Preached in Markham Baptist Church, June 6, 2004.

CELEBRATING THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES:
Part 4 - A CALL TO FELLOWSHIP

Acts 2:41-47

Do you like Westerns?  I know I asked you that question last week!  It’s not that I am a great fan of the Western, it’s just that I believe that the rugged individualism we see characterized in the typical Western has become normative in the Christian church.  The idea that good guys work alone, the idea that Christians work alone was not Jesus’ idea for His people.  He never worked alone, but had a posse of 12.  In Luke’s gospel we read that when He sent out the seventy-two to proclaim the Kingdom of God he sent them out two by two (Luke 10:1-24).  And when Scripture speaks of the church it uses the image of the body in which each part participates in the building up of the body for the glory of God.  Jesus never meant for His followers to be independent, but calls us to be interdependent.

One way we can obey this call to be interdependent is through the discipline of mentoring.  Someone asked me following the service last week, “What do you talk about in the mentoring relationship? Do you study a book?”  And the answer is – it can be as structured as you like.  You can have a set of questions, like Chuck Swindoll has with his group, or there could be a book study.  What matters is that you allow another person to share his or her spiritual resources to encourage, correct and enable you to be a fully devoted follower of Jesus Christ.

Now this morning we think of another way that we can be interdependent and it is through the discipline of fellowship.  Now that’s a Biblical word for something we catch a glimpse of in the movies.

If there is one movie that breaks the mold of the independent good guy Western it is one of my favorite movies called The Magnificent Seven.  This is a great film.  It’s the story of how seven gun men come together to save a town from bad guys.  It’s a great story with a great sound track.  The tag line for this film, is “They were seven men who fought like 700”.  They each bring a particular talent to the group.  Yul Brunner brings leadership, Steve Mcqeen has a quiet confidence and knows how to use a riffle, James Coburn, is a precision knife thrower. Each brings a particular talent to the group, so that together they can defeat the enemy.  Instead of rugged individualism this film portrays the strength of individuals sharing their talents for a common cause.

And that’s the key.  Fellowship, the word comes from the Greek word "koinonia" and it carries with it the idea of “communion” and “partnership”. It means to “have a share with someone in something.”  So what is our commonality?  What is the basis of our partnership, our fellowship?  The fellowship of The Magnificent Seven is a common cause and a common enemy.   But the fellowship of the Christian is much deeper than that.  It is much greater than that.  Our fellowship is rooted in our common experience of Jesus Christ.  Look at our text.

Peter is preaching in Acts 2.  And we see in verse 41 that many responded positively to his message that day.  “About three thousand were added to their number that day.” (verse 41). 

And it is these people who devote themselves to the spiritual disciplines we read in verse 42 of studying God’s word (for that is what the apostles taught) to the breaking of the bread (to me that speaks of the spiritual discipline of worship), to prayer and you notice I skipped one, “to the fellowship”.  They devoted themselves to koinonia, of having a share with someone in something. 

What did these people share?  What was their common ground?  Was it a common language? No, go back to verse 8 of chapter 2 and you will see that the Peter’s audience all speak different languages.  Is it a common culture?  No, in verse 9-11 of chapter 2 we see that they all come for different parts of the world.  From Egypt to Rome.  They don’t share the same culture.  It is safe to say that they all come from different economic and social backgrounds – yet verse 44 of our text suggests that they all come together as one.  What is the ground of their fellowship?  Their commonality?  It is the common life in Christ that they share! 

If fellowship means a common participation in something – then for us Christians this “something” is nothing less than the very life of God encountered through faith in Jesus Christ. 

This is what John makes plain in his first letter where he writes: "We 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.”  (1 John 1:3)

John is inviting us to share in something – What is that something? It is the very life of God in Jesus Christ. 

If you’ve traveled any where in the world you know it to be true.  You can be in a completely different culture, not be able to understand a word of the language but you go to a God-honouring, Christ-exalting Church and all of a sudden, you feel at home, there is a connection between yourself and the people.  Why?  Because you are with people who share with you the richest of relationships – a relationship with the living Lord.  And there you experience fellowship.

Our fellowship is rooted in our common experience of Jesus Christ.  We have all died with Christ and risen again to new life.  We have all been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We are partners in the great commission and the work of the Kingdom of God. 

