March 2022 KUCU Alumni Fellowship Prayer Week Devotions

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus

 A story is told of a family who went to the movies. On their way in, the young man of the family stopped at the refreshment stand to pick up some popcorn. By the time he got into the theatre, the lights were already dim and he couldn’t find his family. Running up and down the aisles in near darkness, peering down each row. Finally, and out of desperation, he stopped and asked out loud, “Does anyone here recognize me?”

Even though our social space as KUCUAF fraternity may be well-lit, there may be people among us who feel like this young man – lost, isolated and disconnected from everyone. Many of us here are silently crying out, “Does anyone here recognize me?” They’re longing for true Christian fellowship.

Even though the body of Christ ought to be the place where you can find genuine fellowship in Christ, too often it is lacking. In 2011/2012, my wife Winnie and myself were looking for a church to settle in. We had just gotten married and so we needed that church that could offer warmth and genuine fellowship. We visited many congregations and we thought it should have been obvious to the regular attendees to just recognize that we were new. At times we arrived before even the services began and stood around for quite a while after the services hoping to catch some attention, yet no one came up to talk with us. Obviously, that doesn’t incline you toward going back a second time. We finally, visited our current assembly, the Deliverance Church Githurai 45 and we were shocked that the senior pastor recognized us from the pulpit and even invited us to his office after the service to fellowship. That made the difference.

The local church is not supposed to be like a theatre. Our gatherings should never be places where you file in, find a seat next to strange folks you don’t have any relationship with, watch the performance, and file out. Our thinking of the church as the building you go to for church services is the main problem. The New Testament present the church as God’s people, a living body knit together by their union in and with Christ who is the head. True Christian fellowship presents every Christian a leader. All of us must come together to lit the fire.

The Bible presents every member as a minister of Christ. As a KUCUAF you have a vital role to fulfil. If everyone here who knows Christ as their Saviour viewed himself/ herself as a minister, began to serve Christ by reaching out in love to others, none of us the KUCUAF would walk feeling no one recognizes them.

In conclusion, many of us take Christian fellowship for granted, don’t we? The reality dawned when Covid-19 pandemic hit the world. Many Christians with the fallacy mentality of church as a building and that the pastor or church leaders are the only main participants suffered. They dried out. Many gave up.

As a fellowship, our true bonds must be created and built around:

1. Praying for one another (vs 3 & 4; Romans 12:12)
2. Serving God together (vs 5 & 7)
3. Trusting in God’s sovereign working in one another (vs 6)
4. Partaking God’s grace together (vs 7)
5. Have heartfelt affection for one another (vs 8; 1Thess 2:8)

Point to remember: You are recognized. God wants you here.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be authentic in fellowship as KUCUAF and as a believer.

Discussion Question: How can I participate in building true Christian fellowship within the KUCUAF family?

Many of you who work in large organizations, conduct trainings, team buildings or even teachers understand better the concept of small groups. It is easier to capture the attention of your followers, students, or subjects when you divide them into small groups. The Lord Jesus Christ had the whole world to reach out to but initially chose seventy disciples whom he sends out by twos. The seventy were not to focus their teaching on synagogues, rather visit people in their homes curing the sick and spreading the same message that Jesus had been proclaiming that “the kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:5-9). He then later appoints the twelve apostles whom the world has been transformed till today. These were non-schooled, ignorant men who only devoted their time for selflessness and lived for each other to glorify God (Acts 4:13). The twelve impacted the whole world. From the twelve Jesus had three best friends he went to pray with and out the three he only had the John the beloved who could sleep in hi bosom.

Small groups make fellowships effective and efficient in coordination and operations. God desire is for us to be authentic, genuine and open in our relationships and engagement. The small groups create an atmosphere that encourages authenticity among KUCUAF members. This is enshrined in the KUCUAF vision – being a timely and relevant Christian Fellowship meeting the various need of its members at different stages of life. The desire of the fellowship is to help members experience life together, grow spiritually through bible study and prayer, support and challenge one another, reach out in love and minister to each other together.

Acts 5:42

And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.

The bible itself captures both large and small but intimate gatherings of believers. The KUCUAF believes both are necessary. As a fellowship, we should be growing larger and smaller at the same time. Our larger growth is enabled through evangelism as more alumni join the fellowship, but we should also grow smaller by plugging people into small groups where authentic relationships can be developed.

Why connect to a Small Group?

• In the small groups you move out of the crowd and belong and connect with others.
• You share life together despite how difficult or messy it is.
• In a small group you grow spiritually. You will be able to gather weekly for bible study, prayer, and fellowship.
• In the small groups you find and build authentic friendships with other members who will be there for you even outside of the group as well.
• In these groups you will be able to bear one another’s burden. Visit them.

Belonging to the small groups helps us from keeping back nothing that is profitable unto one another (Acts 20:20). When you need results, you will break away from the crowds and have functional small groups in church, workplace, fellowships, training etc.

Point to remember: Authentic relationships are not built from crowds

Prayer: Lord, help me to BELONG to cell/ small group never to hold nothing back that may profit other members as a KUCUAF member.

Discussion Question: How do I make my small group active, effective and efficient?

