Establishing a Lifestyle of Christian Fellowship

Transcription

1 Establishing a Two thousand years ago, God the Father sent His Son Jesus to earth to redeem mankind from sin and to give us new life. Up to that point, Jesus had enjoyed oneness and uninterrupted intimate fellowship with the Father. But when Jesus bore the sins of mankind on the cross, receiving God s judgment on our behalf, this fellowship was temporarily broken. Jesus felt incredible agony and pain when He was separated from the Father. Some people said Jesus died of a broken heart rather than crucifixion. For Jesus, the temporary loss of this sweet fellowship was more painful to bear than the nails in His body. This heavenly fellowship is a pattern and standard for the fellowship of believers on earth. John 17:21-23 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. Matthew 27:46, 50 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. The word fellowship in Greek is koinonia, which means communion or sharing in common. This word shows that Christians should live as a community of mutual sharers; living and sharing the agape (selfless, sacrificial) love God has given them. In other words, it is sharing God s natural and supernatural gifts among the believers. 1 John 1:3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1

2 GOD DESIRES FELLOWSHIP It is God s desire that all Christians be one in fellowship. In fact, this verse shows the purpose of the New Testament is to call saints into fellowship with one another and with God. When we become one in fellowship, God s blessing, anointing, and provision will be so rich and so glorious that the whole world will know Jesus is Lord. The word church in Greek is ekklessia, where ek means to come out and klesia means to congregate or to gather. Therefore, church means the gathering of those who have been called out by God. Not only does God want His people to be called out from the world, but He wants them to gather together for fellowship. God is pleased to dwell among His people when the fellowship between them is strong. The Bible does not say that God dwells with isolated individuals, but with His children who gather in Jesus Name. That is when His presence, blessing, and anointing will be manifest. WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP? Our Lord Jesus established the practice of communion at the last supper. When we, as believers, share the cup of the covenant together, we not only reaffirm our covenant relationship with God, but we also re-affirm a covenant relationship with each other. It is very strange that some believe that Christians only have a covenant relationship with God, but not with other believers. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? 17 For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread. (NKJV) When God s people break bread together, they are bound together in one body by the covenant of God. This covenant relationship is not only vertical (between us and God) but also horizontal (between ourselves). If the body parts were only bound to the head but not to each other, it would be a very peculiar relationship in the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:29 For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord s body. (NKJV) 2 NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

3 FELLOWSHIP IS AN EVIDENCE OF FAITH John 20:31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (NKJV) There are two passages in the Bible which contain the phrase from death to life. John 5:24 I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the person whose ears are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has already passed over out of death into life. (AMP) 1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed over out of death into Life by the fact that we love the brethren (our fellow Christians). He who does not love abides (remains, is held and kept continually) in [spiritual] death. (AMP) The first verse talks about the condition of the person who crosses from death to life, but the second verse talks about the evidence of having passed from death to life. The evidence is love for our brothers. This is a very reliable way to see who is a child of God: those who love one another are brothers; those who do not love are not brothers. 1 John 5:1-2 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. (NKJV) 1 John 3:23 And this is His order (His command, His injunction): that we should believe in (put our faith and trust in and adhere to and rely on) 3

4 the name of His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah), and that we should love one another, just as He has commanded us. (AMP) God commanded us to do two things: to believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and to love one another. If we love God and obey Him, it would be natural for us to love our brothers and sisters. We love our brothers for no other reason than the fact that is he is a brother. This proves the faith we have acquired is genuine. God never leaves us to do His will on our own strength, but He gives us whatever we need to do His will. 1 John 4:7-8 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is (springs) from God; and he who loves [his fellowmen] is begotten (born) of God and is coming [progressively] to know and understand God [to perceive and recognize and get a better and clearer knowledge of Him]. 8 He who does not love has not become acquainted with God [does not and never did know Him], for God is love. (AMP) 1 John 4:16-18 And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. 17 In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (NIV) When we are socializing or working with other people, many times we become incapacitated by fear of some sort within. It could be fear of rejection, criticism, persecution, misunderstanding, or something else. However, if we approach others with an attitude of selfless love, respect and empathy with others, we will instantly be released from this fear. Hence, we will have passed from death to life and are able to enjoy a supernaturally victorious life here on earth. 1 Corinthians 12:17-26 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one 4 NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

