by Warren E. Berkley<\/p>\n
Yes, I know. As I write and post this, I know mine is only one voice in a growing chorus. Still, putting these thoughts into words will help me-and perhaps encourage greater vigilance among those who read them. These concerns have deepened as I have studied and taught the book of Acts this year.<\/p>\n
In our present culture, I fear that we are gradually drifting away from meaningful, devoted, face-to-face relationships.<\/p>\n
It is easy to send a text, write an email, connect through social media, stream a service, stay home, and look at a screen. These tools can be useful, but they should never replace genuine personal interaction. I hope and pray that we do not lose the direct, face-to-face fellowship seen throughout the book of Acts. This divinely designed and necessary connection with real people is what God intends, is it not? He said, “It is not good that the man should be alone<\/em>” (Genesis 2:18). Ecclesiastes 4 reminds us that “two are better than one<\/em>,” and Proverbs 18:24 speaks of a true friend who is closer than a brother.<\/p>\n In Acts, believers gathered together (Acts 2:42-47) and drew strength from those genuine relationships (Acts 4:24; 14:22; 16:5; 18:23). Christians stood “shoulder to shoulder” in heart and in work. They shared a strong sense of community and family-something Satan was always trying to infiltrate and divide.<\/p>\n They sought one another out, helped one another, and labored side by side. In doing so, they nurtured what Paul called “the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace<\/em>” (Ephesians 4:3). I hope and pray that our togetherness will not be weakened by technology that is quick and convenient but often impersonal. If technology has allowed us to drift apart, may we deliberately make an effort to reconnect. As John wrote in III John, “I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.<\/em>“<\/p>\n Technology is like every other tool people use: it can serve good or harmful purposes; it can help or destroy. Do not throw away your phone, abandon your computer, or discard your iPad. Instead, stay keenly aware of technology’s power to divide and conquer us. Instant answers from an AI platform can weaken our ability to think deeply. Instant yet virtual contact can slowly draw us away from what John desired: “I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face<\/em>” (III John 14).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Warren E. Berkley Yes, I know. As I write and post this, I know mine is only one voice in a growing chorus. Still, putting these thoughts into words will help me-and perhaps encourage greater vigilance among those who read them. These concerns have deepened as I have studied and taught the book of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[253,456],"class_list":["post-97692","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-fellowship","tag-unity"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":87546,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-love-having-hope\/","url_meta":{"origin":97692,"position":0},"title":"I Love Having Hope","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 6, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Many people only see the present circumstances, dislike them, and despair of life. They wish things were better and different, but don't expect them to improve. I love having hope and confident expectations, because I know that circumstances change or they change us. With a fellowship\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":15700,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/biblical-fellowship\/","url_meta":{"origin":97692,"position":1},"title":"Biblical Fellowship","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 17, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: I John 1:5-2:6 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Fellowship has often been the center of controversy \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Part because the word has been misused by both denominationalists and Christians. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But it also has been area of trouble because we don\u2019t always know where to draw the line. II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is fellowship \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Definitions \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sun\u0113theia - A\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19698,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/you-shouldnt-write-against-having-kitchens-and-fellowship-halls-since-these-arent-important-to-salvation\/","url_meta":{"origin":97692,"position":2},"title":"You shouldn’t write against having kitchens and fellowship halls since these aren’t important to salvation","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I stumbled across your web site and found some very valuable information that may help me in the future. I disagree, however, with one of your beliefs. Having a kitchen or a potluck at the church building is not wrong. The church building is just that -- a building.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19369,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-we-have-meals-in-the-building-since-eating-together-is-an-expression-of-fellowship\/","url_meta":{"origin":97692,"position":3},"title":"Can we have meals in the building since eating together is an expression of fellowship?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Someone has been arguing with me about fellowship and they say it is okay to have meals together in the building because eating together is an expression of fellowship. He says, \"If eating together and having fun together is not an expression of fellowship, then what is it?\" He\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":39635,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-the-bible-be-complete-when-all-prophecies-have-not-been-fulfilled\/","url_meta":{"origin":97692,"position":4},"title":"How can the Bible be complete when all prophecies have not been fulfilled?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 7, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm a member of the church of Christ and I had a discussion with the gentlemen concerning the gifts as described in I Corinthians 13:8-10 and of course, we disagreed if we have the completed scripture or if it still hasn't been fulfilled. I believe it's been fulfilled, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":45814,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-convince-a-pentecostal-of-the-truth-about-miracles\/","url_meta":{"origin":97692,"position":5},"title":"How do I convince a Pentecostal of the truth about miracles?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 29, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: When you get time would you look over these responses I saw from a Oneness Pentecostal in a discussion with a brother over miracles? I completely agree that miracles ceased, and that which is perfect is referring to the word of God, but the Pentecostal Oneness member brings up\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97692\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}