Church: More Than A Place Where Everybody Knows Your Name

Church is more than Cheers!

From 1982-1993, Americans were glued to a sitcom, about a Boston Bar.

It was cherished because it was a place where everybody knows your name.

It’s hard to say those words without it’s song getting stuck in my head.

The show was Cheers!

Americans watched the ex-Boston Red Sox pitcher, Sam Malone, man the bar.

While the regulars came to drink every night after a long day at work.

I had a friend in college named Norm, and you couldn’t just say his name.

You had to almost yell his name, “Nooorrmmm.”

The star studded cast went onto became famous names:

Ted Danson

Woody Harrelson

Kelsey Grammer

Shelley Long

And Kirstie Alley.

These are just a few of the notable names.

The show along with its memorable piano intro, went on to become a picture of some of the deepest relationships that many will ever have.

People long for a place and a group of people, where you can see the same faces, and of course, they know your name.

Sometimes within the church we call that fellowship.

As if church relationships are the non-alcoholic version of cheers.

Once a week you see the same faces.

Maybe you have a donut and a cup of coffee with them.

Then you leave.

And you say, “Wow, that was good fellowship.”

What if I told you there’s something better?

What if I told you there is something better than just seeing the same faces, and saying, “Hi” then getting back to your private life.

Within the church, true Christian fellowship, transcends any other earthly relationship.

Here we are, at the tail end of Colossians.

Go ahead and open your Bibles to .

As Paul begins to wind down his little letter to the church in Colossae, we learn about the friends he had.

And also, that the church is much more than a place where everybody knows your name.

We will see 4 attributes of true Christian fellowship.

Extends beyond the church walls

Let’s go ahead and read .

In Paul’s closing verses of Colossians, we learn of the fellowship he had, and what biblical fellowship looks like. We will see 4 attributes of true Christians fellowship.

Read Colossians 4:7-11

1. Extends beyond the church walls

The first thing we see is that Fellowship Extends beyond the church walls.

The local church is important.

Membership is important.

It’s important to be in a single church.

Under a single group of elders.

Membership is important.

Being able to say, “I’m a part of this church” is important.

And yet, the church, Christ’s body, is greater than even a single church.

And fellowship is greater than even a single church.

The love that we are to have for other believers, is more than just this church, but is to be for the church universal.

Paul is writing to a church he’s never been to.

And yet he cares deeply for them.

He has written to affirm that they are a church.

The Gospel they received from Epaphras, was the real Gospel.

They are real Christians.

And he really cares for them.

And they equally, care for him.

His love for the Colossian Christians is great, even though he’s never met them before.

There’s a story of Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympics, which were hosted in Berlin.

To pass on how Paul is doing

Adolf Hitler was proud to host those olympics, and he was hoping to show off his nations superiority.

That year, Jesse Owens jumped 26 feet, 8 1/4 inches, a record that would stand for 25 years.

As he walked to the pit to make the jump, Owens saw a tall-blond hair blue eyed man, taking practice jumps.

Owens was a little nervous.

He was a black man, very aware of the Nazis’ desire to prove their “Aryan superiority” over the other races.

The tall blond, introduced himself to Owens as Luz Long.

He said, “You should be able to qualify with your eyes closed!”

That was a compliment, and definitely not what Owens was expecting.

The German and Jesse Owens struck up a conversation.

Long, then made a suggestion.

He said the distance for a qualifying jump was only 23 feet and 5 1/2 inches.

So make a mark, a few inches before the take off board, and just play it safe.

Which Owens did, and easily qualified.

In the finals, Owens went on to set an Olympic record, and earned 4 gold medals.

The first person to congratulate him, was Luz Long, right in view of Adolf Hitler.

Jesse Owens never met Luz Long again.

Long was killed in World War II.

Before Long was killed, he wrote a letter to Jesse Owens saying, “Someday find my son ... tell him about how things can be between men on this Earth.”

2. Encourages the Saints

Before

Owens later said, “You could melt down all the medals and cups I have, and they wouldn’t be a plating on the 24-carat friendship I felt for Luz Long.”

That’s friendship outside the church, and that seemed deep.

But inside the church we have something even greater.

We still have the diversity.

But within the church we have sinners who have all been redeemed by Jesus Christ.

People from all over the globe.

And the day is coming, when this very diverse body, will stand and sing praise to Him.

says, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

What we see with Paul and with the early church, is an understanding that Christ is redeeming people from all over the world, that they are one in Him now, and they had a love for the church abroad.

Colossians is a letter from Paul, to a church he’s never been too.

That’s love for the church abroad.

Romans, is a missionary letter from Paul, to bring help to the Christians in Spain.

That’s love for the church abroad.

The church extends beyond these church walls.

The fellowship we have extends beyond these church walls.

Therefore, if we are going to have true Christian fellowship, it’s got to go out.

Commit to praying for Christian missionaries.

