New Life On Purpose: Welcome
Text: Acts 2:42; Phil. 1:5; Eph. 4:2-3
Introduction
1. Illustration: A new Gallup study commissioned by Group Publishing shows that people with close friendships in their church are very satisfied with their congregation, less likely to leave their place of worship, and have a strong friendship with God. Church members who have a best friend at church are 21% more likely to report attending at least once a week and 26% more likely to report having a strong, more active faith in God. 77% of highly satisfied members have eaten a meal with fellow congregants (who are not members of their family) at some point over the last year. Only 56% of somewhat satisfied or dissatisfied members have shared a meal together. Mealtime fellowship appears strongly correlated with high levels of congregational satisfaction. 62% of those who eat meals together report regularly spending time in prayer and worship daily vs. 49% who have not eaten meals with other church members.
2. Perhaps the most encouraging thing that anyone has said to me about New Life was this past September when Pastor John Wooten was our guest. He said that he knew the minute he walked in the door he knew that we loved each other.
3. That tells me that fellowship is one thing that we do very well.
a. Fellowship Requires Commitment
b. Fellowship Requires Partnership
c. Fellowship Requires Patience
Proposition: We come together to love, honor, and encourage one another.
Transition: First of all...
I. Fellowship Requires Commitment (Acts 2:42)
A. Devoted Themselves
1. Luke tells us that the early church “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.”
a. It is vitally important that we join with other believers.
b. Christian television is a great thing, especially for those who are home bound, but it was never meant to be a replacement for being involved in a local church.
c. Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
d. We need to fellowship with one another because we sharpen one another and make each other better.
2. The phrase "devoted themselves" means to "continue to do something with intense effort, with the possible implication of despite difficulty" —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon
3. One of the things that they continued to devote themselves to was fellowship.
a. It was more than just getting together.
b. It was a partnership in the purposes of the Church and a sharing of the message and the work (Horton, 65).
4. 1 John 1:3 (NLT)
We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
5. The fellowship that is brought about by the Holy Spirit is very different than that seen in civic groups.
a. There is a vast difference between community participation and spiritual participation.
b. Community participation is based upon neighborly association.
c. Spiritual participation is based upon a spiritual union brought by the Spirit of God.
6. The distinctiveness is this: the Holy Spirit is within the Christian believer.
a. The Holy Spirit creates a spiritual union by melting and molding the heart of the Christian believer to the hearts of other believers.
b. He attaches the life of one believer to the lives of other believers.
c. Through the Spirit of God, believers become one in life and purpose.
d. They have a joint life sharing their blessings and needs and gifts together.
B. Devotion to Christ and One Another
1. Illustration: Recently this word—fellowship—has been in the headlines of our daily experience, thanks to the popular movie adaptations of J. R. R. Tolkin’s Lord of the Rings trilogy.
In the first book and movie, entitled, Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien describes the camaraderie of a diverse group of people who came together around a central purpose. Called "the fellowship of the ring," their goal is to destroy the power of the Dark Lord that is somehow resident in his ring. The persons in this fellowship are different in many ways, yet they are united in their opposition of the Dark Lord. That is the source of their fellowship.
2. The reason the fellowship of some churches is so weak today is not because they do not have enough fellowship events.
a. Rather weak fellowship is due to the lack of time we spend together doing the hard work of the kingdom.
b. In sharing time as it were in the foxholes of ministry together
c. And in making a difference in the lives of the hurting people of our world.
3. Fellowship is all about devotion.
a. It is about devotion to Christ.
b. It is about devotion to our mission.
c. It is about devotion to his church.
d. It is about devotion to one another.
4. Fellowship should be something that we crave because we love the Lord.
a. If we love the Lord, then we will love doing His work.
b. If we love the Lord, then we will love being with His people.
5. Fellowship should be something that you crave because we love our brothers and sisters.
a. Yeah, but if we only tolerate them?
b. Romans 15:7 (NLT)
Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory.
c. Get over it; you can pick your friends, but you’re stuck with your relatives!
d. 1 John 3:14 (NLT)
If we love our Christian brothers and sisters, it proves that we have passed from death to life. But a person who has no love is still dead.
Transition: Another thing that fellowship requires is...
II. Fellowship Requires Partnership (Phil. 1:3-5)
A. Fellowship In the Gospel
1. Here Paul tells his friends in Philipp “Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy…”
a. What a nice thing for Paul to say to them.
b. What a nice thing for anyone to say about someone.
c. There isn't a nicer thing that anyone can say to you than "I thank God for you!"