Now, some may say, “yes, our fellowship is deeper than that of any group, certainly deeper than any Western but why isn’t it as exciting as The Magnificent Seven?" Sometimes when I hear of an event that beckons me to come for the “fellowship” I say within myself, "No thanks."  Why?

I would suggest it is because we have robbed the word fellowship of its strength and power by applying it to every kind of get together in the church no matter how shallow.  So fellowship becomes synonymous with every trivial activity – tea parties, outings, bazaars – come for the “Fun, food and fellowship” - the hallmarks of any good Baptist gathering.     

Listen very carefully, fellowship is not socializing.  When our text says that they devoted themselves to the fellowship it doesn’t mean that they devoted themselves to having coffee together once a week to talk about the Saturday night’s event at the arena.  No, fellowship described in this text is a dynamic, encouraging event that must be much deeper than simply socializing.  There is a richness, there is a joy, there is a love, there is an experience of God in the early church that cannot be gained by simply socializing. 

Now, understand fellowship can happen in a social event.  The text speaks of the early believers eating together in their homes – fellowship can happen in a social setting, but it’s not the same thing.  Donald Whitney suggests we think of two concentric circles.  The larger circle is socializing, the inner circle is fellowship.  This shows how fellowship takes place within the context of socializing, but also how we can have socializing without fellowship.  Socializing is the larger circle because it involves sharing the common things of human, earthly life.  All people can do this whether or not they are Christians.¹

But Christian fellowship goes deeper because involves sharing the spiritual life.  This is what we read in Ephesians 4:16: “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love as each part does its work.”

There is mutual edification here.  As you as an individual grow spiritually and you share that growth with another, that person grows spiritually.   And as that person grows spiritually and shares that with you grow spiritually and as a result the church is built up. 

Since fellowship is rooted in a common life in God through faith in Christ then fellowship happens when we pray with one another.  It happens when we express godly concern for one another.  It happens when we encourage one another, when we serve one another, when we love one another, when we admonish one another, when we build one another up, when we offer hospitality to one another.  When we express the Christ life toward one another.  This is what we see demonstrated in the early church.  They are serving one another by helping those in need (verse 45)  In verse 46 they are worshipping with one another and sharing what Christ is doing in their lives, they are offering hospitality to one another, welcoming each other into their homes.  They are sharing the joy of their faith with one another with glad and sincere hearts.  There is no superficiality here. 

And that’s exciting!  That’s vibrant!  My neighbor can ask me about my wife and kids.  He can ask me about my tractor and other incidentals but he is not eager to talk to me about my walk with Christ.  He’s not interested in hearing about how God answered prayer in my life recently.  He’s not interested in hearing about my wrestling with some idea about God – such as the sovereignty of God and our free will.  He is not eager to talk to me of things that are of spiritual importance.  That’s fellowship! And for that I need the Christian community.

And I would suggest that all of that happens best in a small group.  I will grant that it occurs a bit in worship, but not to the depth that we need, that our souls long for.  Fellowship happens best in the context of a small group. Where trust is established and openness about one’s spiritual life is welcomed. 

Let me address one final question - what are the costs and benefits of practicing this spiritual discipline?

What else will cost you?  What did it cost those in the early church?  Verse 44, “All the believers were together and had everything in common.”  To me this speaks of more than the fact that they shared each others lawn mowers.  It means that there was a level of vulnerability.  They rejoiced with those who rejoiced and they cried with those who cried. 

So fellowship will cost you first, your mask.  My mask, what do you mean?  It will cost you your mask of appearing to have it all together.  Most of us wear such a mask.  After all, I’m a spiritual "Lone Ranger", don’t forget.  To actually experience fellowship with others, will cost you your protective mask as you will need to be vulnerable.  You will have to let other people in to that space which we tend to protect all too well. 

Is that worth it?  O yes.  As you share fellowship with one another you will experience God in ways that you have never dreamed of as you let that protective mask down.   You know why we wear masks, right?  Because we want to convey an image that is not reality.  For instance we may want to show people we have it all together when in reality inside, our relationship with God is falling apart.  Well it is as we let those masks down that we receive the help and the encouragement we need in fellowship.