Commit to praying for other churches.

The next mission trip that this church makes, be a part of it.

Either financially contributing.

Commit to praying regularly for it.

Or even going yourself.

Knowing that Christian fellowship extends beyond the church walls.

We also see that, Fellowship Encourages the Saints

Many times we think of fellowship as:

Drinking a cup of coffee after church.

Hanging out.

Or eating, always eating.

And yet, while fellowship can happen during those times, it is so much bigger, and so much better.

The world around us can do all of these things.

The world around us does a really good job of drinking coffee and hanging out.

But that’s not fellowship.

Sometimes our thoughts of fellowship are too small.

True Christian fellowship is different, it encourages the saints.

Look again at .

These final verses are a hall of fame of Paul’s ministry team.

Tychicus

Why does he do that?

Onesimus.

To pass on information.

Aristarchus.

Mark.

And then the end of verse 8, “that he may encourage your hearts.”

Justus.

Tychicus was one of Paul’s best friends and resources in his ministry.

Later on, Epaphras, Luke, Demas.

He was with Paul through imprisonment.

Faithfully traveled on Paul’s behalf.

These are people that served alongside Paul, for the purpose of encouraging the church.

And would sometimes even bring people back to Paul.

He was a minister who was able to serve alongside a pastor or elder and get the job done.

True fellowship isn’t just about filling your belly, but it’s about encouraging the local church through service.

Using your gifts to serve others.

And allowing others to use their gifts to serve you.

Sometimes we throw out the word fellowship, and it just seems flat.

It seems like an empty word.

Sometimes in our Christianese we use the word fellowship.

We say “This will be a great time of fellowship” as if something is supernatural is happening, but really nothing is happening.

Because we are just hanging out.

When there is true Christian fellowship, something is happening.

In , there is fellowship because these people are serving one another.

Maybe the reason why use of fellowship seems so stale, is because you’re not serving.

God has gifted you for the purpose of serving one another.

says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

He says we have received gifts.

And we have received these gifts to serve.

Each of you have been gifted by God.

Your gift is not for yourself.

It is for others.

Think about a super hero.

What separates a super hero from a super villain?

Super heroes have super powers that they use for others.

And he uses that super power for himself.

But when someone has super powers, but uses them for himself, for selfish purposes, that is a super villain.

A super hero on the other hand, uses his super power for others.

God hasn’t gifted you to use your spiritual gift on yourself.

It’s for others.

Perhaps no gift demonstrates the reality of this quite like preaching.

When someone preaches, what do they do?

They open up God’s Word, and proclaim it to … others.

To who?

To others.

If a preacher doesn’t use that gift to serve others, and uses it on himself, what is he doing?

He’s talking to himself.

And who talks to themselves?

Crazy people.

Crazy people talk to themselves.

Preachers have been gifted to talk to others.

That’s what separates a preacher from a crazy person.

And you have been gifted to serve others.

So serve others.

And when we do that … there is fellowship.

The Church is encouraged.

And that kind of fellowship is not stale.

So serve.

In Paul’s list of fellow servants, we also see that Fellowship happens among equals in the Lord.

There’s all these names in this passage.

It reads like a who’s who of early church pastors.

And there in verse 9 is someone notable, Onesimus.

Onesimus was the runaway slave mentioned in Paul’s letter to Philemon.

He had run from Philemon, and spent some time with Paul.

And sometime, during his stay with Paul, he became a Christian.

And with his conversion, Philemon’s view of Onesimus needed to change as well.

Paul says that he is returning Onesimus, “no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.”

Now he’s a beloved brother in the Lord.

Evidently, Onesimus was from Collosae, because in verse 9, it says that Onesimus is “one of your number.”

He’s one’s of you.

He’s a Colossian.

But not just a Colossian.

But a Colossian Christian.

What could possibly happen to take him from slave to brother?

When he was a slave there was a financial value to his service.

But as a Christian we have the same value.

There’s a Getty’s song, that says, “My value fixed, my ransom paid … at the cross.”

Whether you are a slave, or a free man.

The same value.

Whether you are a man or a woman.

The same value.

Whether you are black or whether you are white.

The same value.

The price is the same.

Each of us, regardless of our status, or position, has sinned.

And in that sin, each of us have earned Hell.

Your earthly riches won’t lessen that.

Your earthly power won’t reduce it.

And yet, the same payment was given to save all of God’s people … the life of Jesus Christ.

There’s a Getty’s song, that says, “My value fixed, my ransom paid … at the cross.”

And so practically speaking, there can be no divisions among the church.

Outside of Christ … plenty of division.

It’s what the world does.

Within Christ … we are one.

The church is often called, “The Body of Christ”.

Even Paul uses that language in this book, back in 1:24, Christ’s body.

By the way, this isn’t just pretty language to talk about church unity, it’s commanded.

