We Are God's Masterpiece

While Lee Grady was here, he talked about a word that that has been on my heart for well over the past year and a half. (Well, this word and another that goes with it!)

That word that Lee talked about is found in . (have someone look up the verse and read it aloud!)

Acts 2:42 NLT

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

What is the word that we find within this passage, that Lee talked about and that I am referring to tonight, and that has been on my heart and mind for quite a awhile?

FELLOWSHIP!!!!!

If you were here when Lee spoke and remember this, or even if you were not, the word, “fellowship”, comes the Greek word, “koinonia”.

The really interesting thing about this word for fellowship, is that it didn’t find its way into the NT until after the day of Pentecost.

In other words, “koinonia” didn’t exist, as we know it, until the day of Pentecost, when God’s Holy Spirit was poured out on the faithful 120 who were gathered in the upper room and subsequently thousands more, thereafter.

You may be thinking, “OK, so we have fellowship now as the church body, because of this. What is the big deal?”

Well, fellowship, has always existed, that was nothing new.

In fact, fellowship, per the dictionary simply means, “friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests.”

So, anytime we come together, with friendly association and liked interests, we have fellowship, right?

So, how is koinonia any different than any other fellowship?

Well, let me show you a few verses earlier in Acts, before verse 42 takes place, that we just read.

In we see the word “together”.

Acts 1:6 ESV

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”

The Greek word here for “together”, is, “synerchomai”, and it means, “to come together”.

Look at and two words we see there,

Acts 1:14 ESV

All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

The word “accord”, in the Greek, means, “with one mind”.

And again, we see the word “together” in this verse, with the Greek understanding of, “to be adherent to one; to continue in one place”.

, we see the word “together”, in reference to the 120, in the upper room and it again, refers to “being together”.

Acts 2:1 ESV

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.

says that when the multitudes of the people who around the city heard the sound of the wind and the various languages, they came to see what was going on. It says this,

Acts 2:6 ESV

And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.

The word “together” here is the same in verse 6, “to come together”.

Now, after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the new converts, look at ,

Acts 2:44 ESV

And all who believed were together and had all things in common.

The Greek verbiage used here for saying that they were “together”, is, “autos”, and it means, “same, pertaining to that which is identical to something”!

So, basically, what you see is that, before Holy Spirit came, the disciples and the faithful followers of Jesus, could come together, and share the same place with like minds to join in prayer and wait, but that was it.

After the gift of Holy Spirit coming upon the men and women, they became , not just like minded, but now they were joined in the spirit and they were identical to one another! (Holy Spirit had invaded their lives and they became one!)

,

Ephesians 4:4–6 NLT

For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all.

So, you see, you can only have koinonia fellowship, when the people are joined as identical through the abiding presence of Holy Spirit.

Without His true presence, you can still be identical and like minded and have fellowship: you can still all remain, identical as non-regenerate sinful flesh and have the same like mind towards the flesh, but you will not have “koinonia” fellowship from Holy Spirit!

The reason that I am bringing this up, again, about the word “koinonia” and the issue of being UNITED, has to do with a few things that I came across and witnessed over the past week or so.

I have spoken with several people who have recently attended the Heart Quest venture and listened to some of their testimonies (or at least what they were allowed to share about the trip) and also having spoken with some people locally, from the church, over this past week and I was really drawn to something.

There are many, many people who show up for and sit in the churches each and every week, who we look upon as fellow Christians and go on with our services and on with our private lives, and never know about the hurts and scars and lies that exist within them.

When Lee Grady was here for the men’s breakfast, he asked at the end of the lesson for any of the men who had been holding onto old wounds and past hurts and scars and lies of the enemy, things that they felt they could never talk about or confess to anyone, because the enemy had deceived them into believing that they would be condemned and looked down upon for doing so! Well, Lee asked them to just stand up and allow another brother to come over to them and so that they could openly confess and get rid of the garbage that had been locked deep inside of them and then pray for one another and thus start living in spiritual freedom!

The outcome was amazing! About half of the men ended up standing and wanting to confess and release something. MYSELF INCLUDED!

Do any of you believe that it is coincidence or just lack of anything else to talk about that something like this keeps coming up in my sermons and teachings and other people’s conversations?

