The Purpose of The Church - Fellowship
Acts 2:42-47
In the first book and movie, entitled, Fellowship of the Ring,
J.R.R. Tolkien describes the camaraderie of a diverse group of people
who came together around a central purpose.
Called "the fellowship of the ring," their goal is to destroy the power of the Dark Lord
that is somehow resident in his ring.
The persons in this fellowship are different in many ways,
yet they are united in their opposition of the Dark Lord.
That is the source of their fellowship.
As we look at the church today, those who claim to be Christians would be hard pressed to answer the following questions:
What is Christian Fellowship?
What is the source of our fellowship in the church?
What is the purpose of our fellowship in the church?
What is one thing that people look for in as church?
What do you think draws people to a church?
According to a 1995 study done by the Barna Research group,
the number 2 reason a person attends a church service
is “how much people seem to care for one another.”
At least 50% of the unchurched audience found meeting other people,
as a good reason to attend a worship service.
In other words they are looking for fellowship.
As we look at the purpose of the church this
morning, we are going to study is
Fellowship.
In His book
“The Body” Chuck Colson states the following:
LET US READ ACTS 2:42-47
They devoted themselves to the
apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to
prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs
were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything
in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had
need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They
broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47
praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to
their number daily those who were being saved.
I. WHAT IS
FELLOWSHIP?
When you hear the word Fellowship, what do you
think about?
What is the first thing that comes to mind?
Food - Fellowship meal.
To some people fellowship means a warm affirming “hot tub” religion
that soothes our frayed nerves and provides relief from
the battering of everyday life.
Sometimes we turn the social aspect of fellowship into an end in itself.
We reduce fellowship to a good meal, or to the time that we go places together,
anywhere from shopping to going to retreats.
For some people fellowship means no more than coming together for church events.
We meet in our “fellowship” halls.
The word in the New Testament literally means “a communion”, a participation of people together in God’s grace.
It means to have something in common.
Common participation in something, either by giving what you have to the other person,
or receiving what he or she has.
It describes a community in which individuals willingly pledge to
share in common,
to be in submission to each other,
to support one another and bear one another’s burdens,
to build up each up in our
relationship with Jesus.
Romans 12:16
Live in harmony with one another. Do not be
proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be
conceited.
Acts 1:14 They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.
Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Romans 12:4-5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
Acts 4:32-35 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
Fellowship is a oneness of purpose and cause, a setting aside of personal agenda’s.
It is a focused purpose.
Yes, fellowship has to do with getting together with brothers and sisters in Christ.
But it’s getting together for a purpose that goes beyond having a good time,
eating a meal, enjoying one another’s company.
It has to do with encouraging one another in our walk with Christ.
With building up our faith.
With increasing our understanding of God’s Word & Will.
With deepening our prayer life.
With sharing in communion.
With sharing in each others lives.
Sharing our burdens, problems & joys.
To understand fellowship we have to understand what it’s directly connected too, what it’s focus is.
In our main text, Acts 2:42-47, fellowship is directly connected to
the Apostles
Teaching, Communion, and
Prayer.
This is also pointed out in 1 John 1:1-3 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
Here fellowship
is directly connected to the Gospel of
Christ, that is a common belief in Jesus.
In 1 John 1:7 we read:
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.
Here fellowship is directly connected to the sacrifice Jesus made for us, the shedding of His blood.
We should also notice that if we do not accept what the Bible says about Jesus, we cannot have fellowship.
Notice that if WE are not walking in the light, we cannot have
fellowship.
In other words, this fellowship can not be known by the
non-Christian.
This is why Paul gives us a warning about not being yoked together
with unbelievers.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (BE LEE ILL) (Belial, appears to be equated with Satan)? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."
1 Corinthians 5:9-13 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people-- 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world. 11 But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat. 12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. "Expel the wicked man from among you."
A person who claims Christ yet lives an immoral
life is not in fellowship with other Christians.
For fellowship has to do with our focus, our focus on Christ, living
for Him,
and on encouraging one another in the faith.
Ephesians 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person--such a man is an idolater--has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
When you see that fellowship is a oneness of purpose, mind, and life,
do you feel that we have fellowship at the Union City
Christian Church?
If you do not feel that we do, what are YOU going to do to fix it?
II. WHAT IS THE
OBJECTIVE OF FELLOWSHIP?
The reason for our fellowship is to help each one of us to grow in Christ.
We are to encourage each other to live for Jesus.
The Living Bible says in Ephesians 2:19 Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.
We are called to belong, not just believe, we are not meant to live
on an island.
What is the purpose of a healthy family?
