“Then they that gladly received the word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them three thousand souls. 42. And they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers,”
Verse 42 gives us a pattern of the fellowship of the first Christians. It is a pattern that we still follow- or should follow today. Here is the pattern: First, they “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine.” What was the “apostles’ doctrine” based upon? It was based upon Old Testament scriptures, particularly those scriptures that pointed to the coming of the Messiah. It was also based upon the teachings of Jesus that became what we call “the New Testament.” Today, we call this “Bible study.” At the heart of the fellowship of Christians is the study of God’s word. This is done today through what we call Sunday School (or small group if you prefer.) Whatever we call it, it is the study of the Bible. This is also done through the preaching of the word by the pastor. Second, they were in “fellowship.” We might refer to this as “having fellowship.” However we say it, it means that Christians were in Koinonia with each other. “Koinonia” is a Greek word which means “partnership.” Having fellowship did not mean that they just met, had snacks and had a good time. (This was part of it, for they did, “break bread” together.) But on a deeper level it meant that they were in partnership with each other as they studied the Bible, and as they reached out to the world. The church, God’s people, is in partnership with each other, not just to get together, but to reach out to the world. Third, as they met together in partnership with each other, they prayed together. We can refer to this as worship. At the center, the core, of church fellowship is prayer. We pray when we are alone, but we should also pray as we meet together. It is through prayer that we are able to demonstrate the power of God to the world. For example, in Acts 4 when the church discovered that the chief priests and elders had forbad them to preach in the name of Jesus, “they lifted up their voice to the Lord.” This is an example that we should follow in our fellowship. We need to lift up our voices to the Lord, and expect Him to do great things among us as He did in this early church. We should meet prayerfully on any occasion when we meet together. We should live prayerfully when we are not together. Here is our biblical pattern of church life: We should study the Bible together and individually. We should be in loving partnership with each other. We should worship and pray together and individually. To quote Jesus: we should “go and do likewise.” Bro. Joe
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“Let love be without dissimulation (sincere, real). Abhor what is evil; cleave to what is good. 10. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another.”
As I read this text this morning, I thought, “the Bible really gives us some good advice if we will really heed it." The text printed above is a case in point. When we became Christians, we entered into fellowship with our fellow Christians. We need to make the best use of that fellowship, not just to enjoy one another’s company, but to serve as witnesses to the world. Let me share what I mean via this text. We need to really love each other. The word that the KJV translates as “dissimulation” literally means to sincerely love each other, or as I wrote above: Really love each other! Verse 10 clarified to me what this loving fellowship would entail. “Kindly affectioned” means that we are to be devoted to each other as brothers and sisters. In verse 9 we are told to “agapay” each other, that is to love as Christ loved us. In verse 10 we are told to “philos” each other, that is to love as brothers and sisters. We are in the family of God together; therefore, we need to sincerely love each other as brothers and sisters. We are not “blood kin” but we are linked by the blood of Christ. Let’s find it in our hearts to sincerely love each other. We are to really hate evil. “Abhor that which is evil” is not really difficult to understand. We know right from wrong, and we need to discern the difference. In relation to our fellowship, it can mean that we are to hate what might divide us and bring a rift in the fellowship, or give a poor witness to the world. This is not a call to be Pharisaic and self-righteous. It is a call to live godly lives. None of us will be perfect, but we surely need to be aware of our own personal morality, and of the life that we are presenting to the world. We are to really hold on to what is good. “Cleave (cling) to what is good” is emphatic. Of course this refers to living a morally good life, but it also means to cling to doing what is good. We need to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit when He leads us into opportunities to do what is good. There might be a shut-in person that you know you need to visit. There might be someone who is hungry who needs your help. Indeed, we should celebrate opportunities to do good for other people. The world needs Christians who are eager to do what is good for someone else. Call me silly, but to me that looks a lot like Christ. These verses give us a good example of what it means to live in close Christian fellowship. Bro. Joe “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
. The kingdom of God is not to get bogged down about arguments about dietary laws, but it is comprised of righteousness, joy and peace. Righteousness, peace and joy are made possible by the Holy Spirit. This means that the Holy Spirit is the catalyst for righteousness, peace and joy. If we are left alone, we can mess these three things up like we do everything else. But the Holy Spirit makes them possible, real and viable in our fellowship in the kingdom of God, and in our witness to the world. The promise of the Holy Spirit was a paramount promise of Jesus to His disciples.This promise was given in John 14:16-18; “And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter (Holy Spirit), that He may abide with you forever. 17. Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it sees Him not, neither knows Him; for He dwells with you and shall be in you. 18. I will not leave you comfortless for I will come to you.” A further promise of Jesus was given in John 16:13-14: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever you shall hear, that shall He speak, and He will show you things to come. 14. