UNIT ELEVEN B

LIVING AS A TRUE FELLOWSHIP - PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

Instructions for giving your cat a pill....

1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth, pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.


2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom, and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for a count of 10.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, holding front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold cats head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cats throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines from the fireplace and set to one side for gluing later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with its head just visible from below spouse's armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force cats mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check labels to make sure pill is not harmful to humans, drink glass of water to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouses forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbours shed. Get another pill. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put door back on hinges. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Ring fire brigade to retrieve cat from tree across the road. Apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table. Find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Force cat's mouth open with small spanner. Push pill into mouth followed by a large piece of fillet steak. Hold head vertically and pour pint of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Get spouse to drive you to emergency room, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnants from right eye. Stop by furniture shop on way home to order a new table.

15. Arrange for vet to make a house call.

There is an interesting message that comes out of this story - we often try to do things on our own only to realise in the end that we need help. It's the same with the church. Many Christians function in a way that keeps others at a distance. Not only is that the case, but many churches by their actions and attitudes keep other churches at a distance.

But my question is, is this what Jesus wanted of the Church?

Well, to answer that question we really need to look at what the church is supposed to be.

  1. WHAT IS A CHURCH SUPPOSED TO BE?

    2. When we look at Jesus' perspective, his intentions and expectations of the church were that it was to be a vital, living, dynamic fellowship of believers. The Greek work that is used to demonstrate this sought of relationship is koinonia, which means 'fellowship'. Now, we use this word fellowship in the terms of 'a friendly association with others, or a group of people associated together. But this was never the meaning the Bible attached to fellowship - the Biblical definition goes much deeper. It means to enter into the fullest possible partnership and fellowship with God and other believers. It describes an intimate fellowship, which is based upon the real and personal relationship God has given us through Jesus Christ. So in other words, this intimate fellowship with God only comes from a real, personal encounter with the living Christ as we surrender to Him as our absolute Lord of our lives. This is the type of love relationship we are called to and God pursues that kind of relationship.

    Let's look at 1 John 1:1-7

    That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4We write this to make our joy complete.

    5This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

    Now note some of the words in verses 1-3 that indicate John's personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. He said he had seen, heard, and touched Jesus. He had come to know Jesus as the 'eternal life'. John was the one who recorded Jesus' words - "This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3). This eternal life that John speaks of refers to knowing God by experience in a real and personal way.

    Now, I want to ask you, what benefits are mentioned in verses 4 and 7 are there for believers because of the fellowship they share with God and each other? (Joy made complete; experience the cleansing work of Jesus' blood)

    What does verse 6 indicate of a person who says he has fellowship with God, but walks in sin and darkness? (Live our life as a lie)

    What does verse 7 tell us will be true for a person who walks in the light as God is in the light? (will share fellowship with other believers and experience forgiveness and cleansing of sin)

    You see, if we are going to have right fellowship with one another, then we must be right with God. There is an incredible thing that happens as we let God have His way in our lives, and that is where we once held resentments and apprehensions against others, we now love with the love of Jesus and are more accommodating and accepting of others.

    Let me give you an example.

    John Cambell was born in 1940 but it was his grandparents who raised him. By the age of 13 he was alcoholic and began getting into trouble with the law and was involved with a street gang. He then spent time in prison. Johnny had many prejudices in his life. He gave his life over to satan and worshipped Adolph Hittler. He hated Jews and organised several groups for the KKK passing out literature to get people to join the KKK. His view of Jesus was that he was a son of a blue eyed German soldier.

    On the day of Martin Luther Kings assassination in Memphis he left his home in Denver for Memphis to hand out KKK brochures. In the hotel room where he was staying he came across a Gideons Bible and read it. He then went to a meeting to hand out his brochures but in his words, "God set an ambush for him". The preacher that night told him about a Jew who loved him - Jesus Christ. That night he gave his life to Jesus Christ. He is now a pastor who loves the people he once hated.

    With Jesus as Lord of our lives He changes our hatred and bitterness as we give those things over to Him.

  2. FELLOWSHIP AMONG BELIEVERS IN OUR CONGREGATION

You see, our fellowship as believers is with God through His Son Jesus Christ. This fellowship, as I have said, is an intimate partnership. It is the sharing of all God is with us and all we are with God. It is the most complete expression of a love relationship with God. And when we live out this kind of love relationship with God, we will then have the same quality of loving fellowship with other believers.

First John states this clearly. We cannot be in true fellowship with God and be out of fellowship with our fellow Christian brother or sister.

1 John 2:9-11

Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him.

1 John 3:10

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

1 John 3:14-15

We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him.

