Core Value: FELLOWSHIP

Last Friday, I had an interesting, enlightening experience. It was my day off, and Larry and I had decided to do some work redecorating the Chinese Restaurant in town while the Kwan family is in China. We were going to meet there at 9:00, but I brought Carol to Subway at 7:30. I had an hour and a half to kill, and instead of just going into the office, I decided I needed some “me” time. So I went to the Back Street Grill, ordered some oatmeal and wheat toast, and settled in to do some reading in a book I got for Christmas. I was just getting settled into the 18^th century life of John Adams when my attention was interrupted. There was a group of men – maybe 10 of them– who were having what I believe is a regular gathering for breakfast. I’ve seen them there before. I know that several of them retired from the same factory a number of years ago, and I suspect that others friends have joined them over the years.

As I sat there for a little more than an hour, I would occasionally look up from my book, and I’d see that group. Their faces were almost always creased with smiles, as they would listen intently to the latest story of snow blowing, adventures driving, a new ailment, or of some foolish thing they had recently seen someone do. There was genuine concern when they discussed a sick spouse or mutual friend. Every now and then the volume would increase, the language would get a little coarse, and the whole group would erupt with laughter.

The waitress obviously knew them, and they knew her. The men probably helped themselves to coffee refills as much as she helped them. It was obvious that they felt at home, welcomed and comfortable. When a guy would show up, he was greeted loudly, as everyone scooted around to make room for him. When someone would rise to leave, there were genuine wishes for safety and health. I watched as one man rose to go and pay his bill. As he walked behind the guy next to him, he placed both hands on his shoulder, gave them a squeeze a time or two, patted him on the back, and moved on… There was a familiarity, and even intimacy, within the group.

I’ve got to tell you, I found myself a little jealous. It was obvious that this group of men had a connection with each other that was profound. They had genuine concern for one another; they listened intently to each other; they laughed, shared and encouraged each other.

As I sat there, I was struck by what I was witnessing. It was one of the purest examples of fellowship I have seen in a long, long time. And it was among a group of men! I found myself thinking, “This is what the church should look like!” - caring for one another, loving each other, encouraging each other, listening to each other, laughing together, working together. I got the impression that you would have been hard pressed to get any one of those men to be anywhere else on Friday morning than right there.

In my mind, I flashed back 20 centuries to the gatherings of the early believers in the first days of what we call the church. Acts chapter 2 gives us a verbal snapshot of their gatherings, beginning with verse 42:

42 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.

When I read those words, I see a group of people who are closely knit together by a common bond. They have shared principles – “they are devoted to the apostles teaching.” They also have mutual experience – they are seeing the amazing signs and wonders of their leaders. They share their resources as they face needs and challenges. They get together for formal meetings at the temple courts, but they also meet at each others’ homes, “eating together with glad and sincere hearts.” I think that’s the part that reminded me of the group of guys on that Friday morning – it was the genuineness and gladness of their hearts that caught my attention.

But as appealing as that gathering at the Back Street was, I was wrong when I thought, “this is what the church should look like!” The church has the potential to be so much more! That gathering of men could be a metaphor for the fellowship of the church, but the companionship, intimacy and closeness of the church should eclipse any other social, fraternal or professional group. The thing that takes the fellowship of believers to the next level is the Spiritual Dynamic. Far more than a bond of mutual admiration, common experience or a deep bond of friendship is the reality of the Holy Spirit of God living within us! Within the bounds of the church are found all the desirable qualities of the worlds “friendship,” but with the added benefits of identity with Christ, spiritual protection and accountability, encouragement and “spurring” each other to growth, and, of course, the fact that such a fellowship will never end – eternal life in fellowship with one another and with God Himself!

Last week we took a look at the first of our core values as a church – we said that we are here to worship. We looked at Romans chapter 12 to see what that means. We saw that it’s not singing, praying, reading Scripture, listening to a message or even communion. Worship is our response when we encounter God – it is the complete offering of ourselves to Him. When we become aware of His holiness, His awesomeness and His presence, we worship by humbling ourselves before Him, and giving ourselves as living sacrifices – living for Him, and worshiping Him every day, through every day events and behavior. Worship is not an event - it is a lifestyle. That truth is a core value of this church.

If you turn with me back to that same 12^th chapter of Romans, we will see that Paul follows up his two-verse discussion of worship with a lengthy discussion about fellowship. Beginning in verse 3, he writes,

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4 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. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 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. 17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19 Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20 On the contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I find it interesting that Paul spends just a couple of verses calling for us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices to God as a spiritual act of worship, but spends the rest of the chapter calling us to genuine fellowship with each other. I believe that it speaks a great deal to the economy of heaven. I’m amazed at how valuable the unity of believers is to God.