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” Righteousness, peace and joy will reign in the Kingdom of ‘God because of the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That is why Paul wrote that these three virtues were “in the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit gives us kingdom righteousness, which is the righteousness of Jesus. He gives us kingdom peace, because it is the peace of Jesus. He gives us kingdom joy, because it is the joy of Jesus. All of these virtues were promised by Jesus, and the Holy Spirit will give them to us. One of our great problems in the work of the Lord is that we try to accomplish these things in the flesh instead of in the Spirit. In that way, righteousness becomes self-righteousness, peace becomes false peace, and joy becomes temporary happiness and fades away as everything done in the flesh fades away. We need to surrender to the guidance of the Holy Spirit to guide us into real kingdom righteousness, real kingdom peace and real kingdom joy. Bro. Joe “He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls.”
Our text is a reminder that we need to practice self-discipline in order to live effective Christian lives. We need to make sure that our “spirits” under the control of the Holy Spirit and walk in His guidance. The reference to a “city that is broken down and without walls” meant the undisciplined person is without the defenses needed to live victoriously. This made me think of some walls that we need to build around our lives if we are to live in the Spirit. I thought of the “wall of faith.” Hebrews 11:6 reminds that “without faith it is impossible to please (God).” 1 John 5:4-5 reminds us of the importance of faith in our lives: “For whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world: and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith. 5. Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” In Ephesians 6:16, we are counseled: “Above all taking the shield of faith, with which you shall be able to quench the fiery darts of wickedness." I thought of the “wall of prayer.” Frankly, I have experienced a lack of self-restraint when I have not surrounded myself with prayer. Our faith needs to be fed with prayer. .We cannot live disciplined lives if we do not stay in constant contact with God. Prayer is not just a means of getting things from God, it is more like the oxygen that we breathe. “Take it to the Lord in prayer” is not just good advice; rather it is necessary if we are to live effective Christian lives. Build a wall of prayer around your life. I thought of the “wall of Christian fellowship.” The writer of Hebrews reminded us not to “forsake the assembling of ourselves, as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging) one another…” I also call this the “wall of accountability.” We need each other. We learn from each other. We worship with each other. We set examples for each other. The fellowship that I have had with Christian brothers and sisters has been a constant source of encouragement. Sometimes what I thought was a critical spirit, was really a word of wisdom. (Of course sometimes it was just a critical spirit.) We need to build a “wall of fellowship” around our lives. If we want to “rule our own spirits,” we need to follow the leadership of the Holy Spirit as He leads us in faith, in prayer and in Christian fellowship. Bro. Joe "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Romans 14 contains the recurring argument in the early church about whether or not Christians should eat meat that was sold in the meat market that had been sacrificed to idols. Paul’s argument was that meat is meat, and that it was not a sin to eat it. But that came with a serious caveat: One should not eat such meat if it would offend a “weaker” believer, probably a new believer. In the verse that comprises our text, Paul pointed out that the kingdom of God is not about arguments about what to eat or what to drink. Then he pointed out to them at least three of the main concerns of the kingdom of God: righteousness, peace and joy. In the midst of some our arguments, we would do well to remember these three words. As you have probably already guessed, these three words will comprise the rest of the article. “Righteousness” is translated from a word that also means justice, or acting justly. In essence Paul’s message is that in the kingdom of God we should be careful to do the right thing. That would relate to our own personal righteousness as well as doing the right thing in relationships with other people in and out of the church. For example, a Christian should be careful to be trustworthy in his or her dealings. One good example I always use is that one should not hesitate to buy a used car from a Christian. (Oh come on, you get my point.) It is more important to do the right thing than it is to try to win a dubious argument. “Peace” is translated from a word that can also mean “concord, unity, or love of peace.” (Analytical Greek Lexicon) In the kingdom of God we are supposed to love getting along together in spiritual unity and in not always finding something to argue about. Frankly, I think this means that we should always choose peace over disunity. At least this should be true about things that are not of doctrinal importance. I know that we are more effective in our witness when we love being at peace with our fellow Christians. “Joy” is translated from a word that means, well, primarily, joy. But the word can also be rendered “rejoicing” or “gladness.” In the kingdom of God we are supposed to be joyful people, people who love to rejoice and are just glad to be in the kingdom of God. I don’t think that a church can reach out to its community if it is made up of a bunch of “sad sacks.” If you know me well, you know that laughter is a big part of my life. That is in my daily life and in my preaching life. What we need to do in churches today is to just get glad, and let that glad leak over into our communities. After all, the kingdom of God is joy. I think that this is good advice from the Bible. Don’t you agree? Bro. Joe “But we brothers, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavored the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.”
