Tag: Fellowship

Fellowship is a place of ‘invitation,’ ‘birthing,’ involvement,’ and ‘testing.’

INVITATION: The Gospel invites to people to become friends in close fellowship with God and his people Christ gave us the ‘Ministry of Reconciliation’ to bring into friendship and fellowship with God and his people.

And friends do share things in common speaks about the day of Pentecost the fiftieth day after Passover when they were in ‘one accord’ in close harmony, unity, agreement and fellowship.  1 Corinthians 1: 9; 1 John 1: 3; 2 Corinthians 13: 14; 2 Corinthians 5: 18; Acts 2: 1

BIRTHING PLACE: Fellowship has always been the ‘birthing place’ for God’s Plans – a principle also employed in the secular world, marriage, business, prayer and so on. What was the result of the close ‘one accord’ fellowship of
believers?’ The Church was born on Pentecost day!

INVOLVEMENT: When people are good friends and in close fellowship good things often begin to happen as a result as they get involved. Let us see what happened to the Church then.

The believers regularly attended the fellowship, teaching sessions of the apostles, communion & prayer services. There was a deep sense of awe and the apostles worked many miracles. All the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other, selling their possessions and dividing with those in need. They worshipped together regularly in the Temple daily and met in small groups in homes for communion and shared their meals with great joy and thankfulness, praising God. The whole city was favorable to them and God daily added to them all who were being saved. Acts 2: 42-47

What was the result? – Miracles; sharing; caring; bearing each other’s burdens; meeting needs of people; joy, thankfulness, praise and worship; favor of God and people; salvation; additions to the Church.

TESTING: Fellowship is also a place of testing. For example, David in 1 Samuel 17: 40 chose and picked five smooth stones from the brook.’ Surely there must have been some jostling among the stones so will there be among believers. A friendly discussion is as stimulating as sparks that fly when iron strikes iron. Fellowship is a place of testing – ‘jostling.’ No Fellowship, No Brook; God can’t pick and choose you – he can’t find you. So welcome testing, you are sharpened! Proverbs 27: 17.

YOUR RESPONSE? – WALK IN THE LIGHT – 1 John 1: 6-7.
‘‘If we say we are his friends but go on living in spiritual darkness and sin, we are lying. But if we are living in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does, then we have wonderful fellowship with joy with each other, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from every sin.”

John 3: 19-21 “They are condemned because light from heaven came into the world, but they loved the darkness more than the light, for their deeds were evil. They hated the heavenly light because they wanted to sin in the darkness. They stayed away from that light for fear their sins would be exposed and they would be punished. Those doing right come gladly to the light to let everyone see that they are doing what God wants them to do.”

‘Avoiding Fellowship is ‘Walking in Darkness’ – sinfulness with evil deeds.

‘Out of Fellowship is really being Out of Light.’

No light – No Protection by the Blood of Jesus! Knowing him does not save us. We are saved because he knows us. “I will say to them I never knew you! Depart from me, workers of iniquity!” Matthew 7: 21-22.

Hebrews 10: 24-25 “In response to all he has done for us let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind to each other and in doing good. Let us not neglect our church meetings as some people do.”

Let us walk in the light doing what is right, being involved, helpful and kind to each other doing good, sharing; caring; bearing each other’s burdens; meeting needs of people with joy, thankfulness, praise and worship; having the favor of God and the people; not neglecting church meetings; welcoming testing because He always causes us to triumph; sharing things in common as friends in close fellowship with God and his people. We will then birth God’s plans, see miracles; salvation; additions to the Church like the first disciples.