WHAT IS HOLDING US TOGETHER?
This is the first of a series of three messages I have entitled, "The Church".
Other messages in the series include:
#2 - "What Will Keep Us Together", focusing on Colossians 1:9-14.
#3 - "What Could Break Us Apart", focusing on Galatians 1:6-10.
INTRODUCTION
In order for a group of people to gather and meet on a regular basis there has to be something that keeps them together. That is what I would like to examine today. What is it that keeps this church together? What is it that has held and sustained us for the past five months? And what is it that is going to keep us together in the future?
We can look at the church in Phillipi and answer all of these questions. Paul had written to them and thanked them for helping him. They had reached out to him both spiritually and financially many times. Throughout the book of Philippians Paul alludes to what it was that caused their church to endure. We need to take a look at what was holding the Philippian church together and see how we compare.
I. SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST HELD THEM TOGETHER
Philippians 1:3-6 – I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
We can see from this verse that Paul recognized they were in fellowship with each other concerning the gospel. Last week we learned that the gospel is the message that Jesus Christ died, that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day. The church at Philippi was in agreement with Paul about the gospel and they shared the same beliefs. They both shared in the salvation given by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
How can sharing in the salvation offered through Jesus Christ unite and hold a group of people together?
A. Salvation offers freedom from the past.
Isaiah 1:18 – Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
These verses were originally written to the children of Israel and revealed that they would become righteous through repentance. It can also be applied to us today.
Once we turn to Christ and repent of our sins we no longer have to worry about the sins of our past. It is true that we may still face earthly consequences from them, but in God’s eyes we have been washed clean. We can then find joy by uniting with others who have turned to Christ.
B. Salvation offers purpose for the present.
Mark 16:15 – And he said unto them, go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
We have a purpose in this life after receiving salvation. Our main purpose should be to worship God and tell others about him. A group of believers gathering together in his name are held together by this purpose.
C. Salvation offers hope for the future.
Philippians 1:6 - Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ
It is a sad thing that those who have not accepted Jesus Christ cannot stake claim to a home in heaven. The Bible plainly tells us that the only way to get to heaven is through Jesus Christ. On the other hand, it is a joyful thing that those who have accepted Jesus Christ can look forward to spending an eternity in heaven worshipping the Lamb who was slain. The assurance that one day Jesus Christ will split the eastern sky and take us home to live with him gives us hope for the future.
II. SERVANTHOOD HELD THEM TOGETHER
Philippians 4:10 – But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again: wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
Philippians 4:14 – Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction.
The Philippian church took care of Paul. We do not know exactly what they did to help him, but it is clear that whatever it was helped Paul out in a great way. In verse 14 he tells them that they had done well in their efforts. They were there for Paul when he needed them. They were his servants in the gospel.
In our Christian walk today the spirit of servanthood can manifest itself in at least four ways.
A. Bearing one another’s burdens.
Galatians 6:2 – Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
The Bible gives us a command to bear one another’s burdens. As Christian brothers and sisters we need to be there when we are needed. There are people within our congregation right now who are hurting and in need of someone who is willing to bear part of the load that is weighing them down.
Are you willing to put aside your own selfish desires and help out someone in need? It is required to hold us together.
B. Praying for each other.
Philippians 1:4 – Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy.
Look at what Paul does and how he does it. He makes mention that he is praying for the church at Philippi and that every request is made with joy. How many of us can say that we joyfully pray one for another? It has been my experience that the average Christian spends as little time as possible in prayer and then it certainly isn’t done joyfully. It is more of a hurried up prayer done in haphazard fashion. Usually it is done more out of habit than out of a love for God.
If our church, or any church, wants to survive then the members must spend time in prayer for one another before Almighty God. I don’t mean to only pray when a sickness or problem comes up. As 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” Pray that we can be better teachers, leaders, fathers, mothers, and children. Pray that we will grow in spiritual maturity and have a desire to serve the Lord. Pray that nothing will come between our individual relationships with Jesus Christ.
Prayer will hold us together.
C. Loving one another.
1 John 4:7 – Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.
1John 2:9 – He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in the darkness even until now.
1 John 4:7 tells us that when we love one another we are displaying the fact that we are born of him. In contrast, 1 John 2:9 tells us that if we hate our brother we are showing that we are still in the darkness and have not experienced the love of Jesus Christ.
Our churches today are filled with hate and dissension among its members. Do you know what that is telling me? By reading the two scriptures above it is telling me that our churches are filled with lost people claiming to be Christians. It is perfectly clear that if love is not present in someone’s life then God is not present either.
What can we do about that? The best thing that we can do is not examine the walk of others, but examine ourselves. We have got to make sure that there is no hate in our own hearts. In doing so we need to take a close look at our walk with God and make sure that it is genuine.
2 Corinthians 13:5 – Examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?
If we want our church to hold together then we have to love one another.
D. Esteeming others better than ourselves.
Philippians 2:3 – Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
This particular verse kind of wraps everything together. If we bear one another’s burdens, if we pray for each other, if we show genuine love among the brethren, then we can honestly say that we have placed others needs above our own. That is what being a servant is all about. A servant is there to tend to the needs of others. He cannot be thinking selfishly about himself.
The only way for our church to hold together is for every member to put aside his or her selfish desires and place others needs before their own.
CONCLUSION
The most important bond holding any church together is the salvation of its members. Salvation offers freedom from the past, purpose for the present, and hope for the future. There has to be a common belief of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior for any kind of peaceful relationship to exist.
Along with that salvation should be a spirit of servanthood among the people. If we can bear one another’s burdens, pray for each other, love one another, and esteem others better than ourselves we can create a powerful bond that will never be broken.
Where does our church stand today? Where will it stand in the future? Think about how you can make a difference.
