Fellowship revisited
Notes
Transcript
We over the last few months have discussed Evangelism, Worship, and now we are going to be discussing Fellowship. We have previously discussed fellowship but over the next month we will go in depth with Fellowship. Today we will discuss fellowship in the context of the church, what does fellowship in the church look like? We will then move on to Fellowship in Christ and what it looks like to have fellowship in Christ. After that we will see what a church in fellowship does for those around them. Lastly we will see how fellowship honors our Father. Today we will focus on Fellowship and what it looks like in the church. While in this series we will focus in Acts, today I want to take us to Philippians chapter 2. In this scripture today we will see that fellowship is less about the activities taking place and about living and learning with those who we share those activities with. Often times we think that the most important thing is the things we are doing, I hope that after today you will see that the most important thing is that fellowship is about people and not events, numbers, popularity. It is simply about people.
A little girl once cried out in the night and awakened her mother. At the child’s request she was permitted to crawl in bed with her mother. “What’s the matter?” the mother inquired. “It was dark over there,” said the child. “Yes,” replied the mother, “but it’s just as dark over here.” “I know, Mother,” the little girl said, “but you’re here.”
When we are going through the dark areas of life it is comforting to share life with people that love and care about us. Turn in your Bibles to Philippians 2 and in the Scripture today I hope to point out three aspects of fellowship that I believe will help our church to operate in fellowship as the Bible calls us to Fellowship. First fellowship starts with Love, Second fellowship is spiritual, and lastly fellowship is physical.
Turn with me in your Bible too Philippians 2:1-8
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
Fellowship Starts with Love
Fellowship Starts with Love
You are probably tired of hearing me talk about this aspect of love. The fact though is that we are all trying to learn what real love is. If you have been married for any amount of time you have learned that what you though about love is no at all what love is. As you grown in your marriage you learn that love is often times responding opposite of how you want to respond. I think it was Joe who told me a few weeks ago that the key to a long marriage is to shut your mouth. The older I get the more I realize that I have not understood real love and I am just beginning to learn what love is. I see the example of Christ and I see my reflection and they are so different. I am learning more and more every day to live in patience. To listen more than I speak, and to care about others more than myself. I am no where near where I need to be but I am growing towards who I want to be. Fellowship starts with love. Read what the scripture says here.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
Fellowship will result because we find comfort in the love that we show and the love that we receive from brothers and sisters in the faith. Are you committed to fellowship? Fellowship starts with you having a genuine love for those around you. I am so honored an blessed every day I walk into this church. Every single person in this church brings a smile to my face. When I am feeling down you lift me up, when I am feeling tired you encourage me and help bring me energy. When I am sad you sit and listen. This church is a loving church and I am so proud of being a member of this church. I pray that other churches will experience the level of love that our church has. What I will say is that when love is the mark of our fellowship we must ensure that we do not lose that. Fellowship will cause you to see the needs of others as more important than yours. Are you living a life marked by love? Are you committed to our fellowship? When given the opportunity to be in fellowship and to love the church you are in are you taking full advantage of it? Fellowship will start with a desire to love those in your church. Not just the people you enjoy talking too, not just the people that you agree with, but even the people that you disagree with. The fellowship of believers does not draw divisions at color, race, political party, or ideologies. The love in fellowship looks past all of those things and understands the call of real love. Fellowship is about leading others in love, encouraging others with love, and standing together on love.
In the fall of the year, Linda, a young woman, was traveling alone up the rutted and rugged highway from Alberta to the Yukon. Linda didn't know you don't travel to Whitehorse alone in a rundown Honda Civic, so she set off where only four-wheel drives normally venture. The first evening she found a room in the mountains near a summit and asked for a 5 A.M. wakeup call so she could get an early start. She couldn't understand why the clerk looked surprised at that request, but as she awoke to early- morning fog shrouding the mountain tops, she understood. Not wanting to look foolish, she got up and went to breakfast. Two truckers invited Linda to join them, and since the place was so small, she felt obliged. "Where are you headed?" one of the truckers asked. 'Whitehorse'
"In that little Civic? No way! This pass is dangerous in weather like this." "Well, I'm determined to try," was Linda's gutsy, if not very informed, response. "Then I guess we're just going to have to hug you," the trucker suggested. Linda drew back. "There's no way I'm going to let you touch me!"