5 body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, I don t need you! And the head cannot say to the feet, I don t need you! 22 On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, 24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. 26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. (NIV) None of us is spiritually complete without the fellowship of others in the Body of Christ. We need each other in order to see, smell, and touch everything that God intends for His church. Because each of us is a unique part of the body, we each should know our role and act accordingly. For example, if the eye refuses to see, the entire body will be blind and everyone will suffer. Therefore, we also have a responsibility to honor everyone s role and encourage each other to exercise their gifts. HOW TO STAY IN FELLOWSHIP Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing (warning, urging, and encouraging) one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching. (AMP) It is natural for us to backslide. Even Christians in the very early church sometimes fell out of close fellowship with one another. Socializing is natural for humans, but that is not true fellowship. Biblical fellowship is actually not easy for us because it demands sacrifices and selfless love. Discouragement is one of Satan s most effective weapons for pulling Christians away from fellowship. The devil likes to work overtime in our mind to cause confusion and division among brothers and sisters. Based on the experience of many long-time Christians, the majority of strife between each other is due to misunderstanding and miscommunication. For all these reasons, Christians have to pay attention and work at building close fellowship. Only the Holy Spirit can bring true unity to the diverse body of believers. 5

6 Throughout human history, people have always had difficulty achieving unity and love because we have different culture, education, preferences, habits, etc. Therefore, we have to yield to the Holy Spirit who speaks to everyone in order to have unity among the believers. TRUE FELLOWSHIP 1 John 1:7 But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. (AMP) Being honest and open with one another makes us vulnerable but this results in genuine fellowship and the purification of our sins. If we get hurt when our emotional shields are down, we must trust in God and believe that He will deal with the situation for our good. Romans 12:4-8 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7 or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; 8 he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. These verses show that Christians cannot be isolated from their brothers and sisters. The life we received from God is dependent on others and nourished through interaction with them. The devil entices our pride and tries to make us think, As long as I have God, who needs other Christians! However, the truth is that we are living stones God uses to build a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). As living stones, we support each other, with the Holy Spirit as cement gluing us together. For this house to stand, we need both each other and the Holy Spirit. Each stone must take its place and support others, otherwise, the house will collapse or have 6 NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

7 weaknesses that the devil can exploit. TYPES OF FELLOWSHIP Christian fellowship is based on sharing in common. Acts 2:42-47 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 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. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, 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. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved. 1. Home groups In the early church, the believers broke bread and had fellowship in each other s homes. The advantage of home groups is that brothers and sisters have more opportunities to share their lives in an intimate way. 2. Church Based on the home group fellowship, the Lord added to the early church daily. Corporate gathering of believers at church is another type of fellowship which might be less intimate but necessary for the teaching and training of believers. VISIT OTHERS Luke 14:1 One Sabbath, when Jesus went to eat in the house of a prominent Pharisee, he was being carefully watched. (NIV) 7

8 Luke 19:5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today. (NIV) Matthew 26:6 Now when Jesus came back to Bethany and was in the house of Simon the leper, (AMP) Matthew 8:14 And when Jesus went into Peter s house, He saw his mother-in-law lying ill with a fever. (AMP) In the Bible, we see Jesus visited people frequently. In these four passages, Jesus visited the lost, a new believer, the disciples, and the sick. We should also spend time to reach out to people who do not know God. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost and spent much of His time ministering to these people by fellowshipping with them at their homes. TRUE FELLOWSHIP SOMETIMES INVOLVES CORRECT- ING ONE ANOTHER IN LOVE Matthew 18:15 If your brother wrongs you, go and show him his fault, between you and him privately. If he listens to you, you have won back your brother. (AMP) The purpose of go and show him his fault is for restoration, or to win your brother over from the devil. It is important to confront a brother in danger because of his sin. If we choose not to obey God s Word just because we are afraid that we may hurt his feelings, then our brother will ultimately suffer. When we confront our brother or sister, we should do so with love. This means being vulnerable to rejection or hurt. Galatians 6:1-2 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 8 NEW HOPE INTERNATIONAL CHURCH

9 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 1) For your spiritual growth, do you need other Christians? 2) How are home groups a biblical part of church life? 3) How Can you improve your fellowship brothers and sisters, especially those close to you? PRAYER Lord, thank You for teaching us heavenly things. As the heavens are higher than the earth, Your ways are always higher than our ways. Forgive us if our fellowship has been weak and Your name has not been glorified in us. Father, we ask you to send Your Spirit and fire to take away my fleshly desires and purify my heart. From today on, let our fellowship be based in love and on covenant relationship. May Your church be built up and we all be spiritually blessed, according to the richness in our Lord, Jesus Christ. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. 9