The words “not in heart” in our text arrested my attention. When I read that, I thought of the eight pastorates that we served over a total of twenty-nine years, and of the churches in the Tucker Baptist Association that we ministered to for twenty-three years, and the two prison ministries that I had over those years, and it reminded me that all of them are in my heart. What a wonderful thought that is. I wish that it was in my power to visit all of them, and tell them what they mean to me. Even the negative things taught me and nurtured me in my Christian service. With this in mind, I want to share some random thoughts that came to me with the theme, “not in heart.” In Christ, we are bound in our hearts to each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not natural “blood kin” but we are bound together by the blood of Christ. We were saved by Christ individually, but in His wisdom, He drew us together in fellowship. We cannot escape this kinship any more than we can escape kin to our natural brothers and sisters. Even as I write this, people from my past come into my mind, and I thank God for what they meant to my life. Brothers and sisters, reaching all the way back to my first pastorate, have blessed my life. You might have tried my patience sometime, and it is certain that I tried yours, but we learned from each other and we are bound for life into eternity. Isn’t this a wonderful thought! Christian fellowship is a sacred trust, because it is a matter of our hearts. This should keep us from bouncing off of each other and meld us together in a tight spiritual bond. In the name of Christ, we need to work through our petty problems and see our fellowship as God sees it. First Thessalonians was written in part, as were most of Paul’s letters, to shore up their fellowship. What was true of Paul and the Thessalonians is true of us, that is, we need to take our Christian fellowship seriously, for it is a matter of the heart. Well, that concludes my random thoughts on “the matter of our hearts.” Let’s give serious thought to this where we are at the present time. Do it!!! Bro. Joe “Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one as we are.” John 17:1b
“Fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, or one mind.” Philippians 2:2 Jesus prayed that we might be one. Paul encouraged the Philippian church, and us, to be “of one accord, of one mind.” Both of these texts remind us that we are to stay connected if we are to be effective in declaring the gospel to a lost world. There is no such thing as “solitary Christianity.” We are saved individually, but we are bound together by the Holy Spirit in church fellowship to be what Christ would have us be in this world. In other words, we are to be connected. The first thing that we should do is to stay connected to the main source. How do we make a lamp shine? Do we just turn the switch on? No. The first thing that we must do is to be sure the lamp is connected to the source in order for the electricity to course through the wires and provide the power to shine. In the same way, we need to be connected to Jesus Christ in order for the power of the Holy Spirit to course through us and provide power for us to shine. If we are not careful, we will disconnect from the power source and attempt His work in the flesh. Our connection to each other will be meaningless if we are not connected to the main source. We can stay connected by staying in touch with Him through prayer. Also, we have to stay in His word. The second thing is that we are to stay connected to each other in Christian love and Holy Spirit power. In Philippians 4:2, Paul wrote: “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.” Two women who had effectively served with Paul, for some reason, were out of sorts with each other and because of this the whole Philippian Church was suffering. When we disconnect from each other, our churches suffer as well. As written above, if we are out of sorts with Jesus, we will inevitably get out of sorts with each other. It is Jesus, the love of Jesus and the love of Jesus in us that keeps us connected. We need to remember that in churches we do not just have fellowship, we are a fellowship. The Greek word translated “fellowship” is “koinonia.” Basically, this word means “partnership.” We are partners in the Lord’s work. Third, let’s go back to the lamp mentioned earlier. The lamp can be plugged in the right source but still not shine. Why? Perhaps the bulb is loose and not making the needed contact with the electrical source. We can be like that loose bulb. The source is working fine, but we are disconnected. When we are disconnected from each other we cannot shine as we should. How can we reconnect? Paul gave us the answer in Colossians 3:12-14: “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies (compassion), kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.” As partners in Christ’s work, we should love and forgive each other. Are you connected to the source – to Jesus? Are you connected to your fellow Christians? If sharing the gospel is the most important work on earth, doesn’t it behoove us to make sure that we are connected? Bro. Joe “But if we walk in the light as He (God) is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John is one of my favorite “go-to” books to find encouragement and enlightenment. John was an eyewitness of most, if not all, of what Jesus did in His earthly ministry. In