(This message adapted from The Purpose-Driven Life, by Rick Warren)
SERIES: ‘THE GROWTH FACTORS”
TEXT: ACTS 2:42-47
TITLE: “THE FORMATION FACTOR”
INTRODUCTION: A. What do you think of when you hear the word “family”?
1. Do you think of the families in Leave It to Beaver, Father Knows Best, and Ozzie
and Harriet?
2. Maybe your family concept is more like The Cosby Show, Home Improvement, or
Everybody Loves Raymond
3. Perhaps it’s more like Married With Children or The Simpsons
4. Family creates a picture in our minds
--it may be positive or it may be negative
5. God’s original intention for the family was positive
a. God designed the family to be a place of support, encouragement, nurture,
guidance, and stability
--an environment in which we can grow and thrive
b. The entire Bible is the story of God building a family
--Eph.. 1:5 (NLT) – “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into
His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.”
.
C. The church is a family
--The word that describes the “family” concept of the church is the term “fellowship”
1. Bob Shannon: “Christian fellowship was so unique that the first century believers
searched for a word to describe it. The found the solution in an old word seldom
used any longer. They dusted off that word and used it. And that word was
koinonia.”
2. When that Greek term koinonia was used, it had a specific meaning
a. When applied to people, it referred to a partnership.
b. When applied to things, it referred to things that were shared, held in common,
mutual.
3. Acts 2:42-47 – “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the
fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe,
and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the
believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions
and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 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, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And
were being saved.”
D. Fellowship is loving God’s family.
--Eph. 3:14-15 – “Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these
instructions so that, if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct
themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and
foundation of the truth.
1. The church is a family
2. It’s not a building; it’s not an institution; it’s not an organization; and it’s not a club
--It’s a family
3. What does it really mean to be family?
--four levels of fellowship
I. First Level of Fellowship: MEMBERSHIP – Choosing to belong
A. Membership is the most basic level; it’s rudimentary; the lowest level
1. Membership means you find a church family and you choose to get connected with it
a. Eph. 2:19 – “You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and
members of God’s household.”
b. One translation of that verse renders it: “You are members of God’s very own family and you belong
in God’s household with every other Christian.”
2. The Christian life is not just a matter of believing.
--It’s also a matter of belonging
a. Fellowship begins with belonging, with making that choice to belong
b. God wants you to make the choice to be a part of His family.
3. When you were born, you automatically became a part of the human race.
--But you have to choose to belong to the family of God – the church.
B. The church is where you learn to live out what it means to be a Christian.
1. Have you ever heard someone say, “I’m a Christian but I don’t want to belong to any church.”
a. That’s like saying, “I’m a football player, but I don’t want to be a part of any team.”
--It would be pretty ridiculous to believe one man could play football against a whole team
b. That’s like saying, “I’m a drummer but I don’t want to belong to a band.”
--Listening to a drummer without a band gets to be pretty annoying after awhile
c. That’s like saying, “I’m a bee, but I don’t want to be a part of a hive”
d. Or like saying, “I want to be a soldier but I don’t want to join the military.”
2. A Christian without a church family is an orphan.
--God meant us to be a part of a family.
3. Rom. 12:5 – “So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the
others.”
a. We belong to Christ and we belong to every other Christian.
b. We are members together.
1). Just like your hand is a member of your body, that’s how tightly we’re tied to each other.
2). If you detach a member of your physical body from the physical body, it shrivels up and dies.
C. Jesus calls the church His body
--Membership into the body of Christ is made when you make Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior.
1. Baptism is not only a submission of your life to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, it’s also a mark of
membership into the body
--With our commitment to Christ comes our membership into His body
2. Two important concepts to understand about the church:
a. The church universal – every member of the body of Christ on the planet
1). When we’re baptized, when we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, we choose membership into
the church universal
2). Acts 2:41 – “Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were
added to their number that day.”
b. The church local – a congregation of believers in a specific place
1). by selection, we choose membership into the local church
2). When the original members of First Church, Jerusalem were scattered by persecution, they
joined in a local body of believers wherever they lived
***The first level of fellowship is Membership: choosing to belong
II. Second Level of Fellowship: FRIENDSHIP – Learning to share
A. You were created in God’s image.
--So you were made for relationships.
