Fellowship: What Is It? Series

TEXT: Various

TITLE: The Playing Church, part 1

TOPIC: The Church of Fellowship

OCCASION: Burnside Christian Church, March 2nd, 2008

PROP.: It’s time to fully enjoy the companionship of your church family, because we were never meant to be alone!

INTRODUCTION: Good morning! At this time, I would like to dismiss our Jr. Church age kids across the street for worship appropriate for their age group. If you would

We are on a journey to become the church that Jesus desires us to be. The focus for March will be for us to become the Church of Fellowship. This month, I am focusing all of my energy, time, effort and creativity into fellowship!

Billy Johnson, the preacher at Ferris Christian Church and I get together and I told him what I was going to be preaching about fellowship and he gave me his

definition: “The intimate sharing of our lives together under the rule and reign of Christ."

I wanted to be sure to give him credit for that definition…he threatened to break my knee caps if I didn’t…so…anyway, I believe our poster for the month supports that definition! I want us to become the Church of Fellowship!

Think about our church. What grade would you give the church on fellowship? Not sure? Here’s a few questions you can ask yourself.

1. Do you know the names of at least 95% of your church family?

2. Do you interact with people from church more than just on Sundays?

3. Do you have at least 5 church friends you can call on if you needed something?

So we want to become the church of fellowship:

So we brainstormed various ideas that might help promote fellowship! We thought at first about a

--Mixed Martial Arts competition at the Fitness Center - but then we thought someone might get hurt…

--All male interpretive dance competition -

I had heard that SOME were interested in interpretive dance…(Mike

Bavery) but then we thought…uh…NO.

--free haircuts - but …that would probably not stir up unity and love…

What if I mess up someone’s hair?

I only know how to give one style of cut…BUZZ cut

And big bangs are no longer in style.…

Plus Jim Printy would make every kid look like this…on a side

note…THAT HAIR CUT IS AWESOME!

Then we thought about

--Weight lifting…but then Brig and I thought we’d just look even MORE

intimidating than we all ready do.

The one idea that we did decide on was to have our people sign up to be involved in CIRCLE 8 GROUPS.

TALK ABOUT CIRCLE 8 GROUPS: We will form groups of no more than 8 people (this can be couples and singles)…once you sign up, we will randomly assign you to be in a group. These groups will meet 4 times people in the group taking a turns hosting a meal in your home! There will be nothing SPIRITUAL involved in these groups. No Bible study. No deep thoughts. Just sharing in a simple meal and getting to know one another.

Have you ever wondered why fellowship often times includes food? It’s because when you eat you are the most relaxed and open that you can possibly be. Fellowship doesn’t ALWAYS have to include food. Fellowship doesn’t have to always have something spiritual! Fellowship is meant to be fun!

One of the greatest joys about being a youth minister was what took place within our youth group. There was a sense of fellowship like none-other. In fact, each Sunday night, the youth group PLANS a time for fellowship! Snack time and a time for conversations and games. Nothing too spiritual about that part of youth group. And I want the congregation to fully experience that God given blessing of fellowship!

T.S.: Let’s explore the truths of fellowship…

1. Fellowship is centered on FAITH (1st John 1:3-7)

There is a tight bond between people who have something in common. Motorcyclists do the motorcycle wave…soldiers have a brotherhood bond that is unbreakable…It’s that ‘sameness’ that bonds those people together. The same is true for the Christian. For the church, our ‘sameness’ is based on something eternal! The things not of this world!

(Listen to 1st John 1:3)

3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.

Our Faith in Christ gives us:

A. fellowship with God

--Christ our mediator:

1st Timothy 2:5

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.

--GARDEN OF EDEN

You see, there was a time when God and man had perfect fellowship. But then sin entered the world and the fellowship was broken…so Christ had to come and repair the fellowship between God and men.