LIKE A MIGHTY ARMY
(Importance of Christian Fellowship)
(Acts 2:42-46)
(We’ll Grow in 2007 "IF" Part III)
The third verse of the song, “Onward, Christian Soldiers,” goes:
“Like a mighty army, moves the church of God
Brothers we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided; all one body we
One in hope and doctrine, one in charity.”
If Grace Memorial Baptist Church is going to grow in the year 2007, we are going to have to follow the principle set forth in this old hymn. We have to be like a mighty army.
We are one body, and we must not be divided. We are one in the hope of Jesus Christ. We are one in doctrine, and we are one in love, or charity.
I’m not really sure what message the U.S. Army’s recruiting headquarters was trying to send, but in 2001 they started using the slogan, “An Army of One.”
Every time I read or heard that slogan, I scratched my head, because it just didn’t make much sense.
Were they trying to say that each soldier is an individual? Was each soldier supposed to make up their own rules, and do as they pleased? That would never work.
Were they trying to say that they were going to send the soldiers out one at a time? Were they saying that one man could be as effective as an army? None of those things would work.
For an Army to be effective, there must be a large number of men and women, and they must serve as a team.
Each soldier is expected to use the skills he/she has learned to support the rest of the team and to follow the rules of their government.
In November, the recruiters came up with a new slogan for their posters and commercials. The new slogan is, “Army Strong.” I think it makes a lot more sense than “Army of One,” don’t you?
There is no such thing as an “Army of One.” The same goes for Christians. God never meant for us to be “Lone Ranger” Christians. Christians are team members – members of one body.
1 Corinthians 12:26,27 says, “ 26. . .if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.”
Our Scripture reading for this morning is from Acts, chapter 2, verses 42 through 46, and I encourage you to bring your Bibles with you to church, and follow along.
This is the third sermon in a series on growing our church in 2007. We’ll grow closer to the Lord and we will grow in numbers: “IF” we will commit ourselves to:
1.Study our Bibles
2.Humble ourselves and pray daily
3.Attend church and fellowship with other Christians
4.Witness to at least one lost person a month
5.Invite at least one person a week to come to church
This morning we’re going to focus on number 3 on our “IF” list – The importance of attending church and fellowshipping with other Christians.
Christians need to be around other Christians if we are going to thrive and gain spiritual maturity. That’s a fact.
We weren’t meant to stay to ourselves. God made us to fellowship with Him and with one another.
Some of you will remember seeing news stories of the orphanages in Romania shortly after the fall of Communism. These orphanages were huge warehouse-like facilities where they “stored” orphaned children.
They were so understaffed that they could barely care for the physical needs of the children, not to mention their emotional needs. The babies had most of their physical needs met – food, shelter, and some hygiene.
But they were seldom picked up or hugged or played with. Because of this, many of the orphans had what is known as “failure to thrive syndrome.”
They may have been many months or sometimes even a few years old, but they still looked and acted like newborns.
These children didn’t have a family, not even a foster family to hold them and encourage them to grow and thrive. So they remained physically and emotionally immature.
Christians can have the “failure to thrive” syndrome. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are spiritual newborns. And we can fail to thrive and mature spiritually if we are left on our own.
This is why it is so very important for us as Christians to be adopted into a loving and living vital body of believers. We need the contact and fellowship with other Christians.
Ephesians 4:14,15 says, “ 14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—“
If we don’t study God’s Holy Word. If we don’t pray and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, and if we don’t fellowship with other Christians, we can be tossed to and fro and carried about by the trickery of men.
If we aren’t involved in a loving church family we won’t see the best that God has in store for us and we won’t thrive and mature as Christians.
Let’s look at Acts 2, beginning with verse 42 and see how Luke describes the early church:
Acts 2:42-47, “ 42And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46So 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, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
This first century church is a good example for us today. They were firm and unwavering in their Christian fellowship.
And because they were so devout in their love for the Lord and for one another, the church grew. “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”
Folks, the local body of Christ, Grace Memorial Baptist Church is not an organization. It is not a club. It’s not a fraternity or sorority. It is a family. If you are a member here, these are your brothers and sisters.
We are to nurture and encourage one another. We are to hold each other accountable and help each other grow in spiritual maturity.
Here’s what John said in 1 John 1:3, 6-7, “ 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.; 6If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
John is saying that we are declaring these things to you so that you might be a part of our fellowship.
Be a part of this family that knows Jesus. This fellowship will help you walk in the light of the Lord.
So Christians are not to try and make it on their own as a “Lone Ranger.” The first century Christians certainly understood this. For them, to be a Christian meant to be part of a church family.
An early Christian wouldn’t have thought of being an “Army of One.” They were soldiers in God’s Army. It was obvious to them that they were to fellowship with other Christians.
