Sermon Notes
Pastor Jeff Stanfill

"A Portrait of Fellowship"
July 23, 2006 - AM Service

A PORTRAIT OF FELLOWSHIP
SHARING THE LIFE OF GOD
TEXT: ACTS 2:42-47; 4:32-35; 1 JOHN 1:1-4.
INTRO:
READ TEXT.

In the second century a pagan actor was converted to Jesus Christ becoming a Christian. Most drama of that era strongly encouraged immorality, and since young boys were used to play women they were regularly seduced into homosexuality.

The actor knew he could no longer act and had to leave the theater. He decided he could support himself by teaching drama to non-Christians. But his church elders objected reasoning that if it was wrong to be in the theater it was wrong to teach others to be in the theater.

But this situation was somewhat unique for the young man had no other means of supporting himself. The elders decided to consult with Cyprian, the bishop of the church in Carthage.

After some deliberation, Cyprian counseled the elders that they were correct. What is wrong to do is wrong to teach. The man needed to learn a new trade or profession. The church was proper to hold the young man accountable as well. However, if the young convert could not find employment, it was also the church's duty to care for him. Cyprian instructed that if their church was financially able, they were to provide for the young man food and clothing. If their local fellowship church could not do this, then send the man to them in Carthage and they would provide for him.

That was a true living out of these texts - Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-35. Looking at these texts as if they were a portrait, we can see some elements of fellowship.

I. COMMUNITY (4:32a).
Notice these words -- "together", "in common". This we can call community. Another preacher shared some good insights from v. 32 noting that they were of one heart. Here the word "heart" is used for the human spirit. It denotes the deepest part of our life. It is the unconscious level of existence, the spirit, the most essential part of our nature. Here were people who, by the Holy Spirit, had been united into one life. They were of one heart. At the very deepest level of their lives they belonged to each other, and that is only possible by means of the Holy Spirit.
But they not only were of one heart, made so by the Holy Spirit to share the life of Jesus together, they also were of one mind. Most of us read this -- "they were of one heart and mind" -- as though it was a double way of saying the same thing. But it is not. The word mind is saying something differently than the word spirit. The mind is the conscious part of life; it is where we consciously live. It consists of the thoughts and emotions and will. That is the realm of experience.
When it says that these early Christians were gathered together in one -- both in spirit and in mind -- it means they not only shared the life of Jesus as a fact of their existence, but they also experienced it. That is what made the difference. Here these early Christians were united together not only in heart (spirit) but also in mind, i.e., they felt it, they experienced it, they emotionally enjoyed their unity. It was part of their daily life. (Adapted from Stedman website)

II. CONTRIBUTION (42:25, 4:32b, 34-35).
Isn't this grand! But looking further the fellowship of believers includes participating in one another's needs. When you need relief from a debt how do I participate in your need? James 2:15-16. Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? I participate by contributing to your debt fund.

When you are discouraged and down, how do I participate in that with you? Do I come along side and sing the Blues to you? No, I contribute words of encouragement, point out what you are not seeing and so we fellowship together in your hardship.

When we gather whether in a large assembly or small class room or a group at someone's house, one person can tell what God has done for them and that supplies help for another person there who is questioning God's faithfulness. (As a pastor that is my greatest source of encouragement, hearing what God is doing in your lives!) When in a conversation we learn of someone's lack and we happen to have enough, we can contribute to their need. That mark's this portrait of fellowship.

III. COOPERATION (4:34-35.
See how this fellowship was shared? It wasn't as is popularly done today. I see a need, I get my goods together. I go meet that need and give to my cause. It was done cooperatively. Resources were pooled, placed under authoritative supervision, and then dispersed according to anyone's need. The first trouble the church experienced was when distributions were made according to one's own choosing. The Greek widows were being overlooked in Acts 6. When this was brought to the attention of the leadership, the trouble was corrected.

Cooperating is a mark of fellowship. Team teaching a class of 6 year olds for VBS is fellowship. Bringing your 12-pack cans of soft drinks for next Sunday night is cooperating with other believers. Putting aside the addressing of my need so your need can be met is cooperating.

IV. COMMUNION (THE REST OF THE STORY).
Here is the great defining dimension that makes this fellowship we are speaking of truly Christian and distinguishes it from all other concepts or practices of fellowship. Some sense of community, contribution, and cooperation can be experienced by any mutual association, social club, support group, or even a family. Mutual associations like the Chamber of Commerce can do these things. Social clubs like college fraternities or sororities can do these things. Support groups like those sponsored by a mental health clinic or Alcoholics Anonymous can do this. Any group that emphasizes family like a political party, the Mormons, or even your own family reunion can do these things.

