Title: Fellowship With Others
Text: I John 1:3-6
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Introduction:
- What is meant by fellowship in this verse?
- What is being referred to is something of a quite different order and on different level.
"They met constantly to hear the apostles teach, and to share the common life, and break bread and to pray. A sense of awe was everywhere. All whose faith had drawn them together held everything in common. With one mind they kept up their daily attendance at the temple, and, breaking bread in private houses, shared their meals with unaffected joy as they praised God" (Acts 2:42-47, New English Bible).
- This is fellowship as the New Testament understood it, and there is clearly a world of difference between that and mere social activities.
- The Greek word for fellowship means common or shared.
- So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has.
- Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ.
- Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal.
- We must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common relationship to God (1 John 1:3).
- The person who is not in fellowship with the Father and the Son is no Christian at all, and so cannot share with Christians the realities of Christian fellowship.
Let me illustrate with this story the true meaning of fellowship:
In 1773, the young pastor of a poor church in Wainsgate, England, was called to a large and influential church in London. John Fawcett was a powerful preacher and writer, and these skills had brought him this opportunity. But as the wagons were being loaded with the Fawcetts’ few belongings, their people came for a tearful farewell.
During the good-byes, Mary Fawcett cried, “John, I cannot bear to leave!” “Nor can I,” he replied. “We shall remain here with our people.” The wagons were unloaded, and John Fawcett spent his entire fifty-four-year ministry in Wainsgate.
Out of that experience, Fawcett wrote the beautiful hymn, “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”
- Our text has much to say about fellowship with people who are Christians and God.
- I want to emphasize verse 3 and share with you this morning why we have fellowship as Christians. Verse 3 says, “We 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 the Son, Jesus Christ.”
- We will look at our fellowship with God tonight, and address the question, What are the signs of walking in the Light? Or what are the signs of walking in righteousness?
- Basicly how do I know I am righteous, thus having fellowship with God? That will be tonight.
- But this morning I want to give you 4 points concerning our fellowship as believers in God.
- Understand that there can be no fellowship unless these points are understood and applied.
- Christians have fellowship because.......
Point 1: We Have A Common Faith
Titus 1:4 says, “To Titus, my true son in our common faith: Grace and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior.”
Jude 3 says, “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.”
- The faith means the gospel proclaimed by Christ and the apostles.
Examples are: John 15; Gal 5; Matt 5-7; The Parables that Jesus taught on; Salvation recorded in John 3:16; John 14; John 10; John 6; John 1 - Jesus is the Word; Matt 24 - concerning the end times.
- But the faith is more then objective truth. It is also a way of life to be lived in love and purity. This objective truth needs to be applied by every believer and lived out in sincerity.
I Tim 1:5 says, “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
- It also is a kingdom that comes in power to baptize all believers in the Holy Spirit, that they may proclaim the gospel to all nations with signs and miracles and gifts of the Spirit.
Acts 2:22 says, “Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through Him, as you yourselves know.”
- Meaning church when Christ came, Jesus was sent by miracles, wonders and signs, not with just mere words. God showed Himself real through Jesus Christ, by signs, wonders and miracles.
- So therefore we have fellowship because we have that common faith. We believe it, we apply it to our lives, we live it through love and we experience it just like the days of Pentecost. We have fellowship with each other because of what we believe and live for.
- So the question comes, what about religious organizations that don’t believe the gospels, and live out truth that is not found in the Bible, can we still have fellowship with them? No, not spiritually. We have nothing in common. (Explain further)
- Evangelical churches are being swept in deception. The goddess movement is one, honoring the women Sophia in place of Christ.
- Homosexuality is another and is being embraced by religious organizations.
- Strange manifestations are creeping into the church that have no biblical backing what so ever. These manifestations that have been experienced in evangelical circles are no different then some cults in the world today.
- Some religious organizations have claimed that Christians began barking like dogs, claiming they were under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
- Some crowed like roosters, justifying their action by saying it’s the dawning of a new day.
- These were committed Christians and claimed that the experience was meaningful.
- My point is this, there is a cult of laughter in Japan where worshipers beat themselves with long-stemmed roses with thorns and roar with laughter.
- Take away the roses, and you can’t tell the difference between this cult and some charismatic services.
- There are also false doctrine, or philosophies that are not biblical popping up in evangelical circles. For example, there is new age teaching in the church today that promote you can be like God. After all, didn’t Jesus say, “greater things than these shall you do?”
- Such teaching suggests that all elements of nature are subject to you.
- Even God, Himself, must respond if the formula is right. (He cannot resist your power because He has committed Himself to those same laws of faith)
- The result is God is reduced to a genie in a bottle, obligated to our three wishes, no longer Father God with a sovereign will. If God is not sovereign, He is not God.
- Also a strange philosophy that is brewing is God is love, and promote the acceptance of homosexuality within the church.
- It is done in the name of love in hopes to help discouraged people find self worth.
- How did all this happen? It is deception. It comes from ignorance and a blindness to the word of God.
- It happens when we fall in love with the message of another man, not the Son Of Man, Jesus.
