The believers continued to devote themselves to what the apostles were teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to times of prayer.

Acts 2:42 International Standard Version

Community should not be a pain. But like all disciplines, it starts with pain and eventually the team work and joyful efforts of everyone will produce fruits for the Kingdom.

In Acts of the Apostles you will discover how the early church wrestled with all kinds of challenges and struggles that threatened the life and mutual reciprocity of community. The believers devoted themselves to four critical components of a common faith so as to ensure a spirit of constant unity and harmony. They become more and more faithful and fruitful as they meet to learn and fellowship and feast and pray together.

When we or others neglect practising these four basic things consistently, our individual and community life will experience waning spiritual vitality and increasing conflicts. Many implicitly assume the church exists for their individual fulfilment. If our focus is about, "What have I got out of the sermon?" or "What the church has done for me lately?", then we are lacking perspective of what it means to be part of a local church. These self-centred questions show we are consumers, not producers nor collaborators to grow in our common faith. This makes it easy to become frustrated with each other and makes communal life more stressful than it is worth.

Acts 2:46 tells us how the first Christians met daily in the temple and in one another's homes. You can see their priority to share life and do life together. As believers, we should endeavour to connect and care for each other as often as possible. 

Refraining from gathering together during this time of COVID crisis is a double-edged sword for us. On one hand, we want everyone to feel safe and stay safe but on the other hand, we lose momentum because everything grinds to a halt when there is a lockdown or another wave of resurgence. 

While our worship services are now using online technology, we can feel a diminishing sense of community due to physical separation. Thus, it is essential that we take personal responsibility and actions to maintain existing relationships and build new ones.  By giving support and encouraging each other during this critical period can be good for our own mental and spiritual health and well-being. In doing so, we will become more resilient and will enjoy the blessing of community.