But the Church has a distinct difference and that is what we call the communion of the saints, sharing the life of God together. It is practiced with the Lord's Supper, meals together, prayer, and devotion to apostolic teaching.
1. For the Early Church it was likely that the Lord's Supper always involved a full meal together. The Lord's Supper is more than a memorial service for us to remember what Christ has done. It is also a means through which we receive grace for our walk with God. It is a firm reality that Mary Ann, the boys, and I compose a family. But our time and interaction together confirm and strengthen that truth. The Lord's Supper is a means we fellowship and confirm our relationship with Christ together.

2. And communion together involves prayer. Prayer is a means for us to participate in what God is doing and when we pray together we participate together. Praying together is not a routine or ritual for Christians to perform. It is a participation together. In a few minutes we are going to pray together and in so doing we are going to communion with God together.

3. But of most significance is devotion to the apostle's teaching. Our time with the Word of God together is not about hearing Jeff Stanfill preach. Society tries to reduce us to that - have you heard this man, that teacher, attended an evening with this pastor. It is so sad that we devote ourselves to such things when it is not the man or woman but the Word of God that draws us together. Our fellowship is feeding together on the truth that keeps our souls alive.

4. The foundation of this is not the horizontal dimension which we easily see but the vertical dimension which we easily fail to see. READ 1 JOHN 1:1-4. The Church in Acts supported one another, provided security for one another, and strengthened one another as we see here in the text but it is what is behind it all that makes it work. What is behind it is the life we share together with God. This portrait we see here in the two Acts passages is the sharing of our vertical life in God in horizontal ways. Our fellowship is with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Our fellowship with God is like a partnership as we work with God. To fellowship with God I give Him all my resources like a partner does in work. He has my time, my strength, my money, my mind, -- my everything. In turn I have His resources - His power, His wisdom, His greatness, His might. This fellowship is also friendship. Jesus said no longer do I call you servants, but friends. Servants do not know what their master do but everything I learn from my Father I share with you. It is getting in on God's secrets. He reveals more of life to His friends.

5. This communion with God, fellowship with God that you and I share together is what makes our fellowship unlike the world's, mutual associations, family ties, support groups, or social clubs. In none of those do we share the life of God together. Only in the Church do we share the life of God together. This is why I would want to contribute to your need, why we want to cooperate, it explains our desire to be a participating member of the community of the saints of God.

Consider this: That a lack of sensing that I belong to a fellowship of believers is not because a church is unfriendly, or that the people aren't like me, or that the church's vision is not mine, but that my fellowship with God is not what it should be.

Yes, we have community as other organizations may have. Yes, we cooperate as other groups may do. Yes, we contribute of ourselves as an association may. But it is the communion of the saints together that makes it what it is.

I will tell you honestly that as a younger man in my teen and some of my college years, I struggled with true fellowship with other believers. I struggled in this way - I still wanted to pick and choose from among believers so that 'my friends' were those whom I thought were cool. I wanted Christian friends who were status symbols for me. I wanted to associate with Christians who looked like I thought I looked - hip and cool; or at least like those who acted and looked like what I wanted to be - hip and cool. And often times discovered my self to be less than delighted to be a part of God's family; I felt human shame in regard to my brothers and sisters in Christ.

And here is why - a very worldly view of God's people. It is to understand that fellowship can only be with those that look like me, that benefit me, or that have something I want. That is so much the world's measuring stick. If I evaluate the church's fellowship by the measuring stick of the world's fellowship, the church will lose out every time. Our fellowship comes out of our life in Jesus Christ.

The first conflict that the Church in Acts experienced came as the result of losing sight of their life in God together. READ ACTS 6:1. Notice the Grecian and Hebraic Jews distinction. When the Church put culture and ethnicity before their shared life in God, they had conflict. We are not Central believers and Denham Springs believers. We are not family clan believers. We are not Central High School believers and Walker High School believers. We are not South LA believers and Mississippi believers.

We are believers converted by the Word of God through the Holy Spirit; believers placed into the Kingdom of God and His Church by the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. We are believers bond to one another through the new birth we have experienced!

As we grow and learn of the fellowship we have with God in Jesus Christ, we learn the joy and fulfillment of fellowship and the magnifying of God in the fellowship as we share the life of God together.

1. Today come into the life of God in Jesus Christ!
2. If needed, repent of having a worldly view of fellowship.
3. Embrace every opportunity to fellowship with God's people.