““When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem..””
““And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.””
““And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.””
EMMAUS FELLOWSHIP
Luke 24: A Model For Community Discipleship
Emmaus Fellowship is a part of our core Antioch Rhythm where the community will come around the table to engage in conversation with the scriptures. The goal is to journey together as a community to grow in our understanding of Jesus and His leadership by imitating the Antioch rhythm of life in Acts 13 with the four-part framework inspired by the road to Emmaus in Luke 24.
The Shared Journey
Recognising the gift of community, we see the diversity of people God places in our lives as His provision to help us grow and form us in the knowledge of His Son in every season. Through this shared journey, we are strengthened in courage to continually offer our wholehearted “yes” to Jesus’ leadership.We seek to cultivate the value of journeying together as a spiritual family, embracing life’s challenges and joys with authenticity. Just as Jesus drew near to the discouraged disciples on the road to Emmaus, we trust in His ability to meet us in our moments of doubt and reveal Himself in transformative ways.
Opening of Scriptures
The goal of engaging with Scripture is twofold: to encounter the revelation of Jesus and to embrace His leadership. Beyond gaining knowledge of the Word, our desire is to see Jesus (The Word in Flesh) rightly as the disciples did when they encountered the resurrected Christ. Through the process of studying Scripture and engaging in conversations within our small groups, we believe the Lord will draw near and unveil Himself as we open up the scripture and cause our hearts to burn as He did with the two disciples in Emmaus.
Breaking Bread Around Tables
We believe that a key moment of transformation occurs when we gather around the Lord’s table to break bread and partake in His life through the body and blood of Jesus. The breaking of bread represents our shared life in communion with the Lord (corporate intimacy) and creates a sacred space for confession, reconciliation, healing, and receiving God’s grace in light of what we’ve shared and learned through Scripture. Just as the disciples’ eyes were opened to the glory of Jesus during the breaking of bread, we too, with unveiled faces, seek to behold that glory, allowing His Spirit to lead us into deeper intimacy with Him and greater conformity to His image, empowering us to love one another.
Returning to Jerusalem
“When your heart starts burning, your feet start running toward Jerusalem.”. The ultimate goal of our journey is to return to “Jerusalem,” representing both eschatological Jerusalem—the physical city of Jerusalem in Israel—and contextual Jerusalem—our local churches and communities. The disciples left Jerusalem discouraged and lacking confidence in their witness of Jesus. Yet, at the end of the Emmaus journey, they returned with boldness, proclaiming the resurrected Christ. This return signifies the restoration of gospel witness and the fulfilment of God’s redemptive plan.
Our desire is to release the ministry of preparation described in Isaiah 40, making straight the spiritual highways in people’s hearts to embrace Jesus’ leadership. This aligns with the prophetic vision of Isaiah 19, pointing to the physical highways that lead back to Jerusalem, where Jesus will inherit His throne and the nations as we approach the end of the age.