Together Is Better

Together Is Better

GNLCC 9/14/2003 Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Acts 2:41-47

There are some things in life that just seem to go together. We have come to think of them as one making the other better. Let me see if you can figure out what makes the other better. We have peanut butter and _____jelly__________, we have pancakes and_____sausages___________, we have meat and ___potatos_____________ and we cake and _________ _______ice-cream. There are people in the Bible that go together to make things better. You have Moses and _____Aaron_____________, Paul and ____Silas________, James and _______John__________, and finally Shadrach and_______Meshack________.

We know that together, some things are better together than they are apartt. In the Bible, what is the term God uses to describe us as a collective unit? We are called the body of Christ. Now the interesting thing about being called the body is that immediately we know that we all fit in somewhere, and we will not all look the same, nor will we all have the same function. Some of parts of the body are seen more than others, but that does not mean they are more important.

They all have their different functions to perform. All of the parts of a body, are part of the body. Can you imagine your hand trying to argue, it does not need the rest of the body and it’s decided not to be a part of the body any longer? First chance it gets, it’s going to cut itself off. Who is going to suffer for this action? Who will suffer the most?

Nowhere in the bible are we ever referred to as little bodies of Christ. Why? Because God wants to make it clear, no Christian is expected to be a lone ranger for God. None of us is given everything we need to grow in Christ apart from the rest of the body.

Think about this. When God created Adam, Adam was perfect. Adam did not know what it was to do wrong. Adam had not had to ask forgiveness for anything, because he had not done anything wrong. Adam could sense the presence of God in a way we can only imagine.

But still, God said, “it is not good for the man to be alone.” Now before God created Adam, God said, “let us make man in our image.” Now who is God referring to when God says, “Let us make man in our image.” God is talking within Himself. By that I mean God The Father, God The Son, and God The Holy Spirit.

We’re not talking about three gods, but rather one God revealing Himself in three ways. God the Father created the world, but it was created through Jesus Christ, and it was The Holy Spirit that breathed life into creation. God has never been alone. God has always had fellowship within Himself, through the Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

An easy way to understand fellowship is to think of a few fellows with the same background and purpose in a small ship. They are all talking and working together. Now fellowship is more than just having a good time after service during coffee hour.

Fellowship means earnestly getting to know others in such a way that I can be a blessing to them and they can be a blessing to me in my Christian walk. It involves us sharing in the grace of God together. The purpose of fellowship is to help us grow in our relationship to Jesus Christ

Now the body is a good image of fellowship. Do you notice how the parts of the body are in fellowship with each other? The foot never has to worry about eating. It knows that, if it can help get the rest of the body to the kitchen, it’s going to get what it needs to stay healthy.

Now what would happen if the foot cut itself off from the body to get to the kitchen first? You could have the biggest vegetable platter or the best looking steak and shrimp you’ve ever seen, but it will not do the foot a bit of good. Since the foot is part of the body, it needs the mouth in order to be nourished. The foot needs to understand getting their together is better, because that was and is God’s plan for the body.

Well God was having fellowship, because God the Father, God The Son and God the Holy Spirit were all of the same substance, purpose and background.

Adam on the other hand did not have fellowship, because there was no one of the same substance and background as he was. When Eve was created, fellowship became a real possibility for Adam. Now Adam and Eve together, were truly in the image of God because they could know the true meaning of fellowship.