The Purpose of

The Church #2“Fellowship”

Jeffery Anselmihttp://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60357&Sermon%20The%20Purpose%20of%20The%20Church-

%20Fellowship%20by%20Jeffery%20Anselmi

Last week we talked about the reason for

having a purpose.

The Church needs to define its purpose;

this must start from

God’s word.

The first Purpose of the church that we

looked at was Worship.

There are four basic questions that we

have to answer as a church.

1. Why does the Church exist?

2. What are we to be as a church?

(Who and what are we?)

3. What are we to do as a church?

(What does God want

done in the world?)

4. How are we to do it?

The way that we answer these questions

will give a context from which to function

from as a church.

If we do not answer these questions, we

will just stumble around with no true

purpose to what we do.

What is one thing that people look for in a

church? What do you think draws people

to a church?

According to a 1995 study done by the

Barna Research group, the number 2

reason a person attends a church service

is “how much people seem

to care for one another.”

At least 50% of the unchurched audience

found meeting other people as a good

reason to attend a worship service.

The second purpose of the church that we are going to study is Fellowship.

In His book “The Body” Chuck Colson states the following:

Surveys show that the number one thing people look for in a church is fellowship.

But what most modern westerners seek is a far cry from what the Bible describes

and what the early church practiced. No term in the Christian lexicon is more

abused than fellowship.

Acts 2:42 NET They were devoting

themselves to the apostles' teaching and

to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and

to prayer. 43 Reverential awe came over

everyone, and many wonders and

miraculous signs came about by the

apostles. 44 All who believed were

together and held everything in common,

45 and they began selling their property and

possessions and distributing the proceeds

to everyone, as anyone had need. 46

Every day they continued to gather

together by common consent in the

temple courts, breaking bread from house

to house, sharing their food with glad and

humble hearts,

47 praising God and having the good will of

all the people. And the Lord was adding to

their number every day those who were

being saved.

WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP? When you hear the word Fellowship, what

do you think about? What is the first thing

that comes to mind?

To some people fellowship means a warm

affirming “hot tub” religion that soothes our

frayed nerves and provides relief from the

battering of everyday life.

Sometimes we turn the social aspect of

fellowship into an end in itself. We reduce

fellowship to a good meal, or to the time

that we go places together anywhere from

shopping to going to retreats.

For some people fellowship means no

more than coming together for church

events. We meet in our “fellowship” hall.

The word in the New Testament literally

means “a communion”, a participation of

people together in God’s grace. It means

to have something in common. Common

participation in something either by giving

what you have to the other person or

receiving what he or she has.

It describes a community in which individuals willingly pledge to share in common, to be in submission to each

other, to support one another and bear one another’s burdens,

to build up each other up in our relationship with Jesus.

Romans 12:16 NET Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate

with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

SINGLE PURPOSE

Acts 1:14 NET All these continued together in

prayer with one mind, together with the

women, along with Mary the mother of

Jesus, and his brothers.

PUT OTHERS FIRST

Philippians 2:3 NET Instead of being motivated

by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you

should, in humility, be moved to treat one

another as more important than yourself.

4 Each of you should be concerned not only

about your own interests, but about the

interests of others as well.

Romans 12:4 NET For just as in one body we

have many members, and not all the

members serve the same function, 5 so

we who are many are one body in

Christ, and individually we are members

who belong to one another.

SHARING Acts 4:32 NET The group of those who

believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in

common. 33 With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the

resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.

34 For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of

land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales 35

and placing them at the apostles' feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as

anyone had need.

Fellowship is a oneness of purpose and cause, a setting aside of personal agenda’s. It is a focused purpose.

If we have fellowship, it is based on the fact that

we live for and serve Jesus.

COMMON BELIEF

1 John 1:1 NET This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with

our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life —2 and the life was revealed, and

we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the

Father and was revealed to us).

3 What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may

have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his

Son Jesus Christ). 1 John 1:7 NET But if we walk in the light as

he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Notice that if we do not accept what the Bible says about Jesus, we cannot have

fellowship. Notice that if WE are not walking in the light,

we cannot have fellowship.This is why Paul gives us a warning about not being yoked together with unbelievers.

COMMON CAUSE

2 Corinthians 6:14 NET Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what

partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what

fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 And what agreement does Christ have

with Beliar?

Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the

living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my

people."

1 Corinthians 5:9 NET I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral

people. 10 In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the

greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the

world.

11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a

Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside?

Are you not to judge those inside? 13 But God will judge those outside. Remove the

evil person from among you.

A person who claims Christ yet lives an immoral life is not in fellowship with other

Christians. Ephesians 5:5 NET For you can be confident

of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a

person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

When you see that fellowship is a oneness of purpose, mind, and life, do you feel that

we have fellowship at the Lindley Christian Church?

If you do not feel that we do what are YOU going to do to fix it?

WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF

FELLOWSHIP? The reason that we have fellowship is to help each one of us to grow in Christ. We are to help one another grow in Christ. We

are to encourage each other to live for Jesus.

Ephesians 2:19 TLB Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to

heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with

every other Christian. We are called to belong,

not just believe, we are not meant to live on an island.

What is the purpose of a healthy family? To build up, to encourage, to equip. If we are doing our job as parents, we are raising

our children in such a way that they have the tools to make it in life.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NET

Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact

doing.

Hebrews 3:13 NET But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called "Today," that none of you may become hardened

by sin's deception.We have fellowship so that we can grow

together in Christ. We have fellowship with one another so that we can be there

for one another.

We cannot help each other if we do not know each other. We cannot have true

fellowship if we do not spend time together. We cannot help each other if we

are afraid to open up to one another. I imagine that if you would ask those who

have been willing to let others get to know them, most of them would say they have

been helped by this.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF

FELLOWSHIP? A basic human need. People to live with.

Just think how hard it would be if you thought you were the only one.

It makes it tough. We need that sense community

to help us along the way.

Not only do we need people to live with, but the church provides us a family for living.

Most of us need the encouragement of a family.

We receive an emotional benefit.

SupportColossians 3:12 NET Therefore, as the elect of

God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of

mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and

forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against

anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. 14 And to

all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.

We need the support of others.

What happens when God grants the gift of genuine Christian fellowship? Deep, joyful sharing replaces the polite prattle typically

exchanged by Christians on Sunday morning. Sisters and brothers begin to discuss the things that really matter to

them. They disclose their inner fears, their areas of peculiar temptation, their deepest

joys. (Ronald J. Sider)

Koinonia (fellowship) was Paul’s favorite word to describe a believer’s relationship

with the risen Lord and the benefits of salvation which come through Him. On the

basis of faith believers have fellowship with the Son;

1 Corinthians 1:9 NET God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his

son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

We share fellowship in the gospel.

1 Corinthians 9:23 NET I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a

participant in it.

Philippians 1:5 NET because of your participation in the gospel from the first

day until now.

Paul probably meant that all believers participate together in the saving power

and message of the good news. Believers also share together a fellowship with the

Holy Spirit, 2 Corinthians 13:13 NET The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Which the apostle understood as a

most important bond for unity in the life of the church.

Philippians 2:1 NET Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the

Spirit, any affection or mercy, 2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, by

having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.

3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in

humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4 Each of you should be concerned not only about

your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

I ask you again, do we have fellowship at Lindley Christian Church?

Our fellowship has to be based on our relationship with Jesus.

Fellowship is an important purpose of the church. It is one of the things that people

will be attracted to.

If the world doesn’t see a church that is one in heart and one in purpose, they will not

take us very serious.

I want to challenge you as we look at the purpose of the church to not just hear the messages, but purpose to think about how

you can make these purposes your purposes.