Effective Fellowship

Fellowship is?

Open in Prayer.

This Thursday I had the opportunity to talk with an old friend of mine whom I have have not spoken to in about 2 years. I have known him for around fifteen years. We originally became friends as he was on of my business professors. I had a meeting with him about something class related and as we got talking, I got the feeling I had more in common with this man than just marketing class. I just asked. Are you a believer? His face lit up and was excited as he thought about asking the same thing. That relationship even though we don’t always talk for a year or so, we always pick up and lift each other up. Maybe you have not had the privilege to have a friendship with someone that just refreshes you and you refresh him. If you have not known this I encourage you to find it. If you have then you know what I am talking about. There is certain fellowship with other believers that is like a breath of fresh air. This is very much the section of text in Philemon we are looking at is going to discuss. Fellowship is not just something we do. We do fellowship because it is suppose to be spiritually refreshing to us. It should not be a drain. We will discuss in more detail the steps/ ways we can nurture this.

Before we start I always like to take a look at the text and get some background. I like context. It helps paint the picture what is going on where we are studying. So lets take a look.

Philemon is a small book, on 25 verses. It is written by the Apostle Paul, the one who met Jesus on the road to Damascus and had a Jesus experience. Paul and Timothy are in prison. We know that, it was written sometime between 55-65 AD. Its written to a particular group of people.

A. Firstly is Philemon - what we know he is from, he is also a slave owner which we will come back to.

1. Colossae you will see a map here and around this area is Colossae. Its is what would be considered in modern day Turkey.

2. There is a letter to the church based here by Paul in the name of Colossians. Also near by is Laodicea which is mentioned in Revelation. Ephesus which had a church there too.

B. Also Apphia - most likely Philemon’s wife

C. Archippus - potentially his son

D. The Church in the house where they meet. These folks were leaders in the church.

Now Paul’s main message in this letter is toward Philemon and the slave Onesimus. We don’t know the full history but Onesimus was Philemon’s slave. He most likely was a run away. Now when we think of slavery we often think of the history of american slavery. Slavery is old folks. People perfected slavery long ago in particular the Roman empire was built on slaves. It is said that something like 1/3 of the Roman empire were slaves. Slaves didn’t have any rights, they could own nothing. A run away slave would be executed in front of the other slaves as an example. However that is not the focus of the section we are looking at. We are looking in between the greeting of Paul and the charge to Philemon to take back his brother (slave) in love. Paul is going to give Philemon, his family, and the church some encouraging words and challenging words to us.

We are going to be focusing on 5 ways of effective fellowship.

I would like to ask a few questions. Can anyone give me a definition of fellowship?

Merriam Webster says (now maybe you thought I was going to give a spiritual definition)

Merriam Webster says (now maybe you thought I was going to give a spiritual definition)

Companionship

Community of Interest, activity, feeling, or experience

Company of equals or friends

State of being comradely

Let us read our text this morning.

Philemon 4–7 NIV

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your love for all his holy people and your faith in the Lord Jesus. I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the Lord’s people.

The NIV says partnership here, elsewhere and in other versions this particular noun is translated fellowship. GK = Koinania

Vs 4 1. Effective fellowship is created thankful prayer for each other. Folks as we pray to God we need to be thanking him for each other. I am not just talking about thanking God in the line “oh God thanks for this person.” Find something to be thankful for them on. Thank God for their faithfulness, for their encouragement. Spirituality in others is a reason to thank God for them.

Vs 5. 2. Effective fellowship is created by our love for each other. Now as we a nearing Valentines day this is a good time to remember something about love in the English language. I can say I love pizza and I love my wife, and that means two totally different things. Same in this instance. The love expressed here in the GK is the agape love. The self sacrificing love. The love that God has for us. Thats the kind of love we need to be having for each other. That love that doesn’t mind being inconvenienced. That love that puts up with the bad times, the negatives. That love goes the extra mile. The love that SERVES! Instead of waiting to be served. This love is not just a feeling, it is very much a choice and without God you cannot truly tap into this love.

Vs 5 3. Effective fellowship is based in our faith in Jesus. Christian Fellowship is based in faith. I had a good friend who I believe maybe a Dr. in Philosophy now, to be honest he and I had nothing… nothing in common. However we became good friends and the only thing that tied us was our belief in Jesus. That is what our combined faith in Christ gives us. It breaks down all barriers and allows you to fellowship with someone who is nothing like you.

