|
|
Fellowship Acts 2.42; 1 John 1.1-6 Introduction:
As we said last week, we must understand the meaning of words and use them
properly. If we don’t we will have
mass confusion. Imagine what would
happen if we just changed the definition of a word arbitrarily.
It would bring about confusion. The
word door meant sandwich, or money became equal to the word sleep.
Such is what happens in the area of religion.
The word baptism means immersion and not sprinkling or pouring but a lot
of people no longer goes by the Biblical definition of the word Baptism.
We want in this lesson to look at the word “fellowship” its common
usage and its Biblical usage. I)
Common Usage A)
Fellowship --
B)
Commonly used for various activities sponsored by a religious organization.
Connected to the social gospel. 1.
We see fliers promoting vacations, we receive numerous promotional
advertisements from amusement parks so we can go as a congregaton to their par,.
2.
Fellowship meals – and fellowship halls. Wikipedia defines “fellowship
hall.”
a. A fellowship hall is a large room in a church building where
certain
activities in the church building are done, such as certain dinners,
breakfasts, meetings, workshops, etc.
It gets its name from the fact
that the people there at the church building are giving fellowship.
b. Many fellowship halls are multi0purpose rooms and contain recreation
facilities such as a basketball court or indoor soccer field.
c. There facilities are also used for wedding receptions, other family
functions for church members and certain community events. 3.
Fact is the word “fellowship” has come to mean just about any activity
promoted by a religious organization. Examples:
picnics, golf outings, alcohol and drug rehab programs, theater night out,
Women’s tea, Progressive dinner, Halloween Night Party, Easter Egg Hunt, etc. 4.
Many of these religious organizations see their activities as a way to
evangelize the community by providing a needed service. 5.
F. LaGuard Smith in his book “Radical Restoration” argues that the Lord’s
Supper was when the church came together to eat a common mean. C)
Basis is the activity itself D)
Benefits are social and physical in nature II)
Biblical Use of Fellowship A)
Kiononia is the Greek word 1.
Translated as – fellowship (12) times, communion (4), communication (1),
distribution (1), contribution (1), and to communicate (1). 2.
Means – fellow workers, association, joint participation, a sharing together,
collection as in Acts 2.42. B)
Based on a common bond, the Gospel of Christ, Philippians 1.5 1.
That which brought them together was not a social activity such as eating a
common mean but The Gospel of Christ. 2.
All of us have entered that fellowship when we entered the body of
Christ, 1 Corinthians 1.9 3.
What is it all Christians have in common?
a. They have all heard the Gospel of Christ; believe Him to be the
Son of God, made that confession, repented of their sins, and been
baptized in order to have their sins remitted by the blood of Christ,
Romans 6.3-4.
b. Our bond is not playing games or eating a meal or playing golf
but the Gospel of Christ. C)
Our Fellowship Consist of 1.
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as well as other Christians, 1 John 1.3 2.
The emphasis is on the vertical – our fellowship with God, this is obviously
spiritual in nature. 3.
The horizontal comes about as we fellowship other Christians in our service to
God. 4.
We see where the Jews and Gentiles were brought into fellowship with each other
due to their fellowship with God, Ephesians
1.17,18. D)
The Emphasis is on the spiritual 1.
As we do what God says we have fellowship with Him, 1
John 1.7; Phil. 2.1 2.
Can be seen in the Lord’s Supper, 1
Corinthians 10.16-17 we are spiritual fellowship with Christ and Christians
through out the world as we all partake of the Lord’s Supper on the first day
of the week. 3.
Our sufferings we have in common with Christ, Philippians
3.10 E)
The Physical is what we see but based on the spiritual 1.
The problem is many do not see the spiritual basis for fellowship but only the
physical. 2.
Goes along with minimizing the soul and spiritual nature of the church. 3.
The emphasis tends to be on the physical using carnal means.
Reminds me of “Home Coming” at Zion’s Harmony Baptist Church; the
church parking lot is full that day as people come to get acquainted again and
have a pot luck dinner. But they
come for the loaves and fishes and not the spiritual food. 4.
We come together to partake of the Lord’s Supper on the 1st day of
the week, Acts 20.7 5.
We assemble together to worship God,
Hebrews 10.25 6.
Our worship consists of singing, giving, teaching, praying, etc. We do these
things physically but they are aimed at the spiritual.
a. Making melody in our hearts
b. Giving as we have purposed in our hearts
c. Prayer is petition from our hearts
d. Worship is bowing down and paying homage to God from a
contrite heart, etc. F)
What are the benefits of our Fellowship? 1.
Salvation as we are part of the body of Christ, Ephesians
1.7 2.
Jesus as our advocate with the Father, 1
John 2.1 3.
We encourage one another; help one another to grow spiritually G)
The conditions of fellowship 1.
Be in Christ 2.
Walk in the light, 1 John 1.6 3.
Be faithful until death, Revelation 2.10b Conclusion:
Psalm 119.63 fellowship is more than
simply doing something together or having something in common. It is the bond
created when we obey the Gospel of Christ, it is spiritual in nature, and it is
defined in the Gospel of Christ.
|