Key Bible Verse: They joined with the other believers and devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship (Acts 2:42). Bonus Reading: Acts 2:42-47

Most of us have stopped noticing that the Book of Acts and the Epistles never mention more than one church per city. So far as we can tell, the believers in Antioch, Ephesus, Philippi, Rome, and Thessalonica were unified as a family.

Granted, the people didn't meet under one roof; they gathered in private homes all across the city. But they were a "body" nonetheless, under unified leadership, caring for one another and supporting each other's walk of faith. They belonged to each other.

Some contemporary pastors are working to reclaim this identity. On a citywide basis, they meet for prayer and mutual encouragement. They're speaking among themselves and to their congregations about the idea of "the Church at Denver" or "the Church at Indianapolis," meaning all of God's people in that locale, regardless of which specific theology they embrace or which building they use. Were we to work together across denominational lines for common causes in evangelism, ministry to the poor, guidance to troubled youth, or other needs, the watching world would see more of what unites us and less of what divides us.

—Dean Merrill in Damage Control

My Response: One way believers could work together in my community is ____.

Adapted from Damage Control (Baker, 2006) by permission.

Prayer for the Week

Teach us, Lord, how to create bonds of cooperation and fellowship that invite others instead of erecting walls of self-preservation and competition that repel.

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