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 that song getting stuck in your head.

The show was Cheers!

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

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 this fellowship.

As if the church is 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 life?

Within the church you’ll find true fellowship and it transcends any other earthly relationship.

This morning we are at the end of Colossians.

Go ahead and open your Bibles to Colossians 4:7-14.

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.

This morning we will see 4 attributes of Christian fellowship that should motivate you to be an active part of the body.

Let’s go ahead and read Colossians 4:7-14.

Read Colossians 4:7-14

First, Fellowship Extends beyond the church walls.

The local church is important.

It’s important to be in a single church.

Under a single group of elders.

Being able to say, “I’m a part of that church”

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

Verses 7–8 Paul explains that Tychicus is being sent to share with a church what they have in the Lord.

He’s going to encourage their hearts.

Paul cares deeply for them.

He is writing to affirm that they are a church.

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

They are real Christians.

The Colossians equally, care for him.

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

Adolf Hitler was proud to host those olympics, and he was hoping to show the Arian race.

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

As Owens walked to the pit to make the jump, he 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.

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

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

The German and 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 front 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.”

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 was a diverse friendship and was deep.

Inside the church we have something even greater.

Within the church we have people from all over the globe who share in common that they are sinners who have been redeemed by Jesus Christ.

Think of Revelation 7:9-10, which describes the Tribulation Saints, who though diverse, give a unified praise to Christ.

They are “... 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 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 walls.

Second, we also see that, Fellowship Encourages the Saints

Many times we think of fellowship as:

Drinking a cup of coffee after church.

Or eating, always eating.

While fellowship can happen during those times, it is so much bigger, and so much better.

The world around us can do all of those things.

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

It’s called Starbucks, but that’s not fellowship.

Our thoughts of fellowship are too small.

True Christian fellowship is different, it encourages the saints.

Look again at Colossians 4.

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

Tychicus

Onesimus.

Aristarchus.

Mark.

Justus.

Epaphras

Luke

Demas.

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

True fellowship isn’t about drinking coffee and eating a donut, it happens by encouraging the local church through service united in Christ.

Using your gifts to serve others.

And allowing others to use their gifts to serve you.

We throw out the word fellowship, and it falls flat.

If it seems like Christianese without any meaning behind it, maybe it’s because our view of fellowship is impotent and powerless.

True Christian fellowship means something is happening.

In Colossians 4, there is fellowship because these people were serving one another.

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

I Peter 4:10 says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

Peter says we have received spiritual gifts and they are meant to be used for service.

Your gift is not for yourself.

It is for others.

Think about a super hero.

What separates a super hero from a super villain?

Superheroes have superpowers that they use for others.

When someone has superpowers, but uses them for himself, for selfish purposes, that is a supervillain.

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 are they doing?

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

To who?

To others.

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

He’s talking to himself.

And who talk 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.

In Paul’s list of fellow servants, we also see that, third, 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.

Then in verse 9 there is someone notable, Onesimus.

Onesimus was the runaway slave that prompted 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.

Philemon 1:16 Paul said that he was 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.”

Onesimus returned as 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.

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 white.

The same value.

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.”

Same value.

Same ransom.

Jesus Christ.

And so practically speaking, there should no division within the church.

Outside of Christ … plenty of division.

It’s what the world does.

Within Christ … we are one.

That’s why the church is called, “The Body of Christ”.

We are one body.

We are beginning true fellowship is.

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.

Fourth, Fellowship happens when the effective call of Christ is heard.

Colossians 4:11 mentions a man named 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.”

That 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.

Back in Romans 9:3 Paul described how much he wanted fellow Jews converted, “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 you.”

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.

Sadly, most of the time … people reject it.

I’ve gone door to door.

I’ve gone to malls.

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.

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 me.

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.

That if they died now, they’d go to Hell

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 it.

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.

There is fellowship.

Before the person was going to Hell.

Now He’s going to heaven.

He’s a brother.

Worth it.

True fellowship happens only among Christians.

It happens when a person responds to the Gospel.

Is born again.

Repents.

And is indwelt with the Holy Spirit.

And this is our common link.

Conclusion - 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.

Is your fellowship deeper than the world’s shallow idea.

As you think of the church, I pray that it would it:

Extend beyond the church walls.

Encourage the saints.

Be among equals in the Lord.

And be wherever the effective call of Christ is heard and shared.

Pray