“All the believers continued together in close fellowship.” Acts 2:44 (GNT)

When you’re going through a tough time, there’s no one who can care for you like a loving church family. 

It’s been that way since the beginning of the church. In the early years of Christianity, followers of Jesus faced a lot of persecution from the Roman Empire. Many of them were even killed. So they banded together and really took care of each other. They loved and supported each other.

There’s a biblical word for that support network. It’s called fellowship. Fellowship means we are as committed to each other as we are to Jesus.

The Bible says this in Acts 2:42: “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (NLT). Another translation says, “They were like family to each other” (CEV).

Over and over again the church is called a family. It’s not a business; it’s not an organization; it’s not a social club. The church is a family. In fact, the Bible tells us to treat older men in the church as spiritual fathers and older women as spiritual mothers, and to treat your peers as brothers and sisters. In fact, in some Christian traditions, church members still call each other “brother” and “sister.”

What do you do with family? You accept them and stick up for them, even if they’re a little weird. You help them when they’re in trouble. You provide for them when they can’t provide for themselves. You show physical affection to each other, offering a hug or pat on the back when someone needs it.

And this kind of fellowship often happens in each other’s homes. Acts 2:46 says, “They . . . met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity” (NLT).

The early church grew quickly because of this loving support. Even when non-Christians didn’t understand Christians’ beliefs, they had to acknowledge that they loved each other really well.

In fact, nobody in the Roman Empire loved people like the Christians did. Acts 2:44 says, “All the believers continued together in close fellowship” (GNT).

Love attracts. When Christians genuinely love each other, you can’t keep people away. Are you offering that kind of loving fellowship in your church?