I mean, it was just a few weeks ago that we talked about , were Paul is instructing the church to begin to wage that spiritual war and tear down the strongholds of the enemy and take every thought captive, to the obedience of Christ!

Do you remember us recently talking about that?

There were quite a few that Sunday that came down for prayer and wanted to break free from the strongholds that they had allowed the enemy to take in their lives!

I have numerous times over the past few months, talked about the subject of unity within the body, whether in whole sermons, or just within the topic that I was teaching on.

I believe that, as I mentioned two weeks ago, Holy Spirit is calling people to take a closer look at their spiritual health and come out from the places of comfort and anonymity in the shadows where we have quietly hidden ourselves.

He is calling us to take a close look within ourselves, at the temple that we have created for Him to reside within and to tear down the idols, to dismantle the demonic strongholds that rendered us weak and ineffective in our spiritual walk.

He is speaking in the midst of the storm that we have become use to. The storm that we call our everyday life!

It is the exact opposite of the scenario of the disciples and Jesus upon the boat when they were out to sea and storm was raging .

In that account, the disciples were terrified because of the storm and they awoke Jesus asked if He cared that they were sinking.

Jesus spoke “Peace, be still. Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?”

This time, we are in the midst of the storm and are not afraid of it, because it is the chaos and deception that we have become accustomed to, and that we call normal life! (THE WORLD AND ITS LIES!)

Holy Spirit is speaking to us and asking us why we are not worried that the boat is sinking and the storm is raging?!

He is telling us to turn our eyes upon Jesus and step out of the sinking boat onto the waters where Jesus is controlling everything and we will see and experience a calm that we have never known in our lives before!

When I was speaking with my oldest daughter, Kellyn, this past Monday about here experience last week, with Heart Quest and everything that she was allowed to tell me, one thing was screaming in the back of my mind, “There are millions of people all throughout the church body, all across this nation, who are bound down with the baggage and the lies of the enemy!”

This would explain somewhat, the lack of or deficiency of koinonia that we find in the body of Christ.

Too many people are stifled and suppressed with the weight of the lies and sickness of the enemy and they are scared to talk about it. All the while, what we know to be Christian fellowship, is not the koinonia that we read of In Acts, where they were all identical and looking out for the good of the others and because of this, the Lord was adding to them daily!

shows us the true picture of the church and of how koinonia thrives.

Philippians 2:1–5 ESV

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,

The word that is used in this passage for “affection”, is not what you would think to use. It is the Greek word, “splanchna”, which refers to the viscera, the internal organs, even the entrails of someone.

The reasoning for this, is because, in ancient thought the viscera were regarded as the seat of emotional life. This would include the heart, liver, intestines, etc. So, to the deepest most intricate, functional level of a person’s thoughts and desires, they would seek and desire to be like minded in Christ!

Look, let me sum up something real quick and then I have a video that I want to show. We have shown this before, but this is the extended version and it carries what my heart is feeling for tonight.

Self-esteem in this nation is large and in part, at an all time LOW and one of the contributing factors, is one of the things that I have mentioned a lot lately. People’s dependency upon Social Media for their interactions and their sense of worth.

One recent study showed that: 60% of people using social media reported that it has impacted their self-esteem in a negative way

50% reported social media having negative effects on their relationships.

80% reported that is easier to be deceived by others through their sharing on social media.

Do you know what the top 10 means of death are in the US right now?

Heart disease, Cancer, Chronic lower respiratory disease, Accidents (unintentional injuries), Stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Diabetes, Influenza and pneumonia, Kidney disease and SUICIDE!

Close to 45,000 people a year are taking their own lives.

It is time for God’s people to begin to see themselves the way that He sees us. It is time to release the lies and give our lives completely over to God. Not just the pieces that we feel comfortable letting Him have.

We see ourselves, many times, as unworthy and broken, marred and messed up vessels.

Do you know how HE sees us?

says,

Ephesians 2:10 NLT

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

When we begin to allow Him to speak over us and reject the lies of the enemy, then KOINONIA will run rampant throughout the church as it did in the beginning!

PLAY SKIT GUYS VIDEO, “GOD’S CHISEL” (Remastered)