1. The Bible tells us: “It is not good for man to be alone.”
--In it’s original context, it referred to the fact that Adam was not complete without Eve
2. But it also goes to tell us that we can’t be Lone Rangers
a. In other words, we were made for each other.
b. Life is not a solo act.
B. You can’t be friends without two important things:
--meeting together and sharing
1. Friendships are based on time shared together
--meeting together for mutual support in both joys and sorrows; in accomplishing tasks needing to be
done
2. Friendships are also based on sharing
a. Who are our best friends?
--the ones with whom we share the most
b. You share time; you share laughter; you share energy; you share sorrows; you share tears
--The people I’m closest to are the ones I share the most with. The ones I share the most with, I’m
closest to.
C. What does the Bible say we’re to share?
1. We’re to share our Experiences.
a. The Bible says people learn from one other "just as iron sharpens iron."
b. It’s wise to learn from the experiences of each other
1). You know some things I don’t know and I know some things thing you don’t know and the
person next to you knows some things neither of us knows.
2). Think of how much we could learn from each other if we would just share our experiences.
2. We’re to share our Homes
a. I Pet. 4:9 – “Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling...”
--literally that verse means, “Open up your homes to each other.”
b. Why does God say that?
1). Because you can’t fellowship in a crowd.
--You can only fellowship in a small group or one on one.
2). That’s where you really get to know people.
3. We’re to share our Problems
--We’re not meant to face our problems alone.
a. Gal. 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
--literally, we’re called to “share each other’s troubles and problems”
b. Did you know that when you share a joy, it’s doubled; and when you share a problem, it’s cut in
half?
--Rom. 12:15 – “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”
* 1st level of fellowship - Membership: choosing to belong
**2nd level of fellowship – Friendship: learning to share
III. Third Level of Fellowship: PARTNERSHIP – Doing my part
A. Partnership is realizing that I’ve got a contribution to make; that the family of God needs me.
1. God did not bring you to First Christian Church to sit and soak in some spiritual spa.
--That’s not why you’re here.
2. He brought you here to serve.
--He wants to make a difference in this world through your life.
3. In every family there are family responsibilities.
a. You divide up the chores and being part of that family you do your part
b. This is a Christian family, God’s family.
--And every one of us has a part.
B. There are 58 references in the New Testament that say you and I are to work with one another in
getting this job done – 58 “one another” passages
--We serve one another. We love one another. We pray with one another. The Bible even says we
have to put up with one another when we’re doing all of this.
1. Fellowship level two – friendship - is sharing your heart.
--But fellowship level three – partnership - is all about doing your part.
2. 1 Cor. 3:9 – “We are partners working together for God.”
--The Greek word koinonia – “fellowship” - is often translated “partnership.”
3. Within the last few years, J.R.R. Tolkien’s trilogy of books called Lord of the Rings was
transformed into huge Hollywood movies. In the first book and movie, entitled, Fellowship of the
Ring, Tolkien describes the camaraderie of a diverse group of people who came together around a
central purpose.
That group is called “the fellowship of the ring,” and 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.
One commentator observed that the reason the fellowship of the church is so weak today is not
because we do not have enough fellowship events. Rather our weak fellowship is due to the lack of
time we spend together doing the hard work of the kingdom, sharing time as it were in the foxholes
of ministry, together making a difference in the lives of the hurting people of our world.
C. In order to be a partner in ministry, you’ve got to find the answers to two questions:
--“Where do I fit and how I do I fit?"
1. The Bible tells us we all have a niche.
--Eph. 4:16 – “From him [referring to Jesus] the whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
a. The whole body is supposed to fit together in a cohesive whole
b. Each part of the body does it’s special work which helps the other parts to grow and produces a
healthy body that is built up in God’s love for us and our love for each other
2. We’re all a part of Christ’s body.
--When each of us does our part, we get more done together than we could ever get done by
ourselves.
* 1st level of fellowship - Membership: choosing to belong
**2nd level of fellowship – Friendship: learning to share
***3rd level of fellowship – Partnership: doing my part
IV. Fourth Level of Fellowship: KINSHIP – Loving believers like family
A. Kinship is the deepest level of fellowship in the family of god
1. Many years ago there was a cranky old fellow who was a member of the city council where he
lived. He was always causing somebody problems. He never had a kind word to say to anyone and
especially went out of his way to give a particular preacher in the town a hard way to go. He
complained about the church’s members, he complained about the noise around the church whenever
they met together, and took particular delight in complaining about the church in the council
meetings.