Vs 6 4. Effective Fellowship Deepens our understanding of God’s things. As we share in fellowship with one another, we start to recognize God working in each other. We start to encourage one another in what God is doing in our lives. We get share in grief, in sorrow, seeing each others faith, which points back to number one, we can thank God for each other as we live. This is true effective fellowship.

Why, we do it for the Sake of Christ. On Behalf of Christ, out of consideration of Christ, the respect of Christ. This is why we do this.

17 Iron sharpens iron,

Vs 7 5. Effective fellowship gives joy, encouragement, and refreshment to the hearts of the Lord’s people.

So one man sharpens another.

Believers can receive joy and comfort from the love shared by other believers. We are not along in this. I used to teach this to our youth kids in Nashville and bring it up often still. The best way for Satan to sideline you (look he knows he can’t have your soul if you have received Jesus as your lord and savior) but the best way for him to sideline you is for you to

1. Feel alone, isolated, and despairing.

2. Which then makes you ineffective for God as you can’t reach others in that state.

Satan doesn’t want us to have effective fellowship as it hurts the body and hurts our ministry to others.

With fellowship, God has designed the body of Christ to be able to share, and be loved by each other.

Effective Christian fellowship provides spiritual refreshment among believers. My challenge for us today, is be

Praying and thanking God for each other.

Be loving each other. Serving each other.

Strengthen our faith in Christ together in Fellowship.

Begin deepening our understanding of God’s things together. We are not ment to figure it out alone.

Through this we become effective and give each other, joy, encouragement, and refreshment to each others hearts.

Opening Prayer

Acts 2:42 NIV

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

I want to close today with a story of the Tator Family. Some of us maybe familiar with this family but lets take a closer look.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4225 The “Tator” Family

The “Tator” Family

The “Tator” family has a reputation for joining as many churches as possible. The following description will help you p 974 to recognize them if they start attending your church.

Dick Tator—

He’s the daddy, self-appointed leader of the church, heads all committees, feels very important. He just dictates, never works.

Emmy Tator—

She’s the mother, never has any thoughts of her own. She just imitates. always seconds someone else’s motion. She is active in all phases of church life, imitating her closest friends.

Hezy Tator—

He’s the oldest son, and goes to college. When he’s asked to do something, he just hesitates. He feels he isn’t qualified for any job. Also, he is too busy with other things to work for the Lord.

Carmen Tator—

Carmen is the daughter. She sits in the back row of Sunday school, church and training time, commenting on everything and everybody.

Speck Tator—

He’s in high school. When asked to participate in programs or socials, Speck says no. He says he just spectates.

Agi Tator—

This is the oldest member of the Tator family. She’s been a Christian for forty years, she claims. She doesn’t believe that a church should make any changes, like adding or subtracting a hymn from the morning service. She agitates people; keeps things stirred up.

Sweet Tator—

This is the only cordial and cooperative member of the Tator family. She is an ideal church member, for she takes part in and supports the whole church program, is generous with time and talents, and never dictates, hesitates, commentates or agitates.

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations 4225 The “Tator” Family

The “Tator” family has a reputation for joining as many churches as possible. The following description will help you p 974 to recognize them if they start attending your church.

Dick Tator—

He’s the daddy, self-appointed leader of the church, heads all committees, feels very important. He just dictates, never works.

Emmy Tator—

She’s the mother, never has any thoughts of her own. She just imitates. always seconds someone else’s motion. She is active in all phases of church life, imitating her closest friends.

Hezy Tator—

He’s the oldest son, and goes to college. When he’s asked to do something, he just hesitates. He feels he isn’t qualified for any job. Also, he is too busy with other things to work for the Lord.

Carmen Tator—

Carmen is the daughter. She sits in the back row of Sunday school, church and training time, commenting on everything and everybody.

Speck Tator—

He’s in high school. When asked to participate in programs or socials, Speck says no. He says he just spectates.

Agi Tator—

This is the oldest member of the Tator family. She’s been a Christian for forty years, she claims. She doesn’t believe that a church should make any changes, like adding or subtracting a hymn from the morning service. She agitates people; keeps things stirred up.

Sweet Tator—

This is the only cordial and cooperative member of the Tator family. She is an ideal church member, for she takes part in and supports the whole church program, is generous with time and talents, and never dictates, hesitates, commentates or agitates.

Which Tater are you? Are we refreshing your brothers and sisters?