Therefore, Go...
Our STORY
After Christ's crucifixion and resurrection but before he was taken up into heaven, he gave this command: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt. 28:19-20
Our story is simply living out that command- to 'go and make disciples'. Simply put, The Table, in its literal and figurative forms, is the place where followers of Jesus are invited into community, encouraged to grow, and in turn make other followers of Jesus.
Why 'The table'?
The end of Acts 2 (verses 42-47) gives us a brief but very essential snapshot of how the earliest followers of Jesus gathered. Often times it was in their homes, over food served on a table that they praised God. It was a table, amongst disciples, that Jesus had his last supper before his crucification. There are numerous accounts of Jesus sitting at tables not only eating but loving, teaching, rebuking, and performing miracles. So it seems fitting that even today we would do the same over 'the table'. For now, because of the pandemic, our table must be virtual but we pray, sooner than later, that we can come together again in person over a real table to learn from one another and praise God.
a biblical sense of
Community
Being in community doesn't merely mean we meet twice a month, praise Jesus a bit, read a little Bible, close in prayer, and keep it moving. No. Biblical community is communal (but please don't think 'hippie commune'). We were created to be in community and fellowship with one another on a consistent basis. We're to look out for one another, making sure our brothers and sisters are wanting for nothing we can provide. And if we can't provide it, we can definitely help point one another in the right direction both spiritually and physically. Acts 4:34 says it so succinctly: "And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them."
Love, and fearless generosity within a community of Jesus-followers not only imitates how Jesus lived on earth, it also facilitates a culture that is sure to overflow beyond just this community.