1 John 3:16-17

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. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?

1 John 4:7-8

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 John 4:11-12

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

1 John 4:20-21

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

 

 

1 John 5:1-2

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.

So what is love?

1 Corinthians 13 tells us what love is and what love isn't.

It is:

It isn't:

How do we go on that score?

If we love God, our love for our fellow Christian will show. We will be patient and kind. We will not be envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, or easily angered. We won't even hold grudges. Instead, we will rejoice in the truth and in what is right. We will trust and protect our Christian brothers and sisters. We will hope for the best for others, and we will persevere in our love. Remember though, that this God-like love grows out of an intimate love relationship with God.

Jesus said in John 13:35 "By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

So this is the kind of relationship that Jesus not only asks us to live by, but commands us to live by, between each other. Now, we can comprehend these things in terms of our own fellowship here in the Burdekin Baptist Church, but what of our Christian brothers and sisters in other Christian denominations?

  1. FELLOWSHIP AMONG BELIEVERS IN THE WORLD

This is a challenge for us. God calls us to be Kingdom people, not people limited by denominational boundaries. I have not found anywhere in the Bible where God tells us to stick only to ourselves. But I find plenty of places where He speaks to Christians who are a part of God's Kingdom.

So what I am saying here, is that we are not only commanded to have loving fellowship in the midst of our own church, but we are commanded to have loving fellowship with all true Christians. Therefore, churches of various denominations are to have loving fellowship with one another - not dissension.

So how does this occur? Well, I think we can cooperate with one another to achieve greater Kingdom purposes. And we can do these things, not by our own efforts, but by God's equipping and empowering us by the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Now, let's be realistic. We do have doctrinal differences. I do not believe that in order to share fellowship with other denominations that those doctrinal differences need to be compromised - especially those on which we have very strong convictions. Never-the-less, we can, by God's strengthening, act like brothers and sisters who love each other. And I'm not saying to act in a pretend sense, but to genuinely love in the way Christ would have us love one another.

Now, you might want me to share some biblical examples of churches relating to each other and assisting one another.

In terms of a small group loving one another we find in Acts 2:42-47 that these believers met together daily, they shared all they had with one another including their material possessions, they listened to God's word together - they ate together. Basically it appears they lived in each others pockets in a positive way.

Acts 11:19-26 describes how the Jerusalem church shares with the church in Antioch. They did this by sending Barnabas from their own church to help this young church. In turn, Barnabas got Paul to come up and help him with this church and together they taught the new converts.

The beautiful thing with this situation is that as the Antioch church matured it was able to help the Jerusalem church. Judea was suffering from famine. The church in Antioch provided help for their brothers and sisters living in Judea. You see, the churches were not independent - they were interdependent - being there for one another at their point of need.

There are other examples:

Paul wrote to the church in Rome in Romans 1:8-12

First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9God, whom I serve with my whole heart in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

11I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong-- 12that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.

And in Romans 15:24 Paul wrote

I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to visit you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

The Roman church's faith encouraged other churches all over the Christian world. Paul was also going to get the churches assistance when he planned to go to Spain.

You see, these churches didn't stick to themselves and looked down their noses at other churches that might have been different in some ways - they supported one another through so many ways. In other words, they worked together for the betterment of God's Kingdom.

Can you imagine the difference God's church would make in today's society if we worked together for the betterment of God's Kingdom? Can you imagine the difference God's Church would make if we loved one another in the practical ways demonstrated and taught in God's Word?

We would make a difference.

Folks, you might ask how we are trying to work together as churches in the Burdekin area. Well, you have already participated in some events such as the combined churches carol service and Christmas Day service. As pastors and minsters some of us are working very closely together in order that the gospel is taken out into our community. One of those things is the distribution of the Jesus video. At this stage us, the Presbyterian Church, the Catholics in Guru and one or two in Home Hill, and the Assemblies of God are joining together to distribute these video's. Why not do this on our own? Because we are brothers and sisters in Christ - we are all part of God's Family and what we desire most is that other people would come to know Jesus Christ in the personal, loving, intimate way that we have experienced for ourselves.

I'm asking you to join the team, that together as God's Family we can reach out to the Burdekin region for Jesus Christ.

Where does this start? - It starts in our own hearts as we look to Jesus as Lord of all. Lord of our minds, Lord of our hearts, Lord of our dreams, Lord of our desires, Lord of our opinions - Lord of our lives.

 

This sermon has been created and adapted from the book 'Experiencing God' by H.T.Blackaby and C.V.King by Pastor Scott Douglas for teaching in the Burdekin Baptist Church on 25th July, 1999.