this text, he gives us an encouraging word of walking in God’s light. I found three components here that encouraged me, and I trust will encourage you. Light “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light…” Everything about the triune God has to do with light. Jesus referred to Himself as the “light of the world.” (John 8:12) In the Bible, God is always referred as not just being in the light, but that He is the source of the light. John shared this thought with us in Revelation 21:23: “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it: for the glory of God did light it, and the lamb is the light thereof. Jesus promised in Matthew 5:16 that we are the “light of the world.” His light shines through us. We walk in the light that we might shine the light of Jesus on the world. Are you walking in the light? Fellowship We have fellowship with one another…” As we walk in the light, we are in fellowship, or partnership, with each other. This refers to everyone who is “washed in the blood of the lamb.” I know what you are thinking; you are thinking what I am thinking, i.e., we don’t appear to be light sometimes because of breaches of fellowship. But just as the light is not from us, we have to remember that our fellowship is bound together with God. 1 John 1:3 refers to this: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” We might act like burned out bulbs sometimes, but God’s light never fades. New Testament churches had troubles just as we do, but the light continues even until today. According to Jesus “the gates of hell will not prevail against” His church. Cleansing “And the blood of Jesus Christ His Son, cleanses us of all sin…” In 1John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, (Jesus) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” We can walk in the light, and have fellowship with God and one another, because of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. He forgives us and cleanses as we repent and confess our sins. Jesus knows that none of us are perfect and that we need His forgiveness, and He forgives when we come to Him for it. Thank Him!!! Are you walking in the light with fellowship with God and with your fellow Christians? Have you sought His forgiveness to cleanse you to make your light brighter? Bro. Joe “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye may also have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”
This is truly an exciting and inspiring verse to me. John had walked and talked with Jesus for three years, and he had a lot to share about Him. John is offering to share his personal experience with Jesus in fellowship with the recipients of his letter. He used the word “fellowship” to describe his Christian relationships. Unfortunately, today one of the prevailing views of fellowship is getting together after church, or shaking hands during worship services. As much as I enjoy this kind of fellowship, it is not completely New Testament fellowship. Real Christian fellowship begins with our fellowship with the triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As John put it: “and surely our fellowship is with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ.” After all, Jesus did promise to be with us until the end of the ages. Fellowship with God means that we have Him with us through the Holy Spirit all of the time. The song says: “My God is with me all the time…” How true this is. The wonderful thing is that even in the midst of your workday you can have fellowship with God through prayer. I don’t mean “get on your knees” prayer. I mean just think of things that you need to talk to God about and He will hear. You can do this any time, all day, every day. The fellowship that we have with God reaches over into the lives of our fellow Christians. In the text, John invited his readers to join him, and, ostensibly, each other. Notice in verse 3: “that you also may have fellowship with us, and in 1:7: “We have fellowship with each other.” The sharing of our lives with, “the Father and with His Jesus Christ,” draws us together to share life with each other. In doing this, we become partners with God and with each other. We manifest this fellowship by worshiping together, and, yes, by getting together. But I also want to add that our fellowship is just as real when we are not together. We do not just “have fellowship,” we are a fellowship and we are connected by the Spirit of God, even when we are not together. Don’t make the mistake that a lot of people make in their church relationships. Fellowship is not the same as friendship. Friendship is a good thing, and I have a lot of Christian friends, but in friendship we have a close relationship that can include others or not. But when we are a fellowship, we enjoy it so much that we want to invite other people into this fellowship with God and with us. We read in the Book of Acts that the first church had daily fellowship and worship. They ate together, and no doubt had fun together, but they were not establishing an exclusive club; rather, they were constantly inviting people into fellowship with them. Acts 2:47 tells us that they were: Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” I believe that people saw this fellowship of love for God and people and were eager to become a part of it. Doesn’t this tell us what our fellowship should be? This is real fellowship. Bro. Joe “Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord.”
