REAL fellowship

Intro

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 1672 Blest Be the Ties that Bind

In 1765 John Fawcett was called to pastor a very small congregation at Wainsgate, England. He labored there diligently for 7 years, but his salary was so meager that he and his wife could scarcely obtain the necessities of life. Though the people were poor, they compensated for this lack by their faithfulness and warm fellowship.

Peter writing to believers who were facing trials.

Let’s read the beginning of the letter again.

1 Peter 1:1–7 NIV

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

1 Peter 1:1-

Wanting to encourage them

Wanting to encourage them

Wants to show them that the Gospel, is for real life.

Reminds them of the truth of the Gospel

Chosen by the Father - ;

Sanctified by the Spirit

For obedience to the Son

And Sprinkling by His blood

Reminds them of our hope

He goes on from there to encourage them to live in light of the gospel

They are to remember certain things

They are to be holy

They are to live in reverent fear

they are to crave pure spiritual milk of the word

They are to be those living stones who are being built together to praise God together

They are to endure trials as Jesus did.

Internal trial against sin - abstain from sinful desires which wage war against the soul

External trials - submission/proper role

Authorities

Masters

Spouses

And now finally, how they are to live in REAL fellowship.

1 Peter 3:8–12 NIV

Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech. They must turn from evil and do good; they must seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

In this passage, Peter gives us 6 things we are to be. Who is included in ‘we’? Believers. ‘All of you,’ he said. If we are these 6 things, we will have REAL fellowship.

Like-minded

like-minded -

sympathetic

[not identical opinions… agreeable and sensitive …WBC]

, minds alert, sober (right-thinking), set hope on grace and Jesus return!

, esp. vs. 4-5, 9

, minds alert, sober (right-thinking), set hope on grace and Jesus return!

alert and sober mind

so you can pray

Sympathetic

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 49: 1 Peter Comment

was used to refer to the sharing not just of grief or pain, but of a whole range of emotions and experiences

rejoice w/rejoice, suffer w/suffer

I understand what you are going through…

- offer hospitality w/out grumbling…

Loving one another -

, love deeply from the heart

, love deeply from the heart

- love household of believers

- love covers a multitude of sins

- devoted in brotherly love

- live in harmony

sum of all law

thinking of the others. I come to church not for what I get, but so I can love the family

Compassionate

- compassionate seems associated with sin, and forgiveness

- restoring one another

Humble

A big part of how we handle ourselves in our trials is to live in our proper role.

Humility is when we are living in our role, not thinking too highly, nor too lowly of ourselves.

- do not think more highly than you ought… then gets into gifts

follows this as well

- honor one another above yourselves

Repaying evil with blessing

Not repaying evil with evil, not repaying insult with insult, but repaying evil with blessing

do not repay insult with insult

repay evil with blessing

Why? “So that you may inherit a blessing”

b/c to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing

- inheritance...

- glory praise honor

Then Dr. Fawcett received a call from a much larger church in London, and after lengthy consideration decided to accept the invitation. As his few possessions were being placed in a wagon for moving, many of his parishioners came to say good-bye. Once again they pleaded with him to reconsider. Touched by this great outpouring of love, he and his wife began to weep. Finally Mrs. Fawcett exclaimed, “O John, I just can’t bear this. They need us so badly here.” “God has spoken to my heart, too!” he said. “Tell them to unload the wagon! We cannot break these wonderful ties of fellowship.” This experience inspired Fawcett to write a hymn. “Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love! The fellowship of kindred mind is like to that above.” Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 440.

Like-minded

Sympathetic

Loving

Compassionate

Humility

Repaying

Inherit blessing...