How Christians Fellowship
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Introduction
Introduction
This is the second part of a two-part series on Christian fellowship. Last week we discussed the ‘why’ of Christian fellowship, and today we are going to discuss the ‘how’ of Christian fellowship.
Now, before I recap in a brief few points what we discussed last week, I want to be as transparent as I can with you all regarding Christian fellowship.
Even as we learn from God’s word and share with one another, I do not believe that we as a church are talking about Christian fellowship from a standpoint of having been there and done that. There is much for us to learn and apply here, and my hope is that the truths such as the ones we’re learning right now will have a visible impact in the life of our church.
We shouldn’t be just talking about Christian fellowship, we should be extending it and experiencing it for ourselves. We should be giving and receiving such fellowship.
Christians generally fall on different parts of a spectrum where, on one end you have people totally disenchanted and disinterested in any close-quarter fellowship, and on the other end, you have those who worship socialising.
Therefore, true fellowship is not automatic. It is inevitable in the life of a true Christian because he strives to conform to God’s word, but not automatic. God makes us work towards it.
And much of what we looked at last week, lays the foundation of such fellowship. Here are three points of recap.
The origins of Christian fellowship can be traced all the way back to before the earth was even created, when the Godhead - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - within their inner-trinitarian fellowship decided to extend their love toward us.
9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.
12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
22 The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one,
Christian fellowship is ‘from’ Christ, and ‘in’ Christ.
Borrowing from Bonhoeffer’s thought, the use of ‘from’ and ‘in’ are very informative to our understanding fellowship.
Christians fellowship is ‘from’ Christ in that only true born-again believers can partake of it. This fellowship is reserved only for the regenerate.
Whereas, ‘in’ Christ is the practical sense in which Jesus is intimately and expressly involved in it. We are his hands and legs, ears and eyes, members of his body. When this hand moves, it is the hand of Christ that moves. It is Jesus’ intention to use us for his kingdom. Christian fellowship is born through and sustained in Christ.v
This is the kingdom of God.
Exegesis
Exegesis
Turn with me now to Philippians 2:1-2
1 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
I have been preaching in this church for six years now, rummaging through scripture, reading books, and praying for the Lord’s strength for each week. There have been many times where I’ve wanted a break that I could not have, or an aid that I could not get. There have been times when my family went on a holiday and I stayed back. There have been times when it’s just been me and Ashok.
Now, if the Lord has blessed you in some small way through my ministering here in this church over these past few years, then would you return that blessing, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, by making my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.
If I, having done so little, can make this appeal to you, and I do, then how much more is the appeal of this Apostle who’d given everything for these churches? Redemption Hill Church, we are commanded in scripture to be of one mind.
One of the main reasons why I say that Christian fellowship is not automatic is because of the innumerable instances in scripture where God commands us to act in fellowship. There is a requirement of acting in obedience in fulfilling God’s purpose in Christian fellowship.
being of the same mind
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Need I keep going?
19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
The biblical call to unity is not like that elective subject that you can choose whether or not to add to your main subjects in your degree course. It is not a casual byproduct, it is the purpose - until we attain to the unity of faith.
How many of you have ever thought to yourself, “We must be united as one!”? But first, let me ask you the question, “How many of you know each other?”
Having the same love
44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Here is the picture of Christian fellowship. If our default response to reading this portion in Acts is to rush to justify why we don’t have to sell our possessions and belongings to care for the needs of our brothers and sisters in Christ, then our posture to Christian fellowship is wrong. This my friends is not a prescriptive passage, but a descriptive one. Here we see what happens when Christians take the command to love one another in united to heart.
The point here is not that we must all tomorrow sell all our possessions and provide for each other’s needs. The disciples weren’t doing this in Acts as a commandment in order to love one another. They were doing this because they were persuaded by the love they had for one another. The point here is that we must love one another like they loved one another, and that love may manifest in sacrificial care for each other that may look differently than that. Our obligation is not to sell our possession but to love our brother and sister. And if that love ever compells you to sacrifice possession, you naturally will.
Beloved, if we don’t excercise the love of Christ toward one another, we will never truly be united. If we don’t make the effort to get to know one another, then our unity is a facade. For how easy it is for us to claim to love one another when we know little and have to contribute little.
If a third person entered this fellowship, would they say of us that we love one another.
being in full accord and of one mind
This one mindedness is in full agreement. We are to strive to agree with one another. It is often easy to say we agree to disagree. But the command of scripture is that we still strive to be in agreement. When we welcome people into the membership of this church, we ask them always to be prepared to be persuaded in areas of disagreement. It is healthy for a church to be in agreement.
3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
To quote Pastor Boboy who while answering one of the panel questions for the conference this year said that truth is simple and we are the ones who complicate it.
Truth is always a simple message with often complicated details.
Take the Gospel for example. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish but have eternal life. The message is simple and clear, Jesus saved us by his propitiating sacrifice. However, that still begs the question, why did we need saving in the first place? Why did God’s forgiveness for us require the sacrifice of his Son? What exactly are we saved from? So you see, the details are often complex. I believe that the details are important, and Christians must endeavour to know them. However, I also believe that knowing the details at the cost of losing that simple message, which is the essence of the truth, is not worth it. That is why we often see God use those with a simple faith in Christ more than many who have dived into the deep end of the theological pool. Better still, is the one who is well known to the details, while still holding on the simple message of God’s truth.
Paul’s message here is simple. There is no detailed exegesis necessary here to understand the simple message of truth. Do nothing, not a single thing, from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourself.
Brothers, look at my sin - I can hardly get myself to let my wife choose which movie we should watch, or which restaurant we should buy food from. We use a 100 excuses or details in order to justify our disobedience to the simple command of scripture.
Look to the interests of others! How are we to know the interests of others, when we hardly know who the others are?
11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
When we gather together, meet with one another, care for one another, we are fulfilling God’s mandate to build his kingdom to the glory of his name.
How are Christians to fellowship with one another? Intentionally! Obediently! Expressively! Sacrificially!
Conclusion
Conclusion
I was waiting outside the doctor’s room yesterday as they took Cinu in to examine her and the baby. Sitting there slowly it began to dawn on me, the reality of what was happening, and it was a bittersweet moment. Sweet because a baby is going to come. Bitter because the coming of new things is also a reminder that things will pass away.
Recently, as you all know, my grandfather went to be with the Lord. There are many of us who have lost loved ones in recent years due to covid and other causes. For a moment, I wanted to go back to being a child again, to be with my parents always, to enjoy what I have, to never lose what I have. I can’t imagine a day when my parents have to leave this place, and I can’t imagine what many of you must feel in your loss.
As I pictured what such loss might mean for me, it felt like a deep hole, a dark void, as if I were falling and my dad’s hand was no longer there to hold me, my mom’s hand or my grandfather’s hand. And some of you hear feel this pain today. I was falling imagining their absence but right before I hit the floor a hand grabs on to me.
And I look up and I see Ronnie. Another hand holds me, and I see Steve, then Irene, then Ashok, then Jordan, then David, then Michelle - I am not alone! For these that hold me then are the hands and feet of Christ. These that hold me then is Christ that holds me through them. This is Christian fellowship my friends! And it is beautiful!
When we do this with one another, we imitate one much greater than us. We, Philippians 2:5-11
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
This Jesus is with us now, for ‘through’ him and ‘in’ him we are bound to one another in love, until we attain to the fullness of unity. Our fellowship is born and sustained in the blood, power and word of Christ.
Amen.