What a Fellowship!

Service Notes

Start and end with 2 songs

Irony is not lost on me that we set up tables the service after reading about Jesus turning them over

Do night we meet to worship God, we meet with a zeal for His glory, we meet to hear His Words… please refrain from selling animals or exchanging money at your tables.

Coloring page for the kids - Helping People Find and Follow Jesus

What a fellowship, what a joy divine Leaning on the everlasting arms What a blessedness, what a peace is mine Leaning on the everlasting arms

[Slide- three statements]

Philippians 1:1–8 (KJV)

1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:

2 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,

4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,

5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now;

6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.

8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

I thank God

Remembrance of you

Phil 1:3 “3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,”

God provided the church a deep love for one another.

Paul wasn’t just longing to get out of jail he wanted to be with them.

Have you ever experienced that longing?

These are prayers that are deep in our heart. Phil 1:8 “8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.”

We did at times during covid.

At 16 I experienced a deep longing to be with my church. It was not a place with great facilities, it wasn’t the fastest growing church in town, it was the place that I learn the love of God for me.

Take time to remember one another

We all want out kids to have more than we have. Let’s not make sure we do not give them less.

When I think about you all, remember, I thank God. We don’t have to take 40 years to remember.

I can look out here and remember right now!

Through joyful prayer

Phil 1:4 “4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,”

Paul said in all of his prayers he is thinking of them.

When I talk to God about you. I thank Him for being the starter and completer of your faith

Thankful that God begun a good work in you and He will complete it. Phil 1:6 “6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:”

Transition: Paul was not only thankful for God’s continued work in their life. But he rejoiced in their continued work in the Gospel together!

For your fellowship

Partnership

the idea of fellowship has been weakened to just mean eating together after church

partnership is you and I “helping people find and follow Jesus together”

We do this as servants

Phil 1:1 “1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:”

We got here too late and will leave too early to have a monopoly on what God is doing!

This is why we are going to rejoice with other churches and ministries when we here how God is working through them.

Omission: Paul is not identifying himself as an apostle but a fellow servant

Association: He is naming Timothy as someone who is in the fight with him.

Fellowship is more than pass me a roll. Pass me an opportunity for a volunteer role. :)

Transition: True Christian fellowship means sharing together in the things of God.

In the Gospel

It is the right thing for Paul to think of them in this way. . Phil 1:7 “7 Even as it is meet for me

Share in the grace of God together

To this church Paul is just saying in the Gospel, knowing they know what he is speaking about. That is a statement in of itself.

We are partakers of the same grace, the grace of God. Phil 1:7 “7 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace.”

Viewing ourselves and other Christians as fellow-partakers of God’s grace humbles us and puts us all on the same level.

A bond created by a common mission is strong. However, the bond created by remember we are recipients of God’s grace is what is available to us.

You are firm in my heart.

This bond goes even further than “because I have you in my heart”

Look at vs. 8 Phil 1:8 “8 For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.”

I see God’s grace in your life.

I share with you in this grace.

I can hold you in my heart

It is right I have can have confidence in you.

The love we have for one another is an expression of God’s love for us.