To build up, to encourage, to equip.
If we are doing our job as parents, we are raising our children in such a way
that they have the tools to make it in life as an adult.
It’s the same with the church, the objective of fellowship is to encourage one another in the faith,
to build up each other in Christ.
1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another
and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
Hebrews 3:13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Bill Hybels recalls a time when Dr. Gilbert was speaking for a leadership conference at Willow Creek Community Church.
He writes about it like this…
“Dr.
Gilbert said there’s life-changing fellowship in biblically functioning
community. That was a far cry from the childhood experience of a lot of his
audience! The only kind of fellowship that many of his listeners had witnessed
revolved around the fifteen or twenty minutes after the service when the men
would stand around the church patio and ask each other superficial questions.
‘So how’s it going at work Tim,’ one of them would ask.
‘Fine, Phil. Say, you driving a new pickup?’
‘Used,’ Phil would reply. ‘What do you have going this week?’
‘Not much.’
‘Well, great fellowshipping with you, Tim.’
‘Same here.’
That was about it. They’d (find their wives who) were having similar
conversations, and go home until next week.
But the Bible says true fellowship has the power to revolutionize lives. Masks
come off, conversations get deep, hearts get vulnerable, lives are shared,
accountability is invited, and tenderness flows. People really do become like
brothers and sisters. They shoulder each other’s burdens - and unfortunately,
that’s something that few of the people in that audience had experienced while
growing up in church.
In many churches it just didn’t seem legal to tell anyone you were having a
problem. Families that sat in the same pew for years would suddenly disappear,
because the husband and wife were in turmoil over marriage problems. Instead of
coming to the church for help and prayer and support, they fled the other way,
because they didn’t feel the freedom to say, ‘We love Jesus, but we’re not doing
very well. Our lives feel like they’re unraveling. We need some help!’
The implicit understanding was that you shouldn’t have a problem, and if you did
you’d better not talk about it around the church.
I learned that lesson well. When I got old enough to stand on the church patio
after services, someone would say, ‘So, Bill, how are things in high school?’
And I’d give the response that I thought was expected. ‘Fine, Ben,’ I’d say.
‘They’re just great.’
I didn’t feel I could tell him that my heart was being ripped to shreds because
my girlfriend and I had broken up. Or that I was flat-lined spiritually. Or that
I had and older brother who was drinking too much and driving too fast, and I
was scared about where his life was heading.
I didn’t say anything, because I felt that a good Christian just didn’t admit to
having those kinds of real-life difficulties. And in many churches, that’s
called fellowship.
We have fellowship so that we can grow together in Christ.
We have fellowship with one another so that we can be there for one
another.
We cannot help each other if we do not know each other.
We cannot have true fellowship if we do not spend time together.
We cannot help each other if we are afraid to open up to one another.
The objective of fellowship, Christian Fellowship,
is to get to know one another,
to help one another to grow in their faith,
to grow in their relationship with Christ,
to grow in their service to Christ.
The purpose of Christian Fellowship is to be their for one another,
To encourage each other through the tough times,
To celebrate with each other in the great times.
III.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FELLOWSHIP?
A basic human need is companionship/friendship.
We need that sense of community to help us along the way.
The church provides us with that community, that family.
Most of us need the encouragement of a family.
We receive an emotional benefit.
Support.
Colossians 3:12-14
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly
loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and
patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have
against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these
virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
We need the support of others.
What happens when God grants the gift of genuine Christian fellowship? Deep, joyful sharing replaces the polite prattle typically exchanged by Christians on Sunday morning. Sisters and brothers begin to discuss the things that really matter to them. They disclose their inner fears, their areas of peculiar temptation, their deepest joys. Ronald J. Sider
CONCLUSION
Koinonia (fellowship) was Paul’s favorite word to describe a believer’s
relationship with the risen Lord, and the benefits of salvation which come
through Him.
On the basis of faith, believers have fellowship with the Son.
1 Corinthians 1:9 God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.
We share fellowship in the gospel.
Philippians 1:3-5 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now,
Paul probably meant that all believers participate together in the saving power and message of the good news.
Believers also share together a fellowship with the Holy Spirit.
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.
Which the apostle understood as a most important bond for unity in the life of the church.
Philippians 2:1-4
If you have any
encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if
any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my
joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and
purpose. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility
consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to
your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
I ask you again, do we have fellowship at Union
City Christian Church?
Our fellowship has to be based on our relationship with Jesus.
Fellowship is an important purpose of the church.
It is one of the things that people will be attracted to.
If the world doesn’t see a church that is one in heart and one in purpose,
they will not take us very serious.