2. But listen to why Paul thanks God for them "for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.”
a. Koinonia: an association involving close mutual relations and involvement - —Louw & Nida: NT Greek-English Lexicon
b. Another way that it can be translated is "partnership."
c. "because you have been my partners in the gospel from the first day until now" (NLT).
3. The word was often used in an economic sense for those who “share” monetarily. Here it includes the financial help the Philippians have given —Bible Background Commentary
4. Paul was thankful for them because they had been his partners in the gospel.
a. Instead of looking at Paul and saying "Well, what are you waiting for Paul? Get to work!" They said "Hey, Paul, how can we help? What can we do?"
b. They didn't look for a place to hide, but for a place to get involved.
5. They understood that the church was a partnership, and that as a partner their participation was a requirement not from Paul but from God.
a. Just as preaching the gospel is a requirement for all Christians, so participation is a requirement for all Christians.
b. Participation is more than just showing up; it's about doing something once you get there.
B. Partnership
1. Illustration: Two partners of a large, prosperous business were both childless. They decided to hire a poor boy and give him every opportunity to advance rapidly and ultimately have him become a partner and heir to the business. They found a boy they both liked, exceedingly bright, active, and industrious. The partners agreed to give him six months' trial before informing him of what was in their minds. The last week of the six months' test arrived when one morning the superintendent saw the boy slip something slyly into his pocket. He insisted on knowing what it was, and the boy confessed he had stolen a quarter of a dollar. He was dismissed and never learned how near he had been to a fortune. He had sold the splendid position and prospect for a quarter.
2. We need to look at being involved in the church as an opportunity for a blessing.
a. If we get involved and take part God will give us a blessing so large that we will never be able to hold it all.
b. If we don't get involve we are missing out on that blessing.
c. If we don't participate we will be like the boy in the story and miss out on a fortune.
d. Do we have our eye on the quarter or on the fortune?
3. Fellowship means that we are all partners in the work of the Kingdom.
a. The pastor can't do it alone.
b. It takes all of us working together for the kingdom.
4. The success of the church depends on all of us.
a. We can sink together, or
b. We can swim together
5. 1 Peter 2:9 (NLT)
But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
Transition: Fellowship also requires...
III. Fellowship Requires Patience (Eph. 4:2-3)
A. Forbearing One Another in Love
1. Paul tells the Ephesians “Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.”
a. Patience: To be longsuffering, persevering, waiting, being constant, steadfast, and enduring (Practical Word Studies in The New Testament).
b. Note: this is a very special kind of patience—a spiritual patience that never gives in; it perseveres and suffers on and on no matter what attacks it.
c. John Chrysostom, one of the early Church Fathers, explained this word from as meaning “to have a wide and big soul.”
d. Patience is the exercise of a largeness of soul that can endure annoyances and difficulties over a period of time (Snodgrass, NIV Application Commentary, New Testament: Ephesians, 197).
2. Then Paul says, “Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.”
a. Notice that Paul says “make every effort.” In other words, it is going to be work!
b. No one is ever going to be perfect here on earth, so we must accept and love other Christians in spite of their faults.
c. When we see faults in fellow believers, we should be patient and gentle.
d. One of the downsides of fellowship is that we have to deal with sinful, fallen people - you know, like us!
3. The focus on “one another” is significant.
a. This word occurs forty times in Paul’s letters.
b. Christians are part of each other and are to receive one another, think about one another, serve one another, love one another, build up one another, bear each other’s burdens, submit to each other, and encourage each other.
c. Christianity is a God-directed, Christ-defined, other-oriented religion (Snodgrass, 197).
d. Only with such direction away from self do we find ourselves.
B. Love One Another
1. Illustration: One day I was talking to my son Daniel, and he said something that I thought was very profound. We were talking about people who got hurt in church when they were younger, and as a result, won't come to church anymore. He said "That's a really sad reason to stay away from God. People get hurt in church because people are always going to be people. Get over it!"
2. People are always going to be people, and people are always going to make mistakes - including you!
3. We want to be patient with us when we make mistakes, so shouldn't we give them the same respect?
a. Shouldn’t we be as patient with others as we want them to be with us?
b. Shouldn’t we be as understanding with others as we want them to be with us?
c. Shouldn’t we give people second and third chances because want them to give us second and third chances?
4. Galatians 6:1 (NLT)
Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.
5. As a part of fellowship, we need to be willing to bear with one another the same way God is patient with us.
Transition: People are always going to be people. So get over it!
Conclusion
1. One of the purposes of the church is fellowship.
2. Fellowship means more than "Let's Eat!" It means:
a. Commitment
b. Partnership
c. Patience
3. Are you devoted to fellowship?
4. Are you partnering with your brothers and sisters to build the church?
5. Are you being patient with others?