One Monday evening, the preacher noticed that there was a dead mule on the lawn of city hall.
He tried to call several city politicians to let them know but couldn’t find anyone at home. He
eventually had to call the cranky councilman which he dreaded. When the councilman answered the
phone in a gruff voice, the preacher identified himself and told the councilman about the dead mule.
The councilman said, “What’d you call me for? That’s not my job to take care of those things. Call
someone from the city sanitation department! Or better yet, preachers are supposed to take care of the
dead!”
The preacher answered, “Oh, I’m going to. I just thought I’d notify the next of kin.”
2. Kinship literally means your closest relationships
B. Kinship is treating and loving other believers like they’re family.
--It involves a complete commitment
1. Acts 2:42, it tells us that “They were like family to each other.”
2. Rom. 12:10 – tells us that we should “Be devoted to each other like a loving family.”
3. God says to us: “We’re not just like a family; we are a family.”
a. We should be as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ
--That, my friends, is the deepest level of fellowship
b. The deepest level of fellowship involves sacrificing for each other
--1 Jn. 3:16 – “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we
ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”
CONCLUSION: A. Chuck Swindoll, “Lessons from a Tavern”, Leadership magazine:
An old Marine Corps buddy of mine, to my pleasant surprise, came to know Christ
after he was discharged. I say surprise because he cursed loudly, fought hard, chased
women, drank heavily, loved war and weapons, and hated chapel services.
A number of months ago, I ran into this fellow, and after we’d talked awhile, he put
his hand on my shoulder and said, “You know, Chuck, the only thing I still miss is that
old fellowship I used to have with all the guys down at the tavern. I remember how we
used to sit around and let our hair down. I can’t find anything like that for Christians. I no
longer have a place to admit my faults and talk about my battles--where somebody won’t
preach at me and frown and quote me a verse.”
It wasn’t one month later that in my reading I came across this profound paragraph:
“The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit that there is to the fellowship
Christ wants to give his church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace,
escape rather than reality--but it is a permissive, accepting, and inclusive fellowship.
It is unshockable. You can tell people secrets, and they usually don’t tell others or even
want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has
put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love and be loved, and so
many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.”
[Swindoll then continues] “With all my heart,” this writer concludes, “I believe that
Christ wants his church to be unshockable, a fellowship where people can come in and
say, ‘I’m sunk, I’m beat, I’ve had it.’ Alcoholics Anonymous has this quality--our
churches too often miss it.”
B. Life is not about accomplishments. It is about relationships.
1. Jn. 13:35 – “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.”
--Jesus was talking about a strong and faithful agape love
2. It wasn’t too long after Jesus said this that the Roman Empire was throwing
Christians to the lions in coliseums.
a. The Romans weren’t very hospitable to Christians for several hundred years.
--They were putting them up on stakes and burning them and they were crucifying
them and throwing them to lions and all other kinds of things.
b. But in that same period of time, one of the most famous Roman secular historians,
not a Christian, wrote this about Christians: “Behold, how they love each other.”
3. What we should want First Christian Church known for is not our size, not our
sermons, not our singing, not our strategy, not our building, but our love.
--We should want people to say, “That’s the place where they love each other.”
4. When people find a church where there is genuine love, you’ll have to lock the doors
to keep people away, because people aren’t looking for religion, they’re looking for
relationship
--a relationship with God and with other people who will love them
D. Ask yourself this morning: what level of fellowship am I at?
1. Membership – the lowest level
2. Friendship – the next level where you share your life with others
3. Partnership – where you help shoulder the load
4. Kinship – your closest relationships are those in the family of God
--You’re committed to your other brothers and sisters in Christ through thick and
thin; joy and sorrow; triumphs and tragedy
5. Am I trying to get by at the lowest level?
--Or am I moving ahead in my relationship with God and my relationship with His
family?
E. Are you even in the family?
1. The proof of your fellowship is shown in your love for God and love for others.
2. The greatest privilege you will ever be offered in life is a privilege of being a part of
God’s family.
3. Have you ever made a commitment to Christ?
--it’s the first step in joining the family
a. We’re not all children of God unless we all have a committed relationship with Jesus
Christ
b. Gal. 3:26 – “So you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
