be replicated.”

In our last post, we examined using the five corporate rhythms of linking, loving, listening, looking, and leaving in a Discovery Community meeting. The repetition of the 5 Ls and conversation questions is intentional. They are repeatable and contribute to disciple-making in several ways.

Repeatable Rhythms for Everyday Life

The 5Ls of a discovery community meeting should not end when the meeting is over but should be repeated in everyday living.

Rhythms for following Christ into the world

As members leave discovery community meetings, they are encouraged to allow the rhythms to flow throughout the week as they follow Christ in the world. They will discover opportunities to link with others. They can practice listening by asking questions and paying attention to what is said. They will discover ways to practice love in practical ways. They will develop eyes that look to see where God is working. (See 5 Everyday Missional Rhythms)

Rhythms for individual Bible reading and discovery

The practice of the 5Ls in community is easily transferred to individual Bible reading and study. Through these rhythms members will develop the skill of examining scripture personally, leading to mature Christ-followers who are not dependent upon others for insights into God’s word.

Repeatable Rhythms for Communal Life

In addition to a weekly format, the rhythms of linking, loving, listening, looking, and leaving can be repeated communally in at least three ways.

Rhythms that pursue the mission of Christ

A Discovery Community is more than a meeting. It is a community on mission together and should look for ways to repeat the rhythms corporately. People will be drawn to a group of people who demonstrate and declare the good news of God’s kingdom.

Rhythms that produce new leaders

One of the roles of a Discovery Community facilitator is to develop new leaders. The goal is that after only a few sessions, anyone could replicate the rhythms. Meetings should be simple enough that group members could say, “I can do that.” Individual rhythms can be assigned to members to prepare and lead. It’s easier to conduct just one of the rhythms than it is to facilitate an entire meeting.

Rhythms that expand into new discovery communities

Members who have learned to repeat the 5Ls when spending time in God’s Word and who have been practicing the rhythms when leading meetings will be able to facilitate new discovery communities. The goal is that anyone in the group can reproduce the 5Ls and make disciples anywhere they find a person of peace and a pocket of people.

Simple things reproduce more easily

Discovery communities are a simple, reproducible method of disciple-making. The intentional consistency of practicing the 5Ls becomes predictable, reliable, and repeatable. A little repetition will multiply disciples, leaders, discovery communities and movements. 

Contact Called to the Journey if you want to know more about Discovery Communities.

A Discovery Community is a developing group of people following Jesus Christ outside the walls of a church building who are discovering Him as the way, the truth, and the life. You can read the series here: 

Part 1: What Is a Discovery Community
Part 2: Discovery Community – Suitable Name
Part 3: Discovery Community – Strategic Environment
Part 4: Discovery Community – Simple Meeting Format
Part 5: Discovery Community – Repeatable Rhythms

A Discovery Community is more than a meeting – it is a network of relationships. But when the community gathers, there are some rhythms that can help things run smoothly and orderly.

5 Ls for Discovery Community Meetings

A Discovery Community meeting can be structured around five corporate rhythms (Linking, Loving, Listening, Looking, and Leaving). These 5 Ls are intended to be a flexible framework for meetings rather than a rigid structure. They allow for maximum participation and are easy to follow.

Linking / Me to You (10-15 minutes)

Linking will usually include some kind of icebreaker. The icebreaker helps people enter the group dynamic as each person in the group is linked to everyone else. Many discovery communities begin their meeting with a meal, which enhances linking and fellowship.

Loving / Us to God (10-15 minutes)

The purpose of the loving rhythm is to direct the group’s attention to Christ. It is a time to offer praise through worship and prayer and acknowledge the presence of Christ in the meeting. Spending some time in worship at the beginning of a meeting centers people afresh on Jesus and helps open them to the presence of the Lord. A community loving and worshiping together will easily move on to expressing love for one another throughout the meeting.

Listening / God to Us (20-30 minutes)

The listening rhythm provides a time to allow God to speak directly through the Bible. Discovery community leaders are more facilitators than Bible teachers or preachers. Through listening questions, leaders help participants hear what the Spirit is saying through God’s word. They facilitate a conversation between the group and the Holy Spirit that leads to discovery and application. Leaders should not talk too much and be dispensers of information because the goal is transformation. The aim is for the participants to apply God’s Word to daily living and to go away changed by what they discover through God’s eternal message.

