Coming into the race the thing I was looking forward, and also the most nervous about, was the community we were going to have every single day. I was excited to be around people my age that all had the same goal in mind, to share the love of Jesus, but I was also nervous because I was going to be around these people 24/7 for 11 months, what if they don’t like me? What if I don’t like them? What if…? The enemy doesn’t like community, he doesn’t like when believers get together because he knows when we get together miraculous things happen, people get healed, saved, and freed from bondage. So it makes sense why he would put those thoughts of doubt and fear in my mind, to try and keep me from community. But instead of being trapped in my fear of the “what if’s” it made me pray more and more for my community, for my team and for our relationship that we were about to have. Even though I had that fear the Lord gave me the courage to continue to walk in faith that He had it all planned out. And wouldn’t you know He did!
As I look back over the last 3 months of my time on the race my favorite parts are not the miracles, not the preaching, and not even the casting out of demons (which are all pretty high up there on the awesome chart) but my favorite is the breaking of the bread after all that stuff. The sitting around the table, in community, sharing the glory of God and growing closer with each other.
I remember one night in San Pedro, after a day of casting out demons, we sat in the very same room that everything went down, people seizing, throwing up, and screaming, and we sat around the table, broke bread and praised God for all that He had done that day. We laughed, we shared the hard parts, and we opened our Bibles and gained wisdom and knowledge about what just happened. I remember sitting at the table in the middle of dinner and looking around and just being overwhelmed with joy, thinking that this is what it would have looked like during the time Jesus walked the earth with His disciples. This is what the community He was around looked like, people sitting around the table eagerly wanting to seek God in everything we do, wanting to grow in a more intimate relationship with our Father, and wanting to love and serve people, but also that we still aren’t perfect like the 12 disciples, we still had questions and fears.
It was an Act 2 moment for me, “They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (v46-47)
Looking back on my childhood, I remember so many nights how hard it was for us as a family to have family dinner, with all the sports, school events, church events, and the list could go on and on, but my parents made it a priority to have those family dinners. I remember sometimes it would be at 8pm and yet we still sat around the table and got the inevitable question from our mom, “what was your favorite thing that happened today?” Even as we grew up and it wasn’t necessarily forced to have dinner together, we would sit at the table for hours, and I mean hours! Either talking about serious things or silly things, but that’s my family’s thing, that is a priority for us, we always can make time to sit at the table and be in community with each other, instead of just warm bodies living in the same house.
I feel as though God has given me new eyes to see things differently, which I am so thankful for and is an answer to prayer. As I have gained a new passion and desire to read my Bible, I read and just admire how much of a community they have, how much they come together and break bread together and love one another deeply because God loves them deeply and they love God deeply. I didn’t know it as a kid but that’s what my parents were doing and are still doing when we sit around the table, they were a living example of what it looks like to live in community with others.
This month in Peru has looked different, we are all split up in our ministries, Luis and I are working in an after school program, Calvin and Darlin are also working in a after school program but different from ours, and then Caleb and Cristen are working in the café that we are staying at, which is a non-profit organization. We typically spend the mornings having quiet time and going out when we want and then we all depart and go to our ministries. The best part is that when we all come together later that night we have the whole place to ourselves, we cook, play music, talk about our day and then all come together and sit around the table to break bread.
We care well for each other and it is just so beautiful. Like when it was my dad’s birthday, we celebrated him together, which not only was for my dad, but was for me because I was homesick and wanted to be with him on his day. When there is a need in our team we come together and figure it out and help that person. I feel as though we truly are living Acts 2 out and it isn’t easy all the time, but when God is the focus it is more that doable, it is just a way of life.
So I challenge you to look at your community, to look at your life and see if it matches up with Acts 2, see if it is in line with God’s will.
If it is, great that’s awesome, now how can you invite more people into that community to spread the love of Jesus?
If not and you don’t know how to even being to change that, start praying and start being open to the answer God gives. Start getting involved in a church in any way you can, invite people over for dinner, even if it feels awkward at first let the Spirit lead your conversations. You are not meant to do this journey alone, yes, your relationship with Jesus is personal and intimate but God calls us to be in community and to love one another like a brother and to do that, most of the time, you have to have relationship with them. God has more for you, all you have to do is ask Him.
Who is God calling you to break bread with?
