Acts 2:42

• Community is life-giving and essential to following Christ. Our actions and words best reflect our love for Jesus in the context of community fellowship.
  
• Christian fellowship is primarily a relationship rather than an activity. Present-day believers meet as a corporate body of celebration services, but then gather in smaller expressions of this in LifeNet groups.
  
• Community fosters love (Col. 3:13-14), and is life-giving (Romans 12:4-5).
  

Acts 2:42-47 tells us the result of such devotion "to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers" - the growth of the church, both in its spiritual and numerical sense.

The community of faith in Jerusalem lives a multifaceted witness, one not restricted to a single place or mode, which manifests itself in houses and in the temple. It benefits its members and earns the admiration of outsiders. Community exists not for its own sake, but to care for its most vulnerable members and to be a means by which God extends salvation to others.

It can be hard for some of us to commit to community, especially if we are guarded or prefer solitude. But community is God's desire for us - and a sign of mature faith, because at the end of the day, when we grow in our relationships with others, we're growing in our relationship with Him.


Join us in our English service of the International congregation in Yangon!

Acts 2:42

Community is life-giving and essential to following Christ. Our actions and words best reflect our love for Jesus in the context of community fellowship.

The church that Jesus died for (like The Early Church) is devoted to the teaching and learning of the Word of God, to the daily fellowship of believers, to the breaking of bread (in remembrance of why He died for us) and to prayers.

1. Devoted to the apostles' teaching - They were persistent or active listeners and learners of the Word of God. It was the message that brought them into fellowship.
2. Devoted to the Fellowship (Koinonia) - They shared, received and gave together in the Trinitarian fellowship. We are united by our common share in the grace of God. Christian fellowship is primarily a relationship rather than an activity. As a result, the Christian community fosters love (Col. 3:13-14), and is life-giving (Rom. 12:4-5).
3. Devoted to the breaking of bread - This refers to the partaking of the communion that Christ instituted during Passover. It tells us the focus of the apostles' teaching: the cross.
4. Devoted to prayers - They gathered daily to pray together in corporate prayer, putting the needs of others before their own.

• Verse 47 tells us the result of such devotion: the growth of the church both in spiritual and numerical sense.
  
• The community of faith in Jerusalem lives a multifaceted witness, one not restricted to a single place or mode, which manifested itself in houses and in the temple.
• Community exists not for its own sake, but to care for its most vulnerable members and to be a means by which God extends salvation to others.
• It can be hard for some of us to commit to community, especially if we are guarded or prefer solitude. But community is God's desire for us - and a sign of mature faith, because at the end of the day, when we grow in our relationship with others, we're growing in our relationship with Him.

Join us in our English service of the International Congregation in Yangon!

“To Rest in God”
(Exodus 20:8-11)

​The 4th commandment is God’s call for God’s people, to remember what kind of covenant He has made with them, and remain in this covenant, looking forward to the day it is fulfilled.  
Practicing Sabbath reminds them “I’m in this covenant.” Practicing Sabbath lets them taste what this covenant means in reality. Practicing Sabbath re-shape their lives aligning with the covenant.
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For Lifenet groups and personal reflection
1. Think about problems in your life about the past, about the present and about the future. Through practicing the Sabbath, what does God remind his people of his covenant about the past, about the present and about the future?
2. Why could Israelites not enter the promise Land? (Heb 3:16-19) What does their unbelief mean? What is it like to observe the Sabbath without faith? Why must faith be involved in observing the Sabbath?
3. The ceremonial laws are the shadows of Christ. What do the priesthood, tabernacle and sacrifices teach about Christ? How dose Christ give you rest?
4. Some ideas about how you can practice the Sabbath are introduced. When and how will you have the Sabbath this week?

NLIF is an international church in Yangon. Come and join our English Sunday worship service.

“Bring honor to His name”
(Exodus 20:7)

​“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain” (NASB).
It tells us to take God’s name seriously with full honor and the highest respect, because he is great and awesome. Otherwise, we will end up losing our intimate relationship with him. We won’t glorify him, and we will also damage our self-worth as his children.
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For LifeNet groups and personal reflection.
1. How is the name of God misused in our society? Think about a case of Using it meaninglessly, or Underestimating God, or Empty calling, or Making others afraid of God.
2. Have you ever used God’s name in vain? How?
3. Read Matthew 18:15-35.
1) V.35 is the conclusion. What does it say?
2) For considering this conclusion, how can we use the authority of “loosing and binding”? (see v.18-20). Who will decide whether to loose or to bind? What is the danger of binding - unforgiving?
3) What is the difference between praying for forgiveness with other believers, and doing it alone? Imagine if you do it with a prayer partner, what would be your thoughts and feelings while praying to forgive someone? What kind of role may the partner play for you?
4) How would you use the name of God to bring honor to Him?
 
NLIF is an international church in Yangon. Come and join our English Sunday worship service.

“God hears our Prayers”
(Daniel 10:12-19)

​From the moment we start to pray, God is already listening. And He will start to answer the prayers. But it doesn’t mean the situations will change immediately. God fulfills His will in His time, in His way. God tries to help us see this. But Satan and evil spirits try to hinder that. There is a spiritual battle.
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NLIF is an international church in Yangon. Come and join our English Sunday worship service.