“…A Home for Fellowship…”
Various Scriptures
(August 5, 2001)
Introduction
Several years ago studies were conducted among former American prisoners of war to determine what methods used by the enemy had been most effective in breaking their spirit.
The findings revealed that they did not break down from physical deprivation and torture as quickly as they did from solitary confinement or from disrupted friendships caused by frequent changing of personnel. Attempts to get the prisoners divided in their attitudes toward one another proved to be the most successful method of discouraging them.
It was further learned that the soldiers were not sustained primarily by faith in their country or by the rightness of the cause for which they fought. They drew their greatest strength from the close attachments they had formed to the small military units to which they belonged.
These observations help us understand why Christians need the group experience of fellowship with other believers to help them sustain the new life in Christ.
We continue in our series of messages based on the purpose statement of Aberdeen Wesleyan Church.
These messages are designed not only to help us become familiar with the statement, but also to give it some teeth. We want to be doers, not just sayers.
As we have been doing the last few weeks, I want us to read aloud the purpose statement, and it is found on the front of your bulletin. Please read along:
Our purpose is to bring unchurched people into God’s family, and to offer worship that lifts up God, ministry that heals hurts, a home for fellowship, and instruction in Christian living.
Today we focus on “a home for fellowship,” and my purpose today is to show the “whys” of fellowship and offer some practical “hows.”
What do we mean by fellowship? We could spend weeks going into all the definitions and Greek words for fellowship, but I want to just go to the bottom line.
Fellowship basically means the gathering of Christians for worship or mutual benefit.
We will flesh that out a bit as we get through the message. I want to give you three aspects of fellowship, and some application, in the hopes that as we leave here today we will be excited about this wonderful part of the Christian life, and not just excited, but eager to make it a dynamic part of our church life as well.
Let’s move quickly to the first aspect of fellowship, and that is…
I. Identification - Acts 2:42-47 (p. 772)
Please turn with me to Acts 2:42-47, which can be found on page 772 in the Bibles in the seats.
This was a picture of how the early church operated, and it is quite instructive. Please follow along as I read.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 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, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
We could spend all our time this morning on just this passage, and probably learn all we need about fellowship, but I want to emphasize the fact that the fellowship of these early Christians gave them a sense of identity.
If you were to bump into one of the early Christians on the way to worship, you may have asked something like, “So, where are you off to today?” And the answer would have been something like, “Oh, I’m headed over to the temple, at Solomon’s Colonnade.”
Immediately you would have understood that this person was one of those people who believed that Jesus of Nazareth was the dead and risen Messiah, because that’s where they met.
And along that line of identification, I want to raise two questions. I think answering these two questions will go a long way to helping us grasp this concept of fellowship.
First…
A. What set these people apart?
It was immediately noticeable that this bunch of people were different, and it wasn’t only because they followed the teachings of Jesus.
The working of the Holy Spirit in bringing people to Christ and changing lives was impossible to hide.
And I think this bunch of people exhibited two things in particular that set them apart.
The first is…
1. Communion.
They gathered for worship and to share in the Lord’s Supper. It was nothing for them to break into worship when they gathered together.
And here’s an interesting thing: they first met at the temple, not in homes or “church” buildings.
But they gathered for worship of the Messiah. They shared a sense of communion.
They gathered to remember the sacrifice of the Lord, and to come to the Lord’s table.
I want to tell you here that I am working to have us share the Lord’s Supper much more often than we have in the past.
We need to be more deliberate in remembering the Lord’s Supper.
Aside from communion, they also shared a sense of…
2. Community.
They were more than fellow countrymen, more than fellow citizens of Jerusalem, more than neighbors, they were a community.
They saw each other and themselves as social units that needed each other to not only get along, but to survive.
They cared for each other’s needs, many times sacrificing their own material possessions for the benefit of those in the fellowship.
Scripture doesn’t say it much, but the teachings of Jesus indicate that people shouldering others’ burdens was something of a novelty in that culture.
If that is the case, it is no surprise that the acts of the people in this fellowship caught people off guard.
They possessed a sense of community.
By the way, if their sense of communion and their sense of community only served to help the fellowship survive, that would have been enough.
I think God would have been honored just to see how these people honored themselves. But God decided to go further than that.
B. What were the results?
There were two main results of this fellowship’s worship and fellowship:
1. Enjoyed the favor of the people.
2. Many added to God’s family.
Isn’t that amazing? The lesson here is that as we care to worship God and care for our fellow believers, we can enjoy the favor of the people, and we can watch God add to our numbers.
Why is that, do you suppose?
Because are attracted to people who care. It’s really that simple. When we show love and care for each other, it reflects the love and care the Father has for His children.
And it showcases how God works to change lives.
If our purpose is to love God and love people as we seek to implement our purpose statement, we will draw people to Christ.
The first aspect of fellowship is identification. The second is…
II. Edification – Hebrews 10:24-25 (p. 851)
Remember what “edify” means? It means “to build up.” An “edifice” is another name for a building.
We do that when we gather. Please turn with me to Hebrews 10:24-25, which can be found on page 851 of the Bibles in the seat.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
The idea here is that there are benefits to being together. As I was working on this message, I started listing some of the benefits of fellowship. There are others, I’m sure, but let me give you some.
