Re-Thinking Church Fellowship
Notes
Transcript
I’ve been thinking a lot about the church lately.
I’ve been thinking a lot about the church lately, particularly the idea of “church fellowship”.
I chose a handshake as a visual for this series because I think it gets the point across that I’m hoping to make about “Church Fellowship”. There tends to be two different kinds of handshakes in the church:
· “How do you do?” (STRANGERS)
· Two close friends preparing to walk through an uncertain situation together or having come through something together. (BROTHERS)
With exceptions on either of these, I am convinced most of the church in the West is the former.
Throughout most of our lifetimes, that’s gotten us by. Now, we have moved through the “post-Christian” era into what is now becoming known as the “anti-Christian” era.
If you’re going to walk with Jesus through this world that is not our home, it’s going to be harder. Our idea of “church fellowship” has to change.
If the world around us is going to hear and see the gospel, which is their only hope of escape from God’s righteous judgment, our idea of “church fellowship” has to change.
When I say we’re going to re-think “Church Fellowship,” we’re literally talking about two Greek words you’ve probably already heard and know, but we want to explore what they say about who we are…or should be. And then see how they determine who we willbe.
The first is Ecclesia and the second is koinonia:
Ekklēsia = literally, a called together assembly.
Ekklēsia = literally, a called together assembly.
Used 20 times in the New Testament always = “THE CHURCH”
Term used twice in the gospels: Matthew 16:18 and Matthew 18:17
Most clearly understood in the writing of Paul:
1. 2 Corinthians 1:1 - The gathering of The Called (including their location - ie where the assembly meets, the church is present) :
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother: To the church of God at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.
sanctified = “holy”, saints = “hagios” God’s sanctified people
a. Called to salvation (sanctified Believers):
sanctified = “to make holy”. So this refers to sinners redeemed by Christ through faith. Have been made holy (set apart from the eternal effectsof sin – ie judgment and death).
Positionally complete, conditionally “becoming”. [UNPACK]
In this sense, we have been sanctified from the penalty of sin. Are being sanctified from the influence of sin.
ILLUS: Marriage Counseling Triangle
In marriage counseling, we talk about the key to growing together is for each to grow closer to Christ (ie Triangle)
The more those in the church are “becoming” in relation to Christ, the more like the Church that Christ designed comes into focus.
b. Called to serve:
spiritual gifts are exercised for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:7
7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good:
When Believers are walking with Jesus and are filled with the Holy Spirit, the needs of the congregation will be met by other members (not just the pastors). Ephesians 4:11-12
11 And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,
Why important: Because God calls us to be a part of a local expression of His universal church.
It’s why we emphasize membership and make sure that people who want to be here should be here (otherwise we help them find where they are supposed to be)
A healthy ekklesia is made up of committed members who are exploring, discovering, and exercising their spiritual gifts for the greater good of the Body of Christ.
Less about GETTING than GIVING, though the more we give, the more we receive, especially since there is a mutual meeting of needs that builds intense unity.
1. We’re being the church Christ designed so blessing comes with that.
2. When you serve me, I feel loved by you and desire to be in closer relationship with you. If you do nothing but take from me or use me, the opposite occurs.
This is why it is more blessed to give than to receive.
The ekklesia is the primary agent through which the Kingdom of God is built, and the saints are cared for.
When a church is healthy internally, it will desire to reach out to meet the needs of the community — this is more a natural progression than a primary goal.
The wonderful way this is designed is this: As a church focuses on caring for one another, loving one another, meeting the needs of one another, the church becomes more attractive to those hungry for that kind of community, AND the love of Jesus begins to grow in them collectively, leading to a desire to follow Jesus more closely and prioritize what Jesus prioritized, which is caring for those in need.
Our goal is not to build a church to our liking, but to BE the Church that Christ is building; to consider what His Word says about who we should be and how we are to live together in faith in this world.
The word that defines how we are to relate to each other within the ekklesia is the word,
Koinonia (κοινωνία)
Koinonia (κοινωνία)
Working Definition:
Koinonia is deep, self-revelatory, self-sacrificing, covenant relationship within the ekklesia, established by the effectual call of the Father into unity with Christ, based on the atoning work of Christ, then expressed in the same kind of relationship with each other as we hear, respond to, and live according to the gospel.
a. Deep, self-revelatory – not satisfied with surface-dwelling. Wants real, transformational relationships.
b. Self-sacrificing -
16 Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.
“share”= koinonias
26 because Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
26 Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contributionfor the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.
“contribution” = koinonian
Not limited to money – this is about sharing in the lives of each other…
c. Covenant relationship -
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.
42 They devoted themselves…
Devoted (προσκαρτερέω): persevere devotedly; to continue steadfastly together-
Devoted is to be loyal. This is where we understand a covenant relationship — an agreement together to mutual devotion, in essence, to be the church.
d. Established by the Effectual call of the Father - 1 Corinthians 1:9 – “Koinonia with the Son”
9 God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
e. Into unity with Christ - 1 John 1:3 – fellowship used 2x = “koinonia”
3 what we have seen and heard we also declare to you, so that you may also have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
f. Based on the atoning work of Christ. –
Philemon 6 - “participation in the faith” = κοινωνία τῆς πίστεώς (faith=πίστις)
6 I pray that your participation in the faith may become effective through knowing every good thing that is in us for the glory of Christ.
We participate in Christ/We are in fellowship w/Christ through the atoning work of Christ on the cross, received by faith for the forgiveness of sin, lived out in fellowship with each other (which is last part of the definition).
This is faith in action throughout the Church: By faith, we do what we would otherwise be unable to do.
· When it’s hard to love, we do so more fervently and actively because we know that the enemy wants to destroy us but we also know that perfect love casts out fear, so we risk everything to love like Jesus does.
· When it’s hard to forgive, we do so in faith, because we know we have been forgiven much.
· When it’s hard to give, we open our hands in faith, knowing that we are only stewards of God’s possessions, and it is more blessed to give than receive.
· When it’s hard to persevere, we bind ourselves together in faith because we know Christ is in our midst and He promised that the gates of hell would not prevail against His CHURCH.
· When it’s hard to believe, we pray together in faith because we know that the binding and loosing of spiritual matters has been given to the Church as they boldly cry out together before the throne of God in faith.
· When it’s hard to stand, we bind ourselves together, carrying one another’s burdens in faith, because we know it is the strength of Christ working through His Church to make them overcomers.
Conclusion:
What we have here is good and getting better — but I believe it can be great. I believe it can be something special; something that makes a difference; something that makes people who hear about this fellowship stop and take notice…not becausewe’re so great, but because God is so great and He is doing something within us that is so spectacular, that it helps people realize what they don’t have - but could have.
We need to be networks of people within the church.
Have your group that you trust but interact with other groups so that we are a web of trust and support, making up one strong, interconnected body that cannot be broken apart.
We have to be an outpost of grace.
· Reminding each other of hope.
· Showing each other mercy.
· Committed to staying the course of heaven (the narrow way).
· Intentionally spilling all of that over on a world that doesn’t know how much they need that, too.