Ship Shape: Worship

Sunday, January 13, 2008

What an honor to be called by God and confirmed by the elders to serve as your senior pastor.

Sermon series: Ship Shape.  What are the necessary elements for a God-honoring, orderly and effective ministry.  What “ships” must be in order if we are to please the Lord?

Worship

    We worship for who he is and for what he does

    We should never come to worship empty-handed: we bring sacrifices

            Sacrifice of praise

            Sacrifice of good works

            Sacrifice of our resources

            Sacrifice of ourselves – living sacrifices!

Discipleship

Stewardship

Today: Fellowship

What comes to mind when you hear the word “fellowship?”

    Social activities; having fun together; eating and chatting with people

    It’s not as spiritual as discipleship

If that were the extent of fellowship, then we all have multiple “fellowship” groups: hockey moms, golfing buddies, booster club, sorority, fraternity, soccer team, water cooler gang, neighbors…

But then you come across a passage of scripture like 2 Corinthians 6:14 that rattles our shallow, worldly concept of fellowship:

“Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?”

Fellowship according to God’s word is much more than simply hanging out together, sipping tea with a friend. 

Fellowship (Greek “koinonia”) = communion, common or shared; having anything in common; a give and take relationship - giving to another person what I have or receiving from a person what he or she has

In Christian fellowship there is a dependence on each other, a need for each other; there is a give and take – that’s why scripture warns against a give and take with those who have no spiritual life, who are living outside God’s will.

Please understand, I am not talking about us not associating with non-Christians.  We are called to go into all the world and preach the gospel.  We are called to reach out to unbelievers with the love of Christ.  But scripture is clear – fellowship is communion between believers

Let’s read this verse in its context.  Turn to 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1 and we’ll examine God’s requirements for fellowship so we can be obedient to his will for our lives and our congregation.

Read 2 Corinthians 6:11-7:1.

Outline:

The essence of fellowship

The extent of fellowship

The elements of fellowship

The establishment of fellowship

Let’s look at the essence of fellowship…

Ship Shape: Fellowship – page 2

A.  The essence of fellowship - love (6:11-13)

       Just as our study of worship is an examination of our love for God, our study of fellowship is an     examination of our love for each other.

       1 John 4:7-8 “Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.  Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is        love.”

       John 13:34-34 “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must     love one another.  All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.”

       Paul’s love for the Corinthians believers was demonstrated with open communication and an open    heart.  Giving affection (inward parts, sharing of yourself)

       Remember, fellowship implies sharing, giving and receiving – here, Paul is encouraging that sharing:

       “As a fair exchange open wide your hearts also.”

        When we share our affection with others, when we open our hearts to others, there is communion,                     community happens.  But this leads us to our next principle – are we to have fellowship with anybody              and everybody?

B.  The extent of fellowship (6:14-16)

       “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers”

            Righteousness – wickedness

            Light – darkness

            Christ – Belial   

            Believers – unbelievers

            Temple of God – idols

       1 John 1:3 “We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may also have fellowship             with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.”

C.  The elements of fellowship (6:14-16)

        Yoked together

            Romans 12:5 “each member belongs to all the others.”

            1 Corinthians 12

            “We were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free”                                         (12:13)

            “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’” (12:21)  We need each other!

        Have things in common

            Acts 2:44  “All the believers were together and had everything in common.”

            Ephesians 4:3-6 “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.                         There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called –                                  one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in                 all.”

       Live in harmony

            Acts 4:32 “All the believers were one in heart and mind”

            Galatians 3:26-28 “You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were                    baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave                                   nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Ship Shape: Fellowship – page 3

        Stand in agreement

            1 Corinthians 1:10 “I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you                                agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be                                perfectly united in mind and thought.”

D.  The establishment of fellowship (6:16-7:1)

       1 Corinthians 1:9 “God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is      faithful.”

       2 Corinthians 13:14 “May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship            of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”

1 John 1:5-7 “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

God, through his Son, extended the right hand of fellowship to us; he initiated and established fellowship with those who put their trust in Christ.

Where do you find your fellowship?  To what group to you give your affection, your heart?  Are you yoked with believers?  Living in harmony with the body of Christ?  Standing in agreement with your brothers and sisters in the Lord?

Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Acts 2:42, 44 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  All the believers were together and had everything in common.”

1. Gave to everyone as there was need                          4. Praised God together

2. They met together daily                                              5. Studied and prayed together

3. They ate together in homes

Devoted = continually/constantly devoted

Acts 2:47 “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”

[Pastor for Life]
In 1773, the young pastor of a poor church in Wainsgate, England, was called to a large and influential church in London. John Fawcett was a powerful preacher and writer, and these skills had brought him this opportunity. But as the wagons were being loaded with the Fawcetts’ few belongings, their people came for a tearful farewell.

During the good-byes, Mary Fawcett cried, “John, I cannot bear to leave!” “Nor can I,” he replied. “We shall remain here with our people.” The wagons were unloaded, and John Fawcett spent his entire fifty-four-year ministry in Wainsgate.

Out of that experience, Fawcett wrote the beautiful hymn, “Blest Be the Tie that Binds.”
            Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love
            The fellowship of kindred minds, is like to that above

May we be a congregation that doesn’t just hang out together or share a pew together…

[Joshua Anderson’s funeral]

January 11, 2008…Jordan, MN.  Walked up to St. John the Baptist Catholic Church and the sidewalk was lined with flag-bearing veterans.  There is “fellowship” among soldiers; a love and respect for each other, a willingness to come to someone’s aid – it didn’t matter if they knew the person or not, they were in the fellowship of soldiers.

[The machine can’t ask me about my arthritis]

Mamie made frequent trips to the branch post office. One day she confronted a long line of people who were waiting for service from the postal clerks. Mamie only needed stamps, so a helpful observer asked, "Why don't you use the stamp machine? You can get all the stamps you need and you won't have to wait in line." Mamie said, "I know, but the machine can't ask me about my arthritis."