I will never forget my university small group in InterVarsity.  I found university very difficult, my faith was challenged there like it had never been.  And I wrestled with a great number of doubts about my faith and the reality of God.  Thankfully I was part of a small group at the time, and with the help of that small group was able to face my doubts honestly and discovered God afresh.

That’s what happens in true fellowship.  As you let down your mask someone shares similar doubts, and you don’t feel like an alien.  Another says they experienced similar doubts or problems and God helped them through by this and this and this.  You receive encouragement and guidance. 

And you discover that it is indeed worth letting your mask down.

Secondly, it will cost you your time.  Verse 46: “every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.” 

To socialize doesn’t take any time.  But to participate in fellowship takes time.  It takes time to listen, it takes time to participate, it takes time to share what God has done in your life. It takes time to get passed the superficial to that which is deep and eternal.  It takes time to build up trust with one another.  It will cost you your time.

But think of the benefit of your investment of time. Fellowship enables you to receive ministry, the gifts and care and of others.  In 1 Peter we read, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”  Peter is saying that we have each received a gift from God so that we can help, serve minister to others.  Then it goes to reason that he has given gifts to others in the church to help, serve, and minister to you. So when you invest in the discipline of fellowship you are receiving what God has supplied for your encouragement and uplifting.

Verse 45 speaks of how the early fellowship helped those who were needed in the group.  Oh, the spiritual strength we receive when the fellowship ministers to us.    

For nine years I belonged to an accountability group, a group of four of us who met every six weeks.  And I can tell you sometimes it was a struggle to go, I had a lot to do, it always seemed busy, but I’d go and every time I was glad I did.  For what I received from those three men in terms of encouragement, correction, help, service, I would never have experienced otherwise.

One other cost. It will cost hospitality.  Verse 46, “They broke bread in their homes and at together with glad an d sincere hearts.” 

If fellowship is not happening for you, you may have to take the lead to make it happen and say, I will invite people to my home for the purpose of fellowship, I’ll invite people out for coffee – not to socialize – but to actually have fellowship, to go deeper.  We have lost that personal touch in our culture, we have fallen into the Martha Stewart trap of thinking that our homes must be perfect before we can invite anyone over.  And then once we get them perfect we don’t want anyone over to mess it up!  Scripture makes it clear, offer hospitality to one another.  (1 Peter 4:9)

Again, is it worth it?  Yes.  Jesus said, “Love one another”.  My friends, we cannot express love or receive love outside of fellowship.  When we have true fellowship one another we experience the deep love of God that exists in his body the church.  Again in the words of Donald Whitney

“When the world things you are worthless, no one can build you up as well as the church family can.  No one is more likely to pick you up when you fall than those who share in the forgiveness of God with you.  No one will listen more patiently and compassionately to the stores of your pain when the people of God in the church.  No one will pray for God to heal you or guide you or provide for you as will the church.  No one will stick by you when you are alone as the family of God will.  No one will help you when you are in trouble or in need as those with whom you have fellowship.”²

When you think of fellowship, think of it as a bank.  If you are going to make withdrawals you have to make deposits.  So with fellowship.  If you are going to experience the grace, the encouragement, the service, the ministry of the fellowship you cannot do it if you refuse to put any investment into the fellowship.

It has been my goal in preaching this series on the spiritual disciplines that you be given a chance to not only hear about them but to practice them.  So we have a week of corporate prayer coming up, we have a day of fasting coming and so with fellowship.

It is my prayer that this fall we able to have as many of you as possible involved in some sort of small group ministry.  Right now we offer several excellent small groups.  In the fall I hope to strengthen our present small groups, and we hope to offer some other small group opportunities.

Perhaps God has spoken to you today and shown you the need for fellowship.  I would ask that you make a promise to God today to be a part of a small group ministry in the fall.  Perhaps you can actively support the ministry by leading a group, or hosting a group and inviting others to share. 

If you would like to be a leader you need to speak to me as there will be some training required. 

I am asking each of the small groups to study The Purpose-Driven Life next fall. I will be preaching on the major themes and walking with the small group leaders in presenting the material to the small groups.

I hope this morning, that you our eyes have been opened to the spiritual discipline that you see that it is a rich gift given from God for the building up of the body. 

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - June 2004
 

1. Donald S. Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church (U.S.A.: Moody Press, 1996), p. 150

2. Ibid., p. 157