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Marriam Webster defines life support system as an artificial or natural structure providing all or some critical items such as oxygen, food, water, control of temperature and pressure, disposition of carbon dioxide and body wastes which are necessary for the maintenance of life or health.

Everyone needs a support system. For a surgeon to operate they first hook their patient up to a life support system. A deep-sea diver needs a life support system in order to explore the depths of the ocean etc. Every pastor, church or fellowship needs a life support system to send their congregation to help them navigate through life’s challenges and grow spiritually. You may be strong and has mastery of scripture and preaching fire, you can’t survive without a life support system.

That life support system is the small group. At creation God wired us for community. When he made man, the first thing he said was “It is not good for man to be alone”. This scripture has been focused more on marital platforms however, it is important to know that whether or not we ever get to marry, we will always be better together. No man is an island. You always need people even in seasons when social distancing is recommended in the heart of pandemics and we’ve got to create ways of connecting safely.

There are five synonymous pillars with the biblical small groups listed in Acts 2:42-47 that, as a fellowship we can adopt to help members sustain themselves spiritually and live out God’s intended purposes.

1. Study the word together – The disciples were devoted to the teachings of the apostles (Acts 2:42).
   1. Learn to study God’s word together rather than individually.
   2. More eyes will always see details that two eyes may miss out on.
   3. Studying the bible together removes the blinders we may have based on our individual backgrounds and perspectives.
2. Practice love – The apostles were devoted to fellowship. All the believers continued meeting together and they shared everything with each other (Acts 2:42, 44).
   1. Small groups are a laboratory where believers learn how to love.
   2. Small groups have people who may irritate, however, remember through them God could be using them to teach you about patience, grace and how to love them that are harder to love. So don’t get easily frustrated and worked with them.
   3. We learn relational skills we may have never learned before in small groups. Through the pains, problems and busy schedules of life we must be COMMITTED to serving and caring for one another.
3. Eating together – “The apostles were devoted to…the breaking of bread…They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts”(Acts 2:42, 46).
   1. Jesus did much of his teaching while eating
   2. Great deals and contracts have been signed by corporates and individuals while biting something over dinner/ lunch.
   3. As we eat together “with joy and sincere hearts” we are relaxed, tension drops, and our barriers go down. We easily connect with others while eating.
4. Praying for each other – “The apostles devoted themselves to…prayer” (Acts 2:42).
   1. Just knowing someone is praying for you is the greatest realization in the world
   2. It is a guarantee that God will accept whatever it that two of you agree on Matthew 18:19-20
5. Help one another – “They shared everything with each other” (Acts 2:45).
   1. They selflessly served one another
   2. They met practical needs in profound ways
   3. Many of us today can attest to such selfless love and care when we served in the KUCU. We cooked the little we had and shared it and it was amazing how we were able to live as a unit.
   4. As members serve one another, both the giver and receiver are helped. The receiver gets their need met. The giver grows spiritually as they become less self-focused.

Point to remember: You need a life support system.

Prayer: Lord, may I never take for granted the life support system of the KUCUAF small group members you have given me.

Discussion Question: How can I practice Acts 2:42-47 as a member of KUCUAF small group?

Hebrews 10:25 charges us never to forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Romans 12:4-6

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith.” (NIV).

One day while Jesus was hanging around near Jerusalem, some Jews approached him. There were those who really wanted to learn while others were on a mission to test him. In Luke 10:25 we see one expert of the Law presenting a question to him eager to know what he needs to do to inherit everlasting life. Jesus, being God and man at the same time detects this Lawyer’s intent isn’t just for information’s sake. He could be looking for an offensive response against the Jews. What is written in the Law? How do you read it? Jesus asks. Since the man had studied law decides to base his response on the same by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 – You must love Jehovah your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole strength and with your whole mind’ and ‘your neighbour as yourself.’

Jesus commends the scholar for answering correctly and charges him to keep doing the same to get life. This however, doesn’t end the discussion. In pursuit to prove himself righteous seeks to know who really is neighbor is (Luke 10:28,29)! That seemed simple, right?

In response to his question. Jesus gives a story of “a man who travelling to Jericho from Jerusalem and fell victim to robbers. He was stripped, beaten and was left fighting for his life (half-dead). A priest, and a Levite passed by and never bothered then a Samaritan came and was moved by pity (Luke 10:30-33). To cut the long story short, the man who acted mercifully is the real neighbor. You will tend to relate well with those who show you mercy. You will be comfortable around and with people who celebrate you, mourn with you, show you mercy and feel your pain and the struggles you pass through.

What an effective way of teaching a great lesson on who my neighbor really is! What if Jesus simply told the man that non-Jews also are his neighbours, would he and the other Jews who were listening believed or accepted? Certainly not. By relating this rather simple story, using details that the listeners can identify with, the answer to the question, “Who really is my neighbour?” becomes obvious. The person who proves to be the real neighbour is the one who exercises the love and kindness that the Scriptures command us to show.

Point to remember: God did not create friends. He created time so we can make friends.

Prayer: Lord, may I always exercise the love and kindness that the scripture shows me.

Discussion Question: How do I exercise the love and kindness that the scripture shows me as a member of KUCUAF?