"Not like THAT!" the truckers chuckled. "We'll put one truck in front of you and one in the rear. In that way, we'll get you through the mountains." All that foggy morning Linda followed the two red dots in front of her and had the reassurance of a big escort behind as they made their way safely through the mountains. Caught in the fog in our dangerous passage through life, we need to be "hugged." With fellow Christians who know the way and can lead safely ahead of us, and with others behind, gently encouraging us along, we, too, can pass safely.
What does the scripture say about the love inside the church?
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
We are called to love each other more than we love our opinions or differences. We have been given the command to be united in the same mind and judgment. Does this mean that we all thing the same, by no means. What it means is that no matter what we think about situations or political policies, or others actions that we have the same mind of loving others like Christ loved us and to have the same judgment that Jesus passed on us. What was the judgment that Jesus passed on us? He prayed for forgiveness when we deserved condemnation.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Love is to be the driving force of our fellowship removing every barrier in the way of us loving like Christ.
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, 2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
We are called again in this scripture to be of the same mind and having the same love, in on accord. See again it does not say that you must see things the same way it simply says that your love for others should override any boundaries that the world an the devil desire to set between us.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
The purpose of all leaders in the church is to equip the believers to Love God and to Love others. Fellowship starts with Love. It is the primary act of fellowship. The love in the church is what sets us aside. It is the only thing that allows us to have people of different walks of life all under the same roof not caring about any of the ways the world divides us but loving each other no matter what divisions might exist if we were not united in our love of Jesus.
Fellowship is led by the Spirit
Fellowship is led by the Spirit
Fellowship is led by the spirit. When the world looks at churches it does not make any sense. We have people of all walks sharing in the same building having conversations with each other and regarding each other as important members of the body of Christ. In this church we have those with money and those with no money and guess what, you wouldn’t be able to look around and tell the difference. We have people who will vote for a democrat and people who will vote for a republican, and some who wont vote for either. Guess what, you won’t be able to tell the difference in any of them. Not in this church, why? Because race, political views, monetary status, those are all worldly divisions. In the church we are led by the spirit and we participate in being in the spirit. The spirit does not care about any of the things the world so desperately cares about. The spirit cares that we love one another and that we love our Father. The spirit removes the boundaries.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
What does it mean to be in participation in the Spirit? What it means is that believers fellowship is dictated by the fruits of the spirit. Real fellowship happens as we live out the fruits of the spirit together. We love each other, we find joy with each other, we strive for peace in the church, we have patience as we all grow and live together. Kindness seeps out of every member of the church, goodness defines who we are, we are faithful both to God and to each other, we are defined as a people who are gentle in nature. The church of fellowship maintains self control, we watch our tongues and our actions and make them captive to the spirit.
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
The greatest thing about the fellowship in the the church is that in no other place would it work.
I used to go to the moose lodge with my grandmother. she would go for bingo and as I got older I would go with her to spend time with her. In the moose lodge on Bingo night in Macclenny there were probably 30 women all around the same age. My grandma would buy 15 cards and would have me watch 2 or 3 of them while she watched and was able to keep up with the other 12 or 13, I was completely amazed. First I was amazed at my grandmas ability to watch all those cards but I was also amazed at how quick a sweet little granny could turn so vicious. I don’t understand how they did it but in the middle of all the numbers being called and keeping up with their cards these women would have discussions that ultimately led to arguments. They would argue about anything and everything. They loved bingo together but that was about it, other than their love of Bingo they were divided.
Living in the spirit and fellowship in the the spirit is the opposite of this. The church is able to stay together and to love each other not because we all think and see things the same way but because we love the same Jesus, serve the same God, and are led by the same spirit. The church is a uniquely unified group of people who are so different from each other. The Scriptures tell us about this because of the Spirit.
16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
The church is unified because we do not seek to gratify our flesh but we live by the spirit that overcomes our flesh.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
When we do not know what to pray the spirit intercedes for us. When we do not know how to react if we will lean into the spirit, the spirit will lead us in the correct actions.
5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.
The difference at the moose lodge was that most of those women were not led by the spirit they were led by the flesh. Fellowship in the church works because it is spiritual and it is led by the spirit. Fellowship starts with love, is led by the spirit, and results in a physical response.
Fellowship results in a physical response
Fellowship results in a physical response
Fellowship is centered around love that is led by the spirit and comes with it an expectation of a follow through in the flesh. After all faith without actions is dead. Read Philippians here with me.
