A Friendly Church
A Friend Or Two Would Help
Have you been looking for a friendly church in San Antonio, TX?
Unfortunately, true friendship is one of the most neglected values in many churches today. While people are generally attracted to larger churches, they don’t always find the kind of relationships they are looking for, or even desperately needing. Last Sunday you may have received a few handshakes at the entrance, and a “How are you doing today,” but these surface gestures don’t necessarily fill the loneliness void.
It can be so frustrating to attend a church and feel like no one would notice if you suddenly stopped showing up. Where’s the love? Didn’t Jesus say that the world would know that we were His disciples by the love that we have for each other? Absolutely! Check out John 13:35.
So what’s the solution? We are raising the value of friendship within the Movement Church to the highest personal, practical, and yes, theological level. And there’s just one reason for this: Love doesn’t simply appear in a vacuum. It arises from friendship. How many times have you seen two people fall in love after they began a friendship? It happens all the time. Likewise, a friendly church is where you will experience the love of God and the beauty of Christian unity.
The Movement Church is very intentional about creating environments where people can become friends. The Bible uses a very special term for this. It is the word koinonia in Greek, and often translated as “fellowship” in English. The word itself has a deep, rich meaning. It conveys the practice of “sharing,” “communing” and “participating” in life together.
Don’t get me wrong. We’re not talking about sickie-sweet, gushy pretenders here. No, these are 24/7 friends that you can call when your toilet backs up and floods the house, or when you need help moving on a Saturday afternoon. True friends are the ones who stick closer than a brother and don’t flinch when you are less than perfect.
With so many lonely people in the world, churches would benefit from rediscovering koinonia. Let me to share the passage of Scripture where this word first appears in the New Testament. It is the essence of authentic friendship.
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.
How cool it would be to relive the book of Acts. I believe this description is a good place to start. Wouldn’t you agree that it sets the bar pretty high? If this kind of thinking inspires you, perhaps you should come to the Movement.
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