Fellowship and Friendship

Introduction:

Body:

H: The desire for community

Fellowship

Definition: Fellowship Defined: The self-sacrificing conformity to a shared vision and mission.

The vision is people from every nation and tribe worshiping the Triune God of the Bible through the Son of God Incarnate, Jesus Christ.

The mission is laid out for us in and illustrated in the book of Acts. We are to make disciples who make disciples.

Foundation: Our union with Christ connecting us to the triune God ()

We are to preach the gospel to the lost and one another. We are to uplift the poor and downcast among us, love one another, and be abundant in good works. Foundation: Our union with Christ connecting us to the triune God ()

We are to preach the gospel to the lost and one another. We are to uplift the poor and downcast among us, love one another, and be abundant in good works.

Foundation: Our union with Christ connecting us to the triune God ().

Content: God and how everything relates to Him.

John MacArthur wrote, “Anybody in fellowship with Jesus Christ is also in fellowship with anybody else in fellowship with Jesus Christ. This is our common ground. It is not social, economic, intellectual, cosmetic, or anything else superficial. Our common ground is that which is pulsing through the life of every Christian—the heartbeat of God. Our common ground is that we possess a common eternal life and are children in the same family.”

John MacArthur wrote, “Anybody in fellowship with Jesus Christ is also in fellowship with anybody else in fellowship with Jesus Christ. This is our common ground. It is not social, economic, intellectual, cosmetic, or anything else superficial. Our common ground is that which is pulsing through the life of every Christian—the heartbeat of God. Our common ground is that we possess a common eternal life and are children in the same family.”2

2 John MacArthur, Jr., The Church: The Body of Christ, edited and outlined by David Sper (Panorama City, Calif.: Word of Grace Communications, 1981), 51.

Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines within the Church: Participating Fully in the Body of Christ (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1996), 149.Content: God and how everything relates to Him.

Reasons/Benefits:

You need it

Neglecting it is sinful ()

It’s worth it

Marks: Colossians 4:7-18

Encouragement: Col. 4:7-9

Impartiality: Col. 4:10-11

Service:

Communication:

Instruction:

Application:

Encourage one another with biblical truth

Gather together based on the gospel

Serve each other and with each other

Communicate and be vulnerable with each other

Instruct one another on what to believe and what to do

Conclusion: Community and fellowship is found only and fully in Christ

Introduction:

H:

Friendship

Definition: Biblical friendship exists when two or more people, bound together by a common faith in Jesus Christ, pursue him and his kingdom with intentionality and vulnerability. Rather than serving as an end in itself, biblical friendship serves primarily to bring glory to Christ, who brought us into friendship with the Father. It is indispensable to the work of the gospel in the earth, and an essential element of what God created us for.

Conclusion:

Creation, Fall, and Redemption

3 Counter-fits:

Social Media Friendships

Marks:

Specialized Friendships

Selfish Friendships

Marks:

Constancy: Biblical friendships are not fleeting or disposable, but last regardless of obstacles that exist as a result of living in a fallen world. (; )

Candor: Biblical friendship requires that friends do and are encouraged to speak the truth in love for the good of the other person (; )

Carefulness:: Biblical friendship entails saying the right thing at the right time. It concerns both content and timing (; ). Also, it entails a friend stewarding the trust that has been granted ().

Counsel: Biblical friendship includes providing wise counsel to one’s friends (; ; ; )

3 Counter-fits:

Purpose: They tell the story of the gospel and promote growth in holiness to the glory of God.

Social Media Friendships:

Specialized Friendships:

Selfish Friendships:

Hindrances:

Personal sin:

Hurtful Speech (; , ; )

Dishonest Speech (; ; ; ; )

Anger (; )

Jealousy (; 27:4)

Misunderstanding of the gospel:

Who are we now? We are adopted children of God and counted righteous in his sight. However, we are all still frail creatures who struggle with specific sins tied to personal weaknesses. We are not perfect yet.

False expectations:

We expect to have to many of these friendships

We expect that if we want to have this friendship it will just happen

Homophobia bogeyman

Cultivation:

Time

Proximity

Conversation

Meals

Confrontation

Prayer

Conclusion:

Jonathan Holmes. The Company We Keep: In Search of Biblical Friendship (Kindle Locations 493-496). Conclusion: