The Fellowship of Believers Acts 2: 42-47 They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and, to fellowship to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 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, praising God and, enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Skip Message Summary: On Service Sheet This passage provides for us a clear template for how and why a Church should function: Creating a warm welcome for visitors; a place where there is time for people so that through the power of the Holy Spirit they may as individuals and a fellowship work out the full measure of God s Grace to friends and others. 1
Welcome Time for People Fellowship Acts 2: 42-47 Family Begin today Friends Neighbours This passage is about the ability to focus on others As an Individuals As a Fellowship 2
The Fellowship of Believers Acts 2: 42-47 Teaching and practice of the Doctrine of Grace Prayer Worship Hospitality Generosity Fellowship and friendships Practical support for the needy Inspired by their love and relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit This passage is: Luke s list for Fellowships The Leading The Administration The active participation Take 1 away or focus on one over the rest = unbalance and destabilisation occurs Growth: Keep balanced in equal measure (added to their number daily) 3
The early Church Fellowships John Paul Peter Jude James Letters to the Churches Grace and Peace BE WITH you Be graceful one to another, your neighbour and the needy Only accept the acceptable (Teaching+Practices) Letters to: Inform and guide Encourage Reprimand and Correct Fellowships Please follow Luke s list They all welcome their readers with, Grace and Peace be with you. I take the BE WITH YOU to mean Grace and Peace to be evident in and about you. Especially your relationships But a footnote on Grace: Grace does not mean we accept or tolerate unacceptable doctrine or practice: Romans 6: 1 Should I carry on sinning so grace may abound? 4
Faithful to the pattern? Jesus Speaks (Revelation 2-3) Philadelphia Smyrna Well done: Hold on and press on Ephesus Sardis Thyatira Pergamum Laodicea Disconnected from the well source Swapped Grace for Legalism Complacent on Grace and Doctrine Our Review So, NT fellowships Launched Deployed Jesus Reviewed Attached to Service Sheet. Luke s list for our Church. Your thoughts which may prompt words of encouragement or guidance to our leaders and administrators What would Jesus say (not you say) about our Fellowship? Good job? Hold on! And, Press on or, Something else? As we know any organisation is the sum of its parts The body. Are we a healthy body on Peachcroft? 5
Time for People Welcome to Fellowship and Friendship Mental Health Friends Time for People hours per week Emotional Maturity Fellowship Heading Fellowship of Believers Welcome Fellowship Friendship Process A friend Your name is safe in their mouth Metal and Emotional Well being of fellowships and friendships. Friends help answer Do I matter? / Do I have a voice? / will you be there for me? Caveat: Difference can leads to conflict Values and perceptions: James 4: 1-3 Bitter roots: Hebrews 12: 14-15 Open to grievance: Humbly Philippians 2 Healthy relationships find Confession, Repentance and forgiveness. Jesus Disappointment in Gethsemane John 21:15-17 Restoration : Matthew 26: 36-38 Fellowships Stronger for it grievance and conflict resolution process. Not dealt with = Weak fellowship Viva Excite action Guidance: Books & Leaflet 6
This Bible passage is headed, The Fellowship of Believers. A Fellowship is defined as a friendly association which shares a common interest and value. Psychologists tells us that as a minimum we need to invest at least 90 hours a year into a fellowship. This to maintain it and our place and valued contribution to it. Increasingly psychologists are seeing the mental and emotional health and wellbeing effects of close friendships (something we taught the children earlier this year when we did Handling Emotions in a Godly way ). The guideline given on this by experts is that we need to be investing in the region of 200 hours a year in developing and maintaining a few close friendships as individuals or couples. As we read in Ecclesiastes 4: 4-12 A cord of three strands is not easily broken. It is these close trusted relationships that bring us comfort and counsel in time of need. Such friends can sincerely share both our joys and tears as well as spur and encourage us on to more graceful and less selfish living. Trusted friends (I don t mean spouse or parent here) answer some of life's key questions: Are you there for me (or us) in times of need? And, Can I (or we) depend on you to be faithful and honest with me (or us)? 8 Year old Boy asked what a good friend is, Someone you know that your name is safe in their mouth In many places in the NT (Acts Chapter 6, the accounts of the Disciples with Jesus and in Paul s letters to the other early churches) we learn that conflicts arise in fellowships. James in his letter basically says such conflicts arise from the perception that our needs or value outweigh the needs or value of others. Philippians 2: 3-4 don t think of yourself more highly than others. In his final night in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus called to his true friends to be there for him. But even when they failed and so disappointed him their friendship endured (John 21: 15-17). This because in a close friendship or tight fellowship one also finds confession, repentance and forgiveness. As we heard last week from VIVA, conflict resolution is a thing we need to be teaching our children. On our Bookshelf is, Children in the way? Within it there is a very good chapter on teaching this crucial life skill to our children. Maybe, this is something for Excite and Explore leaders to develop in their ministry. For us as adults I have translated the conflict resolution process we use at work (adapted from the Prison service) into something that might be useful for any Church fellowship or family. Come and see me after if you want a copy for you to use or update to make more your own. 7
The Doctrine of Grace The Good News 1.God is love, he is with us, he is for us 2. Availability / Permanency of God s salvation 3.Have faith, repent, be baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit 4.As we have received grace so give grace 5. Be examples and make disciples 6.Be a builder and upholder of The Church: The Body 7. Live wholeheartedly for God Preach the Gospel As spelled out in todays passage and elsewhere in the Bible, a key task of a Church fellowship is to ensure the clear preaching of the Good News of Jesus Christ: The Doctrine of Grace Read list Allow a pause / time for reflection Hear God Speak? To you about you (not others) 8
Graceful Relationships Practice Fellowship Begin today Friends Family Neighbours Grace for people Many benefits I ve listed 10 Can you list 3? Can you live to gain just one of those benefits? The expected response to this good news is: Living in Graceful Relationships. In doing so, 1. We create an attractive welcome for all our visitors Particularly for visitors who may feel vulnerable and in need 2. Allows us to be humble one with another not letting bitter roots develop in our relationships because of unresolved conflicts. 3. Helps us discerns false teaching, beliefs, doctrine and practices 4. Allows us time to centre on God s love for us in prayer and worship 5. Allows us time to listen to other people and be a good and true friends and members of the fellowship 6. Takes time to mentor and grow disciples of Grace 7. Helps us fosters hospitality and generosity 8. Makes us humble as we seek to meet the practical needs of those who are needy within our fellowship and beyond 9. Maintains our loving and connected relationship with Jesus Christ our saviour. 10.Relationships with kindness and gentleness 9
Go deeper : with God, with one another, across the generations, supporting and equipping one another to step out in faith in our daily lives As we end I remind you of the things we as a fellowship have committed to To Go Deeper As a fellowship 10
Welcoming to all An open door, with the aroma of God, where we have time for people. To Go Deeper in our practice of providing Welcome, fellowship and friendship 11
And to Go Deeper with God and ourselves Be prepared to take time to stop and be still Individually and corporately. We mustn't spread ourselves too thinly, and shouldn't be afraid to stop doing things. Colossians 3: 12 17 Therefore, as God s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. 12