“They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together . . . And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony.” Acts 2:42, 44 (MSG)

The number one purpose in life is to learn how to love. It’s why God put you here on this earth—instead of creating you and taking you straight to heaven. And one of the best places to learn how to love is in a small group.

In fact, small groups are laboratories for learning how to love.

God wants you to learn to love him and others. He gives you Christian community—the church—to encourage you and help you grow in wisdom and walk faithfully with God. Learning to love is your greatest lesson in life—and you learn how to do that in community.

You can’t learn to love unless you’re around other people—people who are often different from you or might even get on your nerves. That’s one reason why a lot of people are drawn to religions that teach that the way you become holy is by isolating yourself from others. Sometimes that seems like the easier way.

Jesus said there’s a better way. He spent his life around people in homes, in the marketplace, in the temple, in the country, on the sea, and on the road. He loved people wherever he met them, just as they were, and forgave them and showed them grace. You can’t learn to love like that if you’re not around other people.

We practice love in small groups. The biblical word for practicing love is called fellowship. It’s one of the greatest gifts small groups give us—fellowship with people who love and accept us and help us become better followers of Jesus.

Acts 2:42 says this of the early church: “They were like family to each other” (CEV). In many ways your spiritual family can be closer than your physical family.

The Message paraphrases Acts 2:42 this way: “They committed themselves to . . . life together.”

Love isn’t a feeling; it’s a commitment. If you think love is a feeling, then as soon as the feeling is gone, you think the love is gone. No! Love is a choice. In small groups, we choose to love because God has shown his great love for us.

Practicing loving people is often messy and imperfect and sometimes difficult. But when you choose to love and commit to a group of people who share your faith in Jesus, something powerful happens—you start growing together in ways you never could on your own.