YOUTH FELLOWSHIP

CHAPEL OF VICTORY (HAUSA SECTION) B.U.K

Theme: …I am doing a new thing… (Isaih 43:19 NIV)

BIBLE STUDY UNIT

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TOPIC: THE SECRET OF THE EARLY CHURCH – FELLOWSHIP

TEXT: ACTS 2:42–47

PROLOGUE

Rick Warren muses that, “If you ask typical church members why their church exist? You will get a wide
variety of answers.” Win Arn surveyed members of nearly thousand churches asking the question, “Why does
the church exist?” 89% said, “The church’s purpose is to take care of my family’s needs.” Only 11% said, “The
purpose of the church is to win the world for Christ.” Imagine how wrong the church of today is getting the
TRUE purpose of “fellowship.”

For the fact that, the word “fellowship” in Greek “koinonia” means “communion”, fellowship,” “sharing in
common,” “companionship,” “partaking,” or “partnering” with your fellow believer, does not negate Christ in
the equation. It is also being united with Christ through fellowship with him (1 Cor 1:9; Heb 3:14), with the
Father (1 John 1:3) and with the Holy Spirit (2 Cor 13:14; Phil 1:21; Heb 6:4). Therefore, TRUE fellowship
must involve sharing in the mission of Christ.

The Christians you meet in the book of Acts were not content to meet once a week for “services as usual.”
They met daily (Acts 2:46), cared daily (Acts 6:1), won souls daily (Acts 2:47), searched the Scriptures daily
(Acts 17:11), and increased in number daily (Acts 16:5).

BIBLE STUDY QUESTIONS

1. What are the things that the early Church gave priority to? List them.
2. Which of the priorities of the early church, listed in Acts 2:42-47, are currently priorities for you?
Which do you currently have trouble making space for?
3. In line with the statement made by Rick Warren which goes, “Never confuse methods with the
message. The message must never change, but the methods must change with the new generation.”
What other programs apart from those observed by the early church would you suggest? List then
discuss them.
4. What do you think were the outcomes of the early fellowship as stated in Acts 2.43, 44 and 2.47b?
The church was healed through miracles (43), unified (Acts 2:44), magnified (Acts 2:47a), and
multiplied (Acts 2:47b).

EPILOGUE: The Christian faith of the early church was a day-to-day reality, not a once-in-a-week routine.
Why? Because the risen Christ was a living reality to them, and His resurrection power was at work in their
lives through the Spirit.

ENDNOTES

Don Fleming, Bridgeway Bible Dictionary (Brisbane, Australia: Bridgeway Publications, 2004).
Greg Laurie, Upside Down Living Bible Study (Canada: Kerygma Pub., 2009).
Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Church: Growth Without Compromising Your Message and Mission (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan, 1995).
Warren W. Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Bible Commentary of the NT (Colorado Springs, U.S.A.: David C. Cook, 2007).