Fellowship

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Fellowship
WHAT THE CHURCH IS ALL ABOUT 3

• Being the Community of God

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• To live above,
• with saints we love
• That will be bliss and glory
• But to live below,
• with saints we know,
• Well, thats a different story!

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Fellowship- what is it?

• Tea and Coffee after church?
• Church picnic or event?
• Something more
• Than friendship?
• Than relationship?

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Fellowship

• In O.T. - fellowship offering peace offering
  signalling all was well in the relaitonship
  between the people and God
• In N.T. Koinonia fellowship, partnership,
  sharing
• Philemon 6 emphasis on common faith
• Phil 21 emphasis on sharing experience
• Acts 242 emphasis on sharing of goods

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• When we are satisfied with less than what God
  intended us to experience as fellowship then we
  are dangerously fooled into thinking we are
  thriving on fellowship when all the time our
  souls may be starving for lack of it
• Jim Packer

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Our Life Together (gt30 examples)

• Be at peace with one another Mk 950
• Love one another Jn 13 34
• Be joined to one another Rom 12 5
• Honour one another Rom 1210
• Be devoted to another Rom 12 10
• Rejoice with one another Rom 12 15
• Weep with one another Rom 12 15
• Live in harmony with one another Rom 12 16

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• Accept Rom 15 7
• Counsel Rom 15 14
• Greet Rom 16 16
• Agree 1 Cor 110
• Wait 1 Cor 11 33
• Care for 1 Cor 12 25
• Serve Gal 5 13
• Carry one anothers burdens Gal 6 2

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• Be kind Eph 4 32
• Forgive Eph 4 32
• Submit Eph 5 21
• Bear with Col 3 13
• Teach, admonish Col 3 16
• Encourage 1 Th 5 11
• Build up 1 Th 5 11
• Spur on Heb 10 24

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• Offer hospitality 1 Pet 4 9
• Minister gifts 1 Pet 4 10
• Be humble 1 Pet 5 5
• Confess your sins James 5 16
• Pray James 5 16
• Fellowship 1 Jn 1 7

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It all begins with God 1 John 1

• Fellowship is 2-dimensional

With God
With each other
What we have with God, we share with others who
have that same experience (vv.1-4)
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It all begins with God 1 John 1

• Fellowship is 2-dimensional

With God
With each other
Fellowship with God should change us (v.5-6)
Hypocrisy spoils it Integrity deepens it (v.7)
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• Fellowship is loving those around us by
  encouraging them to love God with all their
  hearts, soul, minds and strength

God
You
Me
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Fellowship

• Christian fellowship is Spirit-driven and
  Christ-centred,
• (not driven by our needs nor focussed on us)
• It takes account of different personalities and
  giftedness
• (not just for the sociable or extrovert)
• In it we encourage and build each other up
• remind each other of the truth of God
• confess and repent where appropriate
• strengthen our faith and deepen our love
• (it is intentional and purposeful)

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Fellowship-busters

• Self-sufficiency
• Superficiality
• Bitterness
• Jealousy
• Gossip and slander
• Self-centredness

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To conclude fellowship

• Necessary for the vitality of church life
• Not automatic but to be cultivated and pursued
• Measure of our love for each other the Lord
• Is a community of the broken-hearted clinging
  to the cross of Jesus
• Best expressed in a small-group setting

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Fellowship - Stating the obvious

• An hour on Sunday is not enough!
• We need some mechanism for engagement, sharing
  and ministry to one another.
• There are different options

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Fellowship - Some Options

• Thursday night at the Manse
• Monday night discipleship group (depending on
  demand)
• Friday morning ladies bible study
• Prayer triplets/squares (informal)