Thou Shalt Mingle Meaningfully

189 - Today's Prime Time Devo comes from 1Ti 6:17,18, “ Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. 18 Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share,” (1 Tim 6:17,18) The final command listed here for the rich is “Thou shalt be willing to share.” It's not what you think it is! The word in the Greek is koinonikos and it means “willing to communicate.” Perhaps you have heard the word koinonia before. This word is often used to describe the early church and it speaks of meaningful fellowship. Don't think that being generous with your money is enough. You don't use it as a stiff arm in order to keep yourself a safe distance away from mingling with the herd. Koinonikos involves rolling up your shirt sleeves and getting involved in the life of the congregation. I fear this is a very real threat in the church today, where it is easy to get lost in the sheer numbers. We need to fight this tendency with all we have because it is hurting our evangelism efforts. We need koinonia! It was a vital part of church growth as we read in Ac 2:42-47, “ And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, (koinionia) in the breaking of bread, (they ate together) and in prayers. (They prayed together) 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. (God moved in their midst in their togetherness!) 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. (They sought to meet the needs of those in their midst!) 46 So continuing daily (church was not a once a week thing!) with one accord in the temple, (the doctrine of Christ and the Gospel being the basis of their unity!) and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. (Unbelievers noticed their simple, joy filled, friend filled lives, and look what happened! “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.” There you have it, our final command for the rich. (and that's us) “Thou shalt mingle meaningfully.” The size of the church doesn't matter, it's the size of your “want to” and it starts with each one of us!