Last week, we made note of the fact that as a Christian community, we are called to learn together. We pointed out that this was a key element associated with the life of the early church, who "devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching."
Now today, I want us to think on yet another characteristic of Christian community. Not only are we called to learn, but we are called to care. We are told that they not only devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, but to "the fellowship."
Today, when we think of Christian fellowship, we think of meeting, greeting, and eating. However, the biblical idea of fellowship goes much deeper than a covered dish. Certainly, getting together for dinners, parties, or socials, can promote fellowship, but these kinds of events are only the beginning.
The Greek word used for fellowship here is "koinonia." In its most basic sense, koinonia means "sharing" or "participating." You see, biblical fellowship is more than a superficial friendship, or casual association. It requires sacrificial commitment. It involves a personal investment in both the spiritual and material welfare of our brothers and sisters in Christ. In other words, you are not committed to biblical fellowship if you are not practicing biblical stewardship.
Biblical fellowship is about sharing or participating in the work of improving the spiritual and material welfare of my brothers or sisters in Christ. With this in mind, we need to realize that there are three things each of us has to devote to the local fellowship of believers.
1. We can devote our time.
Now, the amount of time each of us has to give will vary from person to person, but each of us should commit ourselves to giving time to invest in the fellowship of believers.
A. Time to share - v. 46
The early believers spent time together! They spent time together worshipping God, being taught by the apostles, and being in small groups.
Here at FBC, we provide the same opportunities. First Baptist Church is intentionally organized into three types of grouping designed to promote spiritual growth and promote biblical fellowship among its members. As one involves themselves in each of these growth environments, they will be helped to develop a more intimate relationship with God as well as with their brothers and sisters in Christ. I like to call them the "three Cs".
1) The Celebration level of involvement.
These are our Sunday morning services where we worship God together. In this setting, one can make acquaintances with others, but that is about as deep a relationship you will develop with other believers, if all you do is attend worship on Sunday mornings. Our celebration services might be seen as being like the foyer to your house. A foyer is the place where you first meet others, but if you are going to develop a deeper relationship, you will need to move beyond the foyer to the living room, where you can visit and get to know each other better.
2) The Congregation level of involvement.
These are our adult, student, and children Bible Fellowships that gather on Sunday morning for Bible study as part of our Sunday School. Our main focus here is on studying the Bible together. At this level of participation, a person can move beyond making acquaintances to developing friendships. When you participate in a Bible Fellowship you move to the living room, where you can get to know other believers better.
3) The Cell level of involvement.
The final level of involvement in the church is the Cell level of interaction. This is the small group of friends who have come to know each other more intimately, and consequently, open up to one another more freely. We call these groups "cells" because, just like the cell is the most basic unit of the human body, these small groups are the most basic unit in the body of Christ. At this level, folks move beyond making acquaintances and developing friendships, to experiencing family.
Some people are uncomfortable with the intimacy of a small group, so these groups don’t always form spontaneously. That’s why our church has Life Groups. Through our Life Group ministry, we systematically encourage the formation of small groups. Most people, once they have gotten involved in a Life Group, find it to be a tremendous blessing. When you participate in a Life Group, you have moved beyond the foyer and the living room to the kitchen, where best friends open up to one another and discuss their lives in a warm, caring, and safe atmosphere.
B. Time to serve.
As important as it is to spend time sharing your life with fellow believers, it is equally important to spend time serving alongside fellow believers. Which brings me to the second thing we have to devote to the fellowship.
2. We can devote our talents.
Even a casual reading of our text reveals that those early Christians had a servant’s spirit. What is implied is that they used whatever talents, skills, gifts, & abilities they had in service to one another and along side one another in reaching out to those around them. Consequently, the Bible tells us that unbelievers were impressed. They saw a genuine difference in how these believers lived ("enjoying the favor of all the people" - v. 47).
We share time together for the purpose of maturing in the faith together so that we might be equipped to serve together in Jesus name.
"We should keep on encouraging each other to be thoughtful
and to do helpful things." - Hebrews 10:24 (CEV)
A servant’s heart should set God’s people apart from the world. This is especially true in our world today.
We live in a self-service world. Self service gas stations. Self service fast food. It is even possible in some places for you to check yourself out at the grocery store. We have totally lost the idea of service in our society today. Unfortunately, this "self-service" attitude characterizes too many believers in the church today, as well.
Rick Warren says the mark of spiritual maturity occurs when a believer "takes off the bib and puts on an apron." Immature children wear bibs and expect others to meet their needs. Those who don aprons have learned the joy of serving others. Which are you wearing? Are you a servant our a selfish crybaby?
Let me encourage you to get involved in serving others alongside other believers. Not only will God be glorified and others blessed, but you will experience a new level of fellowship (koinonia) with your brothers and sisters in Christ as you spend time serving others in Jesus’ name.
3. We can devote our treasure.
Some contend that the early church in Jerusalem was a commune. They insist that the members of the early church had to liquidate their assets in order to be part of the fellowship.
But it is clear from our text that this was not the case. One indication of this lies in the grammar of verse 45, where the verbs for "selling" and "gave" occur in the imperfect tense, which indicates occasional, rather than perpetual action. In other words, from time to time, as the need arose, members of the early church would sell their possessions and give money to help meet a need. Another clue comes from the fact that verse 46 tells us that "they broke bread in their homes." Obviously, they still owned their homes! No, the idea here is that no one "made" them give to God’s work, they did so willingly!
This is where the realm of blessing lies. It is also where one enters into true biblical fellowship with other brothers and sisters in Christ. Paul speaks of this in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 (READ PASSAGE).
The believers in the early church are described as joyfully praising God! They weren’t complaining about having to give, they willing gave. They gave to meet needs. They gave to glorify God. They gave so that God’s Word might be taught. They gave so that others might know Christ.
Consequently, there was a sense of camaraderie among the early believers, a sense of joy, a sense of kiononia, that was so powerful and attractive, that "the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved" (v. 47).
Two ladies were talking about their church. One complained to the others about the pastor’s sermons on the subject of giving. "Why does he have to preach about money anyway?" she complained. The other lady replied, "You recall how we lost our teenage son in that terrible accident last year? I remember before that complaining to my husband about how much he ate and the cost of groceries. I remember complaining about the cost of our adding him to our insurance. I remember complaining about the cost of sending him to college the next year. But now that he’s gone, none of that is important to me anymore. I’d give anything to have him alive again." She continued, "I think it’s the same with our church. The bottom line is that life costs. While my son was alive, it cost us. But now that he’s dead, he doesn’t cost us a thing. Which kind of church do you want to be part of? If you want a church that’s alive, it will cost you. That’s why our pastor preaches on giving."
Conclusion: Friends, I put that question to you today. What kind of church do you want to be part of? One where the fellowship is alive? Or one that is dead? If you want to be part of a fellowship that is alive, you must be willing to devote your time, talent and treasure to it.