These aren’t in any particular order, but here we go:
Benefits of fellowship:
Company of like-minded people (not necessarily total agreement in the details)
Encouragement
Accountability
Prayer from and for others
Hospitality
Exhortation
Instruction
Care
By the way, let me encourage you to avoid the mind-set that says, “I don’t need to be with others to worship. I can worship just fine on my own.”
I used to think that way, but I soon found out that while I can, and even need, times away from people to be with the Lord, I cannot hope to have a fruitful relationship with God being a hermit in my worship.
Look as others not as impediments to your worship, but as God-empowered agents to enhance your worship. And as you join in, it is a beautiful thing for all involved.
The second aspect of fellowship is edification.
And the third aspect we want to examine today is…
III. Glorification – Psalm 133:1-3 (p. 443)
Please turn to Psalm 133, which can be found on page 443 of the Bibles in the seats.
This is a wonderful passage of Scripture. Please follow along as I read.
How good and pleasant it is
when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down upon the collar of his robes.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
God is honored when His children get along! He smiles on fellowship. He blesses it! And it is a wonderful reflection of Him.
It’s because when we purpose to love each other as God loves us, we open ourselves to God working in us as individuals, and for God working in us the synergism possible for maximum impact for Him.
Identification, edification, and glorification. Now we move to…
IV. Application
What are some specific ways we can become a real “home for fellowship?”
A. Meet outside of worship.
What I mean by this is that we need to provide and encourage opportunities for our people to meet in settings outside the worship service.
Specifically, I think of a couple things:
1. Meals such as pot-lucks, etc.
2. Small groups meeting for prayer, Bible study, or in support-group settings.
You know what I’m going to plug here, don’t you? The Firm Foundations discipleship class!
That is not the only class we can have. If you have a heart to start a class on something, you feel free to talk to me, and we’ll see if we can work something out.
If you have a heart to start some sort of support group, talk to me and we’ll see what we can do.
The 3-D group starting here is a support group, but there are other needs as well.
The second means of realizing our goal of becoming a home for fellowship is…
B. Individuals meeting for accountability and encouragement.
One of the best things that could have happened to me as I began growing in Christ was finding men who were willing to invest time in me, to answer my questions and to challenge me in my walk with God.
Sometimes we studied a passage of Scripture, or looked at a character quality I needed to develop. Sometimes we just prayed.
One of the things I appreciate most about Pat Stoebner is that if he stops into my office for a minute, I can count on him inviting me to pray with him at the altar.
I have learned to value those times, and have started to initiate some of those times with other pastors in the area.
A great application of this is two or three people getting together to hold each other accountable for some area of Christian living.
And let me encourage you to take the initiative in this. You don’t need my permission to get together with one or two people and say, “You know what? Let’s get together to pray once a week. What do you say?”
Look for opportunities to meet with each other outside of the worship service. That is how we apply the aspects of identification, edification, and glorification.
Conclusion
In my conversations with a number of you who have started coming in the last year, the comment that keeps coming up is that you feel “comfortable.”
I am very encouraged by that, and I hope that it continues, and even grows as you who are newer begin to reach out to the new folks God brings us.
I don’t know about you, but I am most comfortable around my family. When I come home after work, there’s nothing I like more than hearing my family say, “Daddy’s home!”
I can kick back, relax, eat supper with my family, and maybe read them some stories before they go to bed.
My hope is that everyone here, especially you newer folks, can begin to look at this fellowship as a sort of family.
Spiritually, that’s exactly what we are, because we are children of God through our relationship with Christ.
And I want to extend an invitation to any of you here who aren’t yet a part of God’s family.
Your place is ready and waiting for you. But you need to understand something. You are not part of the family because of your physical birth into a church-going family.
Jesus said that your physical birth is not enough. You need a spiritual birth.
How does that happen? By first admitting your need for a new birth because of your sinfulness, and purposing with God’s help to turn from them.
By the way, we all start off as sinners, so don’t think I’m trying to pick on you. The Bible says that all have sinned, and deserve judgement and punishment.
Along with acknowledging your sinfulness, you need to believe that Christ died for your sins, and rose again.
Then call on Him to forgive your sins and give you the new life He wants for you, and a place in heaven.
In doing this, God grants you forgiveness and eternal life in heaven. You have the confidence that when you pass from this earth, you will spend eternity in heaven.
And you become a child of God. Come join the family, won’t you?
I mentioned before that a fellowship showcases how God changes lives. If you don’t believe it, come talk to me afterward, and I’ll tell you what He did for me.
And then I’ll take you over to meet Jim Schaunaman and let him tell you what God has done for him.
Then I’ll bring you over to meet Loretta Waltman and let her tell you what God did in her life.
Then Hazel Walter, Doug and Arlis Harms, my wife Debra, and just about anybody here.
Let God do some wonderful things for you.
If you wish to come to Christ today, please pray with me right now. And we will not only rejoice with you in your new life in Christ, we will welcome you into our fellowship.
(Pray)
Offering
Closing Hymn