Jesus told His disciples, “by this will all men know that you are my disciples, by your love for one another” (John 13:35). When Jesus prayed in the last hours of his life on this earth, He asked the Father to build bonds of unity and love between His followers. He said,

Ø “Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You, may they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Ø “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me…”

There is a direct link between the unity and fellowship of Christ’s followers and the receptivity of our message to the world! The unity of believes is directly proportional to the validity of our witness. When the church lives in disharmony, the world will not believe that Jesus is the Son of God.

So it’s not surprising to me that Paul spends a lot of time outlining some basic elements of our fellowship. Like that group of guys gathered for breakfast, a church that has real, biblical, spirit-filled unity is going to be something that people will take note of, and want to be part of!

Let’s quickly take a look at some characteristics of fellowship that Paul outlines here.[i]

In verse 5 we read, “So in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” The illustration of a body is one of Paul’s favorites when describing the unity of the church, found in 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4. In fact, he calls the church, the “body of Christ.” It’s a great illustration because we can all appreciate and understand it so easily. In verses 3 & 4, leading up to this statement of summary, Paul makes his point – “we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought, but rather think of ourselves with sober judgment.” Perhaps the greatest danger to the unity of the church is for individuals to have a false evaluation of themselves. When any of us begin to overrate our own value to the body, there’s going to be trouble.

Paul further expands this image in 1 Corinthians 12, when he says, in effect, “How would the body get along if the eye said, ‘I don’t need hands, they can’t see color or avoid danger!’ or how would the body get along if the head said, ‘I don’t need the feet, they smell, they are gross!’ Such an image is obviously ridiculous – the body is made to work as a unit, and no part is to be elevated over any other.

The danger is equally great when individuals to underrate their value to the body. Paul turns the table on the argument in 1 Corinthians when he says, “Can the foot say, ‘since I’m not a hand, I’m worthless?’” Of course not – every part of the body is important! Even the appendix, which most doctors think is an organ without purpose, gets itself all inflamed, the whole body finds itself doubled over in pain, feverish, vomiting, and in danger of death if not addressed. In the body of Christ, there are not “worthless” body parts! If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, then you are a vital, necessary, valued part of the body of Christ! You’ve been created and gifted by God in a way that allows you to serve in a way that no one else can.

Which brings us to the second characteristic of Christian fellowship from Paul: We serve each other. In verse 6, he writes, “We all have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” He then goes on to give examples of a variety of gifts. The list is not complete – it’s not meant to be complete – the important thing here is the concept, not the list. The main idea is the same one we find throughout scripture. We’re going to spend our time together in two weeks talking about this in more detail, but the biblical principle is clear: Each believer has a responsibility to find out what their gift or gifts are, and to then use those gifts faithfully in service to others. And because our service has been preceded by “sober judgment” of our proper place, we don’t use our gifts with either excessive pride, or unhealthy self-devaluing – we serve joyfully, humbly and faithfully out of love for one another.

Which is the third characteristic of fellowship we see here: We love each other. I mentioned earlier that Paul uses the body to describe Christian fellowship and unity in1 Corinthians 12, which is followed by one of the most well known chapters on love in all of Scripture. 1 Corinthians 13 is often called “the Love Chapter,” and is read at weddings all the time, but that chapter is not about marriage – it’s about the church! It’s about you and me loving each other! It’s about real fellowship within a bond of love. In Romans, here, Paul follows up his teaching about unity in the body with a similar, if smaller, discussion of love. It is not as well known as his writings in 1 Corinthians, but it is a great description of Christian love. Just listen again to the love that should define us:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.

The message is the same: Over-arching all our activities, motives and service to each other must be sincere, genuine love for each other - the kind of love that Jesus taught and modeled for us.

Look at the definition of love Paul gives us! It is to be love that is sincere, discerning, affectionate and respectful. It is both enthusiastic and patient, both generous and hospitable, benevolent and sympathetic. It is marked by both harmony and humility.[ii]

Folks, I have to tell you, I believe that the church of Jesus Christ should be the kind of place that when people see it, they notice it. The inseparable unity, the joyful service and the sincere love that we have for one another should be so evident that when people witness it, it interrupts the other activities of their lives, it catches their attention, and it makes them long to experience it. Such fellowship will proclaim to the world the message of Christ louder than all the messages preached from all the pulpits in all the world. It is that unity, that love, that fellowship, that will show the world that we are His disciples. May God make it a reality here at Gateway Community Church, as we follow Him and fellowship with each other.

Fellowship