Principles to Build Upon: Fellowship
Introduction:
In Romania, and in many Eastern European countries, there are so many orphans being put into institutions that there isn’t enough food or medical supplies or staff members to take care of them. The babies, often past toddler age, are still kept in diapers and placed in cribs because there’s no other way to take care of them. They are lifted out to be fed and they infrequently have their diapers changed. There is no real physical contact with other humans – no cuddling, no holding, hardly touched. They end up in semi-catatonic states and often die from a lack of human contact. This condition is called “failure to thrive syndrome.”
This “failure to thrive syndrome” can happen in our spiritual lives and we desperately need the fellowship of one another to make it through. We must learn and understand that there is no “lone ranger” Christians. The bottom line is that we need fellowship. So often people seclude themselves and stay off to themselves and the problem with that is that they miss out on the fellowship of the saints.
I might suggest to you this morning that one of the most important elements that we need to build the church upon is fellowship with one another.
I believe that we were made to be in fellowship. We were made to be in fellowship with God and with one another. When you understand fellowship in that light, then perhaps the concept of Biblical fellowship becomes one of the most important aspects of our lives. We have a part of us that loves being around others and when we are not we become miserable.
For those of you who play golf, do you like to play alone, or is it better when you have others with you to make fun of you or awe at your great shot? The game is more fun when playing it with others.
I think women understand the concept of doing things together; they make a trip to the bathroom a group social event.
We as the church understand some about fellowship. We have our fellowship hall, our fellowship dinners, and our fellowship meetings. But what exactly is fellowship? What does it mean?
Is fellowship a potluck dinner? – It could be.
Is fellowship a Sunday school class? – It could be.
Is fellowship simply coming to church? –It could be.
Is fellowship just hanging out with one another? - It could be.
Is fellowship becoming a Christian? – It could be.
The dictionary defines “fellowship” as: - Companionship, friendly association – Mutual sharing as of experiences, of activities, of interests – A group of people with the same interests, brotherhood.
The Greek word for fellowship is “koinonia”, and it comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. We indeed have a common bond in Christ and it is that bond that makes the fellowship within the church special.
I believe that in order for us to have the exponential growth that the early church did, we must again devote ourselves to fellowshipping with one another. Fellowship was not just a small part of their lives. It was not just a compartment of their lives consisting of something they did only once a week, it was a lifestyle. So often people reduce fellowship to the time we spend within the walls of this building a few times a week, but I believe fellowship is so much more than that. The early church was devoted to fellowship. The early Christians met day by day in the temple, and were eating meals in each other’s homes daily. There is no doubt that the church in its infancy experienced such great success in part because of their commitment to fellowship.
Text: Acts 2:42-47
I. True Fellowship Is A Discipleship Tool
I have to believe that one of the reason that the church has so many lukewarm members who never move beyond a casual Sunday only Christianity is because of a lack of true fellowship. Fellowship really can be a tool to lead someone into discipleship. By discipleship I mean becoming more like our master. You might be thinking how can fellowship make us more like Christ? As we fellowship with one another we are helping each other mature in our faith, serve more readily, and to live a godlier life.
When you see geese heading south for the winter flying along in a "V" formation, you might be interested in knowing that science has discovered why they fly that way. Re-search has revealed that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately behind it. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds at least 71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own. Whenever a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone. It quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front.
Perhaps it is when we get out of formation and try to make it on our own that we sense the drag and resistance of the world. We need to realize that we can make it further together than we can alone. The problem is that if we do not get back into the fellowship then we will not be able to make it as well. By fellowship I do not mean simple coming to more services more often, I mean entering into true fellowship. However, we need to understand plainly that by fellowship I do not simply mean coming to church every week. There are many that come to church week after who week who never fellowship. I believe it is to our detriment that we keep interaction with one another to a minimum during our services. We really have it so where people can come in to church and leave with not hardly even engaging into a conversation with someone. While there are many purposes of meeting together each Lord’s Day we must understand that we are coming to participate in “koininea” fellowship with one another and that requires some action on our part.
I believe that true fellowship is so important we should even be willing to make certain sacrifices to engage in fellowship opportunities.
A farm boy accidentally overturned his wagonload of wheat on the road. The farmer who lived nearby came to investigate. “Hey, Willis,” he called out, “Forget your troubles for a while and come and have dinner with us. Then I’ll help you overturn the wagon.” “That’s very nice of you,” Willis answered, “but I don’t think Dad would like me to.” “Aw, come on, son!” the farmer insisted. “Well, okay,” the boy finally agreed, “but Dad won’t like it.” After a hearty dinner, Willis thanked the host. “I feel a lot better now, but I know Dad’s going to be real upset.” “Don’t be silly!” said the neighbor. “By the way, where is he?” “Under the wagon,” replied Willis.