You might wonder why I am writing about fellowship/partnership when the word is not mentioned in the short text above. While reading in Philippians this morning, I read this verse and it stood out so prominently in my mind and heart that I had to write about it and share my thoughts on it with you. The word “fellowship” is not in the text, but what I saw this morning were the principles of true fellowship. Let me show you what I mean: First, Paul referred to the Philippians as “my beloved.” Paul loved the Philippians. This love was personal to Paul, because he wrote “my beloved.” The Greek word that is translated beloved is agapaytoi, the root of which is agape, which is God’s kind of love, a love that has its roots in eternity. The first principle of fellowship has to be God’s kind of love. Jesus commanded us to love one another. He stated this in John 13:34: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Notice that I underlined “commandment.” Love one another in Christ is not a suggestion; rather, it is a command. The principle is if you have a difficult time loving one of your Christian brothers or sisters because of personality differences, or any other kind of differences, that you just love them in spite of the difficulty. This is largely missing in church fellowship today and we need to get this principle down. As I was writing this, the Lord spoke to my heart and told me that I need to do better with it myself. (There, I’ve confessed, now it’s your turn.) Second, Paul referred to them as “longed for brethren.” In the Greek New Testament a strict translation would be, “my brethren/sisteren (I added that) beloved and longed for.” Remember that Philippians is one of Paul’s prison letters. He was tucked away under house arrest in Rome, and he could not have personal fellowship with the Philippians, or any other church, and he missed them. He longed to be with them, to fellowship with them. I wonder if we long for fellowship with each other. Our brothers and sisters who chronically miss assembling with us in worship on Sunday do not understand that when we ask them to come back, it is because we miss them. One lesson I have learned in my experience as a pastor after years of being an associational servant – Associational Missionary/Director of Missions, is that I look forward every Sunday and Wednesday to fellowship with my small flock. Each one of those people are dear to me, even those who chronically miss church. As much as I enjoy and thrive on the fellowship of my church, I still miss the broader fellowship that Mary and I had with all of the churches in our association. The Greek word translated “longed for,” means exactly that. It means to desire deeply for something or someone. Do you really long for, and desire, fellowship with your fellow Christians? (Come on, answer the question honestly in your mind and heart.) He also referred to them as his joy and crown, which could be the subject of another article. Third, he encouraged them to “stand fast in the Lord.” Paul was concerned that his beloved, longed for fellow Christians not stray from Christian truth. It was not a matter of them straying from church attendance, which is a symptom of not standing fast, but that each of them “stay by the stuff” and not only live the Christian life, but hold to Christian principles in their minds and hearts and in their lifestyles. We can’t do just anything that we want to do, go just anywhere that we want to go, hold just any opinion that we want to hold. There are biblical principles that we should live by, or that we should stand fast on. Just as Paul yearned for personal fellowship with the Philippian church, he longed for them to stand fast in the Lord. This is what we need to long for, and pray for, in our own church fellowship. It should be of great concern to us when one of our flock strays from living the Christian life. I think that you will agree with these principles of fellowship. Think of how much better our fellowship would be if we really followed these principles. Hey, let’s go do it. It’s in the Bible! Bro. Joe |
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