Looking / God to Us (10-15 minutes)

The looking rhythm focuses on two things. First, for transformation to take place, participants must look into their own lives and see how to be obedient to the truths they have just discovered. In addition to this inward look, the group should also be encouraged to look outward. They should be challenged to consider who within their circle of influence needs to hear what they have just discovered and to make a commitment to share their discoveries.

Leaving / Us to Them (10-15 minutes)

The leader intentionally dismisses the meeting encouraging members to follow Christ in the world. They are challenged to be obedient to what they hear the Spirit saying, to share what they have discovered, and to join the Father where He is working.

This simple format provides a flexible outline for discovery community meetings. It can be used to help people, no matter where they are on their journey, to discover Christ as the way, the truth, and the life.

We will conclude this series on Making Disciples through Discovery Community next week when we look at the subject: Discovery Community – Repeatable Rhythms.

We’re continuing a series of posts about Making Disciples through Discovery Community.

A Discovery Community is a developing group of people following Jesus Christ outside the walls of a church building who are discovering Him as the way, the truth, and the life. You can read the series here:

Part 1: What Is a Discovery Community?
Part 2: Discovery Community – Suitable Name
Part 3: Discovery Community – Strategic Environment
Part 4: Discovery Community – Simple Meeting Format
Part 5: Discovery Community – Repeatable Rhythms

Where Discovery Communities are located, serve a strategic purpose in making disciples. They are planted right in the middle of pockets of people who may be unlikely to come to a traditional church. They are primarily defined by relationships and meet outside the walls of a church building in any place and at any time that best meets the needs of those gathering.

In New Testament times, more emphasis was placed on the extended family than on immediate family units. The word used to describe this was the Greek OIKOS, which means house or household. While in our culture, we tend to think of a household as our immediate family, the ancient understanding was much broader. Joel Comisky writes that OIKOS included family, both immediate and extended, and also “slaves, freemen, hired workers, and sometimes tenants and partners in trade or craft.”

Today one might refer to a person’s OIKOS as one’s life group. An OIKOS is made up of the people with whom life is done regularly. It is the people among whom someone moves and interacts.

Think Groups not Individuals

In the New Testament, the basic form of reaching people was not one-on-one or mass evangelism. The gospel flowed naturally along the line of the household. Just as in the New Testament, people today are already grouped in natural relationships. The aim of seeding new discovery communities is to win life groups or households to Jesus.

Identifying OIKOS Relationships

When Jesus sent out his disciples in Luke 10 and Matthew 10, he sent them to relational networks of people in search of a person of peace. 

Within households, there are persons of peace whom the Holy Spirit prepares to open the door to the Gospel. This may be a man, woman, teenager, or child who has a desire to know more about Jesus. They could come from any walk of life and will welcome you, listen to your message, provide an entry point into their life group, and influence them for the sake of the Gospel.

A Strategic Environment

Some of the strategic elements of the Discovery Community environment include: 

1. They meet in places in which the participants are already comfortable and familiar 
2. They are not bound by traditional times and locations 
3. The participants already have a relationship with one another 
4. The disciple-making team is asked to move toward the OIKOS rather than the OIKOS moving towards them 
5. Entire households begin following Christ, come to faith in Him, and grow in His likeness 
6. People coming to faith in Christ are not removed from their OIKOS and those with whom they have influence 
7. An expression of the body of Christ becomes evident in the places where people live, work, learn, and play

Connecting OIKOS Relationships to Jesus

The Holy Spirit used this linking of people in networks to spread the Gospel across the Roman world and will use the same format to reach people today. Jesus instructed, “Stay in that house (OIKOS), eating and drinking what they give you…Do not keep moving from house (OIKOS) to house (OIKOS)” (Luke 10:7).

Join the conversation:

As we move from thinking about the people we link with as individuals to the groups they represent, how can this change our missional behavior? 

Grace and Peace, 
Terry Sanders