Adding to the number

Acts 2:46-47

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 favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

This evening I had my bible returned to me from a brother who was here for the weekend. I was in another city and left it at the church I went to. Thankfully being reunited with it, it’s amazing how much you miss something. Absence certainly does make the heart grow fonder! 

The verse above, was a verse I highlighted a very long time ago. I highlighted “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

It brings me [and many others!] great joy to learn of someone becoming a Christian. I can tell you the amount of times I get ecstatic and excited to hear that X amount of people became believers. A sense of pure joy to know that more people are being added to the number of believers in this Body here on earth.

It’s exciting simply because it reaffirms that:

- God is amazing in His miraculous power of saving people.

- God continues to work and romances people to falling in love with Him, on a daily basis.

- God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He has saved many and will continue to do so.

- God is a forgiving God, and through that we are saved.
- It’s not us saving the people, it’s God that’s doing it, by His amazing intervention (Him doing it another words!)

- God’s love is just indescribable. 

And well, I am encouraged by the above verse, because that was what it was like in the early church days of Acts. Jesus had gone back to Heaven, and the church had just started to establish. And Paul, Peter and others were spreading the good news, which went around like wildfire--people believing. It happened back then. And it happens today. 

To add, the whole breaking of bread, i.e. having communion together with the other believers to remember Jesus’s sacriface,
bread = body. wine = blood.

I can honestly say every time I have it, I love it. In the past 3 years being overseas, I struggled with it. Why? Because I didn’t have enough of it. So everytime we had communion I would be emotional, just thinking about the true meaning of it all. We didn’t have enough of it because the church there was careful not to scare people with communion--as people would be confused or not really know the true meaning or there would be misunderstandings, as a lot were new to learning about Christianity. So hence, it was once in a blue moon. And when we had it, wow. But I can also say that in the past 3 years, I might have taken part in this activity close to maybe 10 times or so.  

But it brings me pure joy, so much joy to be back in a place where the body of believers have it frequently enough [but not too often that it gets taken for granted for!]

I love remembering the meaning of communion. And I love that at that moment in time everyone is thinking the same thing. 

Yet the one thing I wish, would be that all believers would also be contemplative of Christ on a daily basis. Every time we have fellowship--to celebrate and come together with sincere hearts, gladness and praising God. And I know that God is adding to the number of believers, daily... though we may not know these folks personally... just to know that God is at work anyway. I hope this though will also promote us all to be glad and praising God.

It’s a win-win situation.