Today so many people have the attitude, “ Oh, you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. I can watch all the preachers I want to on T.V.”
It’s true, you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. But in order to grow in spiritual maturity; in order to be obedient to God; in order to thrive as a Christian; you must fellowship with other Christians.
What is the best way to fellowship with other Christians? You could call them on the phone. You could hope that you’ll see them at WalMart. ( I see some of my Christian friends almost every time I go there.)
You could invite them over to your house, or go to visit them. These are all ways of meeting and talking to other Christians, but the best way to fellowship with the Christian community is to go to church.
Let’s look at the word fellowship. Verse 42 said the early Christians were steadfast in their fellowship. This word has come to mean little more than drinking coffee and eating cinnamon rolls in a lot of churches.
Now, I’m not saying these things are bad. I really like coffee and cinnamon rolls. But this is not the real meaning of the word. The word “fellowship” is translated from the Greek word koinonia.
It means sharing material goods, sharing in ministry, and being partners in the gospel. There is a special connection between believers that is based on their connection with Christ.
Let’s look at the early church for the meaning of fellowship. In verse 43 it says they were witnesses to many wonders and signs together.
They had the same spiritual experiences.
To have true fellowship, we need to share spiritual experiences together. If you witness a sign or wonder on your own, it is easy to start to wonder if the experience was real. When we witness these things together, it strengthens our faith, and we can grow together.
In verses 44 and 45 we see that the early church shared their material possessions together. When we care for one another and share with one another it has to go further than just nice words and prayers.
Sometimes we have to go into our pocketbooks. Paul called the donations that churches made to people of other churches “the fellowship.”
In verses 46 and 47 we see that Christians in the early church worshiped together. The church is a worshiping community. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:5 that we are living stones that make up a spiritual house.
Individually, we are just rocks, but together, we are living stones that build up a temple.
Verse 46 tells us that the believers of the early church shared their lives. They came together for communion and just to eat meals. I think it is important for us to do this also.
The Lord’s Supper is such a blessing. It is an humbling experience that reminds us what Christ did for us. We need to do this on a regular basis.
But I think it is important for us to eat meals together from time to time.
When we break bread together, we sit around the table with one another and share not just food, but we talk and we listen.
We rejoice with each other, and cry with each other and pray for each other. Folks, we need to be around each other.
We need Sunday School. We need Wednesday night Bible Study. We need Sunday morning and evening worship services. To me, being here with other Christians is the best battery charger there is.
When I have to miss any of these church functions, it seems as if my light grows a little dimmer.
There was a young man who had become tired of going to church. Someone had said something that made him wonder if going to church made any difference.
But before he decided to stop attending church, he paid a visit to a wise old Christian in his cabin to ask for advice.
He told the old gentleman all the things that were bothering him about the church, and said he would probably be just as well off without the company of other Christians.
Without saying a word, the old man took the fire tongs and picked up a red hot coal from the middle of the fireplace and set it on the hearth. The coal glowed for a little while, but it soon dimmed and turned black.
He let it set there for a while and then took the tongs and placed the coal back in the middle of the fire. In a few seconds the coal was glowing red hot once again.
The young man understood the lesson from the silent old Christian, and he left with a greater insight and a determination to stay in church.
Hot coals soon burn out when they leave the company of other coals. The same goes for Christians when they are removed from true fellowship.
Let’s listen to what some of the wisdom passages in the Old Testament say about the importance of fellowship.
Ecclesiastes 4: 9-12 says, “ 9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.
10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.
11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.”
And Proverbs 27:17 says, “ 17 As iron sharpens iron,
So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.”
There is another good reason to be involved in Christian fellowship.
There is strength in numbers.
One preacher said, “ Snowflakes are frail, but if enough of them get together they can stop traffic.” One snowflake won’t even make you take notice when it falls on your head, but an avalanche will sweep you away.
You and I don’t have a lot of power by ourselves, but when we all get together and pray, and praise and worship, and learn and share, we are a mighty Army. God can and will use us to reach the lost for Him.
God calls His children to fellowship with one another, and we can pattern ourselves on the model of the early church in Acts chapter 2.
In closing, let me give you 5 “one another” commands found in the New Testament.
If you want to write these 5 Scripture references, they pretty well sum up the how-to of fellowship.
John 13:35, “ 35“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Romans 14:13, “ 13Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother’s way.”
Romans 15:7, “ 7Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”
Romans 16:16, “ 16Greet one another with a holy kiss. The churches of Christ greet you.” (In other words, be happy to see one another.)
And Colossians 3:16, “ 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”
As Christians we are supposed to let our lights shine. If we try to be a lone light, we will soon burn out or blow out. But if we will all shine together, we’ll have a light that no one can blow out.