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
The Fellowship of believers serve others and do so with the Kingdom in mind. Jesus served in a way that led Him to lay himself down for us. When is the last time you laid yourself aside for someone else? The fellowship of believers should be marked by a servant leadership. One of the marks of a great church is that others do their best to outdo each other in serving. I want to take a minute to tell you all how blessed we are in our church to have the staff that we have. Janet works tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure things run smoothly and she never asks for any recognition. Ken spends hours building the services and worship, literally the only thing that I have to do is to step up here and preach he handles all the other stuff. Jeff manages our finances and ensures that we are utilizing our finances in a way that honors God and allows for a future. He spends hours and hours balancing the books, chasing me down for receipts, and helping to ensure that we have a budget marked by service. They all handle the administrative aspects of our church. On top of that Janet and Mike go to football and baseball games of the kids in our church. Ken calls and visits our members. I am so very blessed with the staff that we have here. Our deacons are some of the hardest working men I have ever met in my life. Men their ages in general are content with sitting at the house or on the beach enjoying what they have worked for. Not our men, they are constantly seeking ways to serve. Our women sow pillows for the hospitals, share prayer requests with the women group on Tuesday, share a text message group to encourage and pray for each other. These are all things that are spirit led. Believe me I have been a part of text groups that are not church related and trying to keep those going without having some major disagreements and arguments is near impossible. Barry and his family have taken the cleaning responsibilities at the church and they do an amazing job with it. This church functions. I could go on and on with what members of our church do, Judy and her team give hours on hours in the kitchen. Freddie and Louise give their time when people are baptized or have funerals. Miles and Lydia help with celebrate recovery, the pumpkin patch. If I keep going we will be here all day. If I missed you it is not because you do not do anything it is because Janet said we have to go to lunch at some point. The fellowship at our church starts with love, is led by the spirit, and results in the church that accomplishes far more than they ever should be able to accomplish. I know the answer to this but does anyone in here know who Jimmy Durante was?
James Francis Durante (/dəˈrænti/ də-RAN-tee, Italian: [duˈrante]; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced songs, and prominent nose helped make him one of the United States' most familiar and popular personalities of the 1920s through the 1970s. He often referred to his nose as the schnozzola (Italianization of the American Yiddish slang word schnoz, meaning "big nose"), and the word became his nickname.
There's a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, one of the great entertainers of a generation ago. He was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans. He told them his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn't mind his doing one short monologue and immediately leaving for his next appointment, he would come. Of course, the show's director agreed happily. But when Jimmy got on stage, something interesting happened. He went through the short monologue and then stayed. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept staying. Pretty soon, he had been on fifteen, twenty, then thirty minutes. Finally he took a last bow and left the stage. Backstage someone stopped him and said, "I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?"
Jimmy answered, "I did have to go, but I can show you the reason I stayed. You can see for yourself if you'll look down on the front row." In the front row were two men, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together, they were able to clap, and that's exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully.
The church is going to be beat up and pushed down. the church will be persecuted and harmed. The church though because of the Spirit of God and their love will be like those two men on the front row. Through their battles and their scars will serve together to the glory of our Father. The scripture tells us about the way the church works together.
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
17 Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
The fellowship of the church starts with a love for God and a love for each other, it is led by the Spirit, and results in us working together to change the world. What does fellowship mean to you? Are you committed to the fellowship and to accomplishing something amazing? I want to challenge you to this. Highlands Baptist Church has the oppotunity to change the landscape of the Highlands neighborhood. Not through doing crazy, eye catching things. But through showing the community what real love in the church looks like and how that love results in changed lives and active believers. Are you willing to commit to being a part of this? What does that look like? It looks like us learning the word together, challenging one another in our walk of faith, being a part of the events that are happening not for the events but to fellowship together and to grow together. Are you willing to take the step in fellowship that God is calling you to? Some of you in here have never experienced fellowship because you do not have a relationship with the Father. It is time to change that, give your heart to the Father today and seek something more than yourself and the things you want. Some of you in here are believers who have not been involved in serving in the church. It is time that you start serving in the church. Serving in the church will bless you and those you help serve. Some of you are serving and doing more than you can do, do not lose heart because it is in those times that you are storing for yourself treasures in heaven.