Jesus said - “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

It’s not

Or - “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”

If we do not view each other as equally redeemed by Christ, and part of the same body … then according to that passage … you are not in Christ.

That’s how important this.

We are beginning to see how this shapes up regarding true fellowship.

We have a love for Christians regardless of where they are.

We use our gifts to encourage the saints.

We see each other as equally redeemed by Christ.

And Fellowship happens when the effective call of Christ is heard.

What’s the most frightening thing about evangelism?

It’s being told no.

It’s having someone tell you to your face, “I don’t believe it.”

I love evangelizing.

I couldn’t tell you how many times, I’ve shared the Gospel with a person.

I go through God’s law.

Help them understand their sin.

Help them see that if God were to judge them, they would receive Hell.

Then I get to tell them the Good News, that Jesus died for them.

And most of the time … people reject it.

I’ve shared the Gospel in every possible scenario.

I’ve gone door to door.

I’ve gone to the mall.

I’ve done it over the phone.

I’ve done it with family.

I’ve done it at meals.

And more times then not, the person says no.

And I am disappointed each time a person rejects the Gospel.

It’s just so illogical to say no.

They know they’ve sinned.

They know what they’ve deserved.

They just don’t want it.

I remember one time talking to a young couple, and going through everything with them.

They understood their sin.

They understood hell.

They just didn’t want it.

They said at this point in their life, they’ve got too much to live for.

I tried to point out that they don’t know if they’ll live to have tomorrow.

They agreed.

But they didn’t want Christ.

That makes me sad.

So what keeps us going?

When I see one person’s eyes light up … it’s worth.

When one person is converted, it makes the previous 1,000 “no’s” worth it.

When the effective call of Christ is heard.

And the person is born again.

And there is fellowship.

Before the person was going to Hell.

Now He’s going to heaven.

Worth.

Colossians 4:11 mentions a man named Jesus, also called Justus.

He was most likely a Jew who lived in Rome.

And he was one of the few Roman Jews … who converted to Christ.

Paul says of Justus that he has “proved to be an encouragement to me.”

The word for encouragement in verse 11, is actually a different word for encouragement than is found in verse 8.

This is a different kind of encouragement.

The one we find in verse 11 means to console or comfort.

Paul loved his Jewish brothers.

He desperately wanted to see them converted.

At one point in , he even made an exaggerated statement of his heartbreak for the Jews.

He said in , “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh,”

Paul said, if there was a way for him to trade in his own salvation, so that the Jews would be saved … he would.

That’s how much he loved the Jews.

And to have them repeatedly reject the Gospel … broke his heart.

But when Justus, a fellow Jew was converted, it was an encouragement to him.

It consoled him.

What’s the most frightening thing about evangelism?

It’s being told no.

It’s having someone tell you to your face, “I don’t believe it.”

I love evangelizing.

I couldn’t tell you how many times, I’ve shared the Gospel with a person.

I go through God’s law.

Help them understand their sin.

Help them see that if God were to judge them, they would receive Hell.

Then I get to tell them the Good News, that Jesus died for sin.

And most of the time … people reject it.

I’ve shared the Gospel in every possible scenario.

I’ve gone door to door.

I’ve gone to the mall.

I’ve done it over the phone.

I’ve done it with family.

I’ve done it at meals.

And more times then not, the person says no.

And I am disappointed each time a person rejects the Gospel.

It’s just so illogical to say no it.

I remember one time talking to a young couple, and going through everything with them.

They understood their sin.

They understood hell.

They even agreed with it.

They just didn’t want it.

They said at this point in their life, they’ve got too much to live for.

I tried to point out that they don’t know if they’ll live to have tomorrow.

They agreed.

But they didn’t want Christ.

That makes me sad.

So what keeps us going?

What keeps us going knowing that most people will say no to the Gospel?

What keeps us from being hardened to this reality?

When I see one person’s eyes light up … it’s worth.

When one person is converted, it makes the previous 1,000 “no’s” worth it.

When the effective call of Christ is heard.

And the person is born again.

And there is fellowship.

Before the person was going to Hell.

Now He’s going to heaven.

Worth it.

True fellowship happens only among Christians.

Only when a person responds to the Gospel.

Is born again.

Repents.

And is indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

You’ve been looking for that place where everybody knows your name.

You’ve been wanting to fit in.

You’ve been coming to church for a while, and still fill disconnected.

Maybe that’s because … you haven’t responded to the call of Christ.

You’re here, but you’re not a part of the church.

Until you repent and have faith in Christ … you won’t have that fellowship.

Turn to Him today.

And would your fellowship be deeper than the world’s shallow idea.

Through Paul’s friends, we see a group of people who have true fellowship.

It’s fellowship among each other.

Would it:

It’s fellowship among Christians.

We see that true Christian fellowship:

Extends beyond the church walls.

Extends beyond the church walls.

Encourages the saints.

Be among equals in the Lord.

And be wherever the effective call of Christ is heard.

Pray