Acts 2:42 - And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
There is something special that happens around the dinner table, or lunch table or any other table where food is being consumed for that matter. Food has a way of disarming even the hardest of dispositions. There is something about the act of eating that causes us all to lower our gaurd and open up. Food is the great equalizer, it cultivates conversation and inspires openness. Some of the best fellowship happens around food; it is almost as if it is hard wired into our brains that any social gathering of any kind should have a food component. Well as a real lover of food, I must confess that I often look to include eating in my socialization and it appears that I am not alone in my affinity for victuals. The growth of the New Testament church was largely a result three things -
1. Continue the precepts and teachings shared by Christ's apostles
2. Coming together to feast
3. Maintaining specific prayer times
The church was able to grow and spread because the founding fathers understood the importance of ministering to the tripartite of humanity; spirit, soul and body. The apostle's doctrine or teaching was meant to reach the soul or minds of mankind, prayer was meant to reach the spirit and the breaking of bread or feasting of course ministers to the body.
We are more than conquerors today because God has established principles that ensure His people are blessed and that all their needs are met. Because He is Spirit does not mean that He is oblivious to the needs of our flesh. In fact through Jesus, God has experienced everything that we experience in the flesh and so as a result He is not untouched by all our needs. The church should be careful to minister to each component of its members. Meeting the needs of spirit and soul are important and traditionally the church is good at that, but the needs of the flesh are also vitally important. Abraham Maslow, 1908-1970, a world renown psychologist developed a system of prioritizing the needs of humanity in order to live fully functioning lives. Maslow's Hierarchy of Need articulates the concept that there are certain things that we cannot live without. The church can take a lesson from Dr. Maslow, it is very difficult for us to reach some one's heart if their stomach is empty and their children are cold. Socialization over a meal is a great way to get to know others, more importantly meeting the needs of the physical body of our church members is vitally important to the spreading of the gospel message.
