Fellowship: We Need the Church

My story:

Church was a place to go.

My spirituality was personal.

Shortly after coming to college, I stopped going to church.

I wasn’t looking for more friends, I already had them.

I wasn’t looking for a girlfirend, I already had one.

I wasn’t looking for someone to teach me the Bible, I could read the Bible on my own.

Paradigms Regarding Church:

The Lone-Ranger: “I’m a Christian, but I don’t need to be a part of a church.”

The Consumer: “I’m looking for the church that will best fit my needs and preferences.”

The Hopper: “I go to many churches in the area depending on what I’m feeling! Why settle on just one?”

The Pop-In: “Church is great, but life is busy. I pop in when I can fit it into my schedule.”

The Attender: “Church is so important to me, I go every sunday.”

What is the Church?

The Universal Church = All followers of Christ throughout the whole world.

The Local Church =

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. ἐκκλησία

congregation or church as the totality of Christians living and meeting in a particular locality or larger geographical area, but not necessarily limited to one meeting place.

1. The Church is the spiritual family of Christ followers gathering together.

2. The Church can have a building, but it is not the building.

A Biblical Picture of the Church

1. They were devoted to biblical teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, and prayer.

Acts 2:42 ESV

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

What we see:

Apostles Teaching

Fellowship

Breaking of Bread

The Prayers

Power of doing these things together.

Community

Motivates

Reminds

Protects

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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.

Why did my walk with God tank in my late teenage years?

Hebrews 3:13 NIV

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

2. God was displaying his power through miracles.

Acts 2:43 ESV

And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.

Community allows us to see what God is doing in and through his people.

Let’s pray that God would give an outpouring of his Spirit.

Let’s step out in faith and boldness.

3. All the Believers were a part of the Church and took care of one another.

Acts 2:44–45 ESV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

Most people would love to be a part of a community like this.

Spiritual gifts

But you know who will miss out…

Lone Ranger

Consumer

Hopper

Pop-in

Attender

4. The Church was their Christian family that they fellowshipped with daily.

Acts 2:46 ESV

And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts…

It was more than something to attend.

It is a family to be a part of.

5. They praised God together.

Acts 2:47a ESV

praising God and having favor with all the people…

We may have many differences in our personalities, styles, hobbies and cultures. But the thing that unites us is our worship of Jesus.

6. The Lord used them to bring others to faith.

Acts 2:47b ESV

…And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

We are united in the mission of reaching others for Christ

and…

bringing bringing them into the Church.

What is your next step?

Make a commitment to prioritize fellowship.

View church as a spiritual family to be a part of, not a place to attend.

Join a smaller group at Challenge to for encouragement, exhortation, prayer and spiritual growth.

Go to the next Church Membership meeting to learn about what it means to become a member.

Conclusion:

No church is perfect.

My hope is that you…

See why these paradigms fall short of God’s design for the church:

Lone Ranger

Consumer

Hopper

Pop-in

Attender

See the biblical picture of a church.

See how awesome having fellowship is.

Discussion Questions:

1. Which of the “church paradigms” (Lone Ranger, Consumer, Hopper, Pop-In, Attender) do you relate to most, and why do you think it’s easy to fall into that mindset?

2. Looking at the picture of the early church in Acts 2, which aspect (teaching, fellowship, breaking bread, prayer, caring for needs, worship, mission) do you feel most drawn to—and which one is hardest for you to practice consistently?

3. When you think about church as a spiritual family instead of a place to attend, how does that challenge or reshape the way you approach your own involvement in Christian community?