- Some of satan’s most effective deceptions come from good experiences. When satan can’t stop you face to face, with his roaring lion act, he will come forth as an animal of light and inspire you to take a doctrine or experience to extreme.
- You destroy yourself with your own energy and enthusiasm.
- We don’t share the same faith, and thus have no fellowship with believers who live life, and accept teaching, lifestyles and philosophies that aren’t backed up with God’s Word.
- The reason we have fellowship this morning is because we believe in salvation, the blood of Christ, resurrection etc.
Christians Have Fellowship Because.......
Point 2: We Have A Common Grace Of God In Christ
I Cor 1:9 says, “God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”
Phi 1:7 says, “It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.”
- Basicly what Paul is saying is we have feelings of love for each other no matter what we are going through because we all have the same grace given by God.
- I could be going through hard times, but still have affection and love for other Christians who are going through good times and not feel remorse or regret.
- It did not matter whether Paul was under arrest or free, his friends at Philippi shared with him in what God was doing through him.
- That work concerned primarily the spread of the gospel.
- It was because of their partnership with him that he could propagate God’s grace.
- Paul praised them for their concern that this good news be spread abroad.
- How does that apply today? Are you concerned for each other in what God has called each of us to do for Him?
- Paul could be in prison for preaching the gospel, and he had the support and concern of the people of Philipi.
- It was a great comfort and fellowship to know that someone is behind concerned for what God has called you to do and cheering you on when the going gets tough.
- The question is do we do that with each other. What God has called you to do, should warrent my support and concern and vise versa.
- God gives us a measure of grace to help accomplish our tasks for Him. Lets support one another and share in fellowship of grace.
- Each believer has been commissioned and called of God. And because we are called, there is a measure of grace to help us through the difficult times. Lets affirm one another in love to fulfil the great commission.
Christians have fellowship because.....
Point 3: We Have A Common Indwelling Of The Spirit
John 20:21-22 says, “Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. And with that He breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 8:9,11 say, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.”
“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to you mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”
- We are saved and the spirit lives in us. Which means we are going to spend eternity together.
- We have fellowship because we are saved and have received the Spirit at conversion.
- All believers from the moment they accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have the Holy Spirit living in them.
- But because sin has invaded the physical aspect of our being, our bodies must die or be transformed. Yet because Christ is in us, we now experience the life of the Spirit. (Gal 5)
- The have fellowship because we are saved and are making it our desire in life to live according to the Spirit. When we live according to the Spirit we bear friut.
- So if a believer is not desiring to be transformed are they saved? Or have they lost something in there journey with the Lord?
- If you are not desiring to be transformed and become more like Christ, you are on dangerous ground and can have no real fellowship with believers who are seeking to live a transformed life.
We have fellowship because........
Point 4: We Have Common Gifts Of The Spirit
Rom 15:27 says, “They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.”
- Paul recognized that the churches in Jerusalem had an obligation to give.
- Not with money but with material things, fleshly things.
- They were instructed to serve each other and minister to each other.
- All of us are equipped to serve and minister to each other.
- All of us have gifts from the God to build up and minister to the body.
- But are we doing it? Do we know our giftings from the Lord so that we can serve more effectively?
- Church like it or not, we have an obligation to each other, and that is to serve one another so we can have true fellowship.
- We all have gifts, lets respect them in each other and serve one another in Christ. So that we can be built up.
- So of you have the gift of giving, and God has blessed you with things, money and the ability to make money, what are you doing with it to help the church?
- Some of you have been gifted in the area of encouragement, are you using it and asking God to give you opportunity to use it in the church?
- True fellowship comes when we use our gifts to build each other up and other Christians in the world.
- If you are doing it, great! Keep striving for more opportunities.
We Have Fellowship Because.........
Point 5: We Have A Common Enemy
I Peter 5:8 says, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
- When humanity fell into sin, satan became the ruler of the world.
- He dominates the whole world, patrols the earth, and is commander of a host of evil spirits through whom he enslaves and keeps captive those without Christ.
- Only believers have been delivered from his power
- Yet as roaring lion, he remains a threat to believers and seeks to destroy them, especially through experiences of suffering.
- He will spiritually destroy anyone who abandon’s God’s protection. Through our faith in Christ’s blood, our spiritual warfare by the Spirit and our prayers to God, we are fully equipped to defeat Satan’s schemes, to resist him and to stand firm in the faith.
- I John 4:4 says, “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
- We have an enemy this morning who has made it his destiny to destroy the church, with false teaching, discord, praylessness, things, and the pleasure of this world.
- The bible says to stand firm in the God and the Word.
- Let it be the passion of the church to destroy the works of the devil.
- Let it be our passion to win, let it be our passion to have victory, let it be our passion to see the captives set free, and the annointing to flow in the services.
- Let it be our passion to live for God and serve one another.
- Let it be our passion to love one another and desire to see our brothers and sisters be used in the faith and grow in God
- Let it be our passion to rejoice with fellow Christians.
- Let it be our passion to pray for one another
- Let it be our passion to care for one another.
- Let it be our passion to fellowship with one another.