I might not suggest the extreme like this, but it is true that fellowship is a vital part of our spiritual development. If we want to grow in Christ we must consciously choose to participate in times of fellowship. The Proverbs teach that, “as iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another.” Now, I do not exactly understand why it is that being together for a common purpose and doing it frequently helps me to grow in my personal faith, but I know it is true. I know the fellowship of other believers has inspired me along the way to live a more committed life for our Lord.
It needs to be understood that often times what we classify as fellowship never reaches fellowship level. We seldom break through the levels of shallow conversations and into true fellowship. There is nothing wrong with spending time together, in fact I would encourage you to spend as much time with Christian people as possible, even in things that have no spiritual significance, I suggest to do it with other Christians. At least that creates opportunities for fellowship and as you are together hopefully you can begin to enter into true fellowship. It is my suggestion that many Christians have no idea what true fellowship is because they have never experienced it. If that is the case what aspects need to be present in order for us to move from spending time together to fellowshipping together?
1. Encourage One Another
Have you ever heard a flock of geese flying high overhead? They make all kinds of noise, they are honk at each other as they fly. I know that on the highway, the only honking you hear from behind is someone wanting you to speed up or get out of the way. Why do geese honk as they fly? The researchers tell us that geese honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.
More times than not, the noise that we hear behind people who are working is not the voice of encouragement, but instead, the voice of criticism. We need voices from behind to encourage us to keep up our speed and to stay strong in the faith. We need to give and receive encouragement, but it cannot be done without fellowship.
I Thessalonians 5:11
Hebrews 3:13
When you are together with other Christians instead of just talking about trivial things all the time like sports and the weather make a conscious effort to encourage one another in your faith. Encourage one another to be more productive in the kingdom. Encourage one another to overcome sin. Encourage one another to stay strong.
2. Pray With One Another
I would also suggest that we enter into deep fellowship with one another when we spend time in prayer together.
Acts 12:1-5
Apparently it was a common practice of the church to meet together simply to pray together. I believe a special bond develops when we spend time in prayer together. I am thankful for Wednesday night prayer meetings, but what I suggest is that when we gather together with friends that we spend time together in prayer.
3. Spend Time Together
The New Testament is full of charges of how we should treat one another. We are told to love one another, be kind to one another, serve one another, live in peace with one another, instruct one another, confess your sins to one another, encourage one another, and be devoted to one another. We cannot do any of these things to one another if we are not with one another. Furthermore, I do not think those things can all take place one hour a week. This requires spending a significant amount of time together. While I know our lives are busy and we have many things competing for our time I do not believe that we are together enough. I do not mean just the whole church meeting together, but perhaps just a few folks getting together and when you are together consciously striving to build each other up in the faith.
Acts 4:12-14
II. True Fellowship Is A Evangelistic Tool
I really believe that true fellowship is a great evangelistic tool. We live in a world full of people who want to be loved. I really believe many people act out in the ways that they do because they are trying to get someone’s attention. One of the greatest identifying marks of Christians should be the way that we interact with one another.
John 13:34-35
Non-Christian people may love each other and treat each other decently, but the love that is shown among Christian people should stand out and make people desire to be a part of it. I cannot help but to think that as the first century church operated and the world watched that the non-Christian people, even the idol worshipping pagans envied the relationships that they saw among the Christians. In Christ we do have a special bond and the love that we have for one another should stand out plainly.
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.”
The greatest human desire it to be liked and often times we will do anything to make friends. As I look at the world I see that there are many lonely and hurting people out there, who should feel welcomed and drawn to the church. The church should be seen as a place where people who are cast off as insignificant and disposable can come in and find a group of people who will love them and accept them.
I remember the first time I stepped foot in a church. To be honest, I do not know why I went or what I was doing. I honestly don’t remember much of what was taught or what all tool place, but I do remember seeing a group of people who seemed to truly like to be together. They were a close group of friends. I was lonely. I had a few friends, but my friendships were shallow. I looked at those people together and longed to be a part of that. I did not start going to church because I loved Jesus. I did not start going to church because I loved the Truth. I did not choose the church I did because of their strong doctrine, I started going to church because I wanted to be a part of a group of people who would love me, I wanted to be a part of a fellowship. Now, as I fellowshipped and learned and came more often my love for Jesus grew and my love for the truth developed, but initially I came wanting to find acceptance, love, and a group of friends. Perhaps one might say I came with the wrong motives, and perhaps they are correct, but I was not at that point concerned with why I was coming. I believe there are many people in the world that are just like I was. If they can see that we love each other like crazy and that we would gladly welcome anyone into our fellowship I believe people would come like we wouldn’t believe. However, many of our circles of friends are closed off and we do not allow others to enter into our groups of fellowship. We must remember to love one another. The fellowship that we share is a great evangelistic tool and people watch and see the way we interact together, perhaps some will want to be a part of what we have.
