Fellowship

 

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered at Pilgrim Reformed Church on Sunday morning, the 6th of April, 2025, the fifth Sunday in Lent.  Today's service also included the sacrament of Holy Communion.  A recording of our service should be available on our YouTube streaming channel: 

https://www.youtube.com/@pilgrimreformedchurch1992/streams.]

Family, each week – with very few exceptions – we come to this beautiful house to worship our Father God, to hear His word and sing praises to His name.  But there is another very important reason for gathering together.

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to continue meeting together so that we can help each other stay strong in our faith.  Together we support each other, we strengthen each other, we provide accountability to each other.  God never meant for us to be alone.  At the very beginning of our creation, He gave us the family unit.  And this is the extension of the family, this church family, because we are all brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, through Christ Jesus.

This is what fellowship is all about – coming together, sharing together, crying and laughing together, working together toward a common goal.  And family, joining together in Christian fellowship is more and more important as the time for our Lord’s return draws ever closer.

It probably won’t surprise you that the passage from the Book of Hebrews isn’t the only one in our bible that speaks of fellowship.  And it isn’t only fellowship with each other, here in this family, that matters.  There’s also fellowship with other Christians, other families of believers.  And there’s an even higher fellowship than these.

Please listen and follow along to the opening of the 1st letter the Apostle John wrote to the early church, and I’ll be reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible this morning…

1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — 2 the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — 3 that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

--1 John 1 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Heavenly Father, from the very first days of Your creation, You gave us a family to be a part of, to support us and care for us and help us in our times of need.  You gave us fellowship.  Thank You, Father, for caring that much about our physical and emotional well-being.  But Father, we admit that sometimes, for whatever reason, we just don’t gather together with our fellow believers, not even our chosen church family.  Sometimes other things take priority in our thinking, when we basically ignore Your plan.  Please forgive us these times, Father.  Help us put aside what we might think is important if it conflicts with what You have told us, what You have given us.  And help us all constantly support each other in our faith and in our ministries as You intended from the start.

Speak to us now, Father, that we might hear Your voice through Your Spirit within us and better grasp the message You have for us this day.  Please keep us strong in our faith, of one mind and one purpose in our love, our worship, and our service.  And please keep us healthy and safe through these trying time.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.

In his book, Your Father Loves You, James Packer provides this commentary, which speaks to our scripture reading: 

“What is meant by fellowship in this verse? Gossip? Cups of tea? Tours? No. What is being referred to is something of a quite different order and on a quite different level.  [Here is the passage Mr. Parker is referencing, from Acts chapter 2, verses 42 through 47 in the New English Bible:]  ‘They met constantly to hear the apostles teach, and to share the common life, and break bread and to pray. A sense of awe was everywhere. All whose faith had drawn them together held everything in common. With one mind they kept up their daily attendance at the temple, and, breaking bread in private houses, shared their meals with unaffected joy as they praised God.’ That is fellowship as the new Testament understands it, and there is clearly a world of difference between that and mere social activities.

“The Greek word for fellowship comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life of the body of Christ.

“Christian fellowship is two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal. We must know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common relationship to God (as we see in 1 John 1:3). The person who is not in fellowship with the Father and the Son is no Christian at all, and so cannot share with Christians the realities of their fellowship.”

One of the definitions of “fellowship” is a community of interests, an association of persons having similar tastes and interests.  Have you ever noticed how certain groups seem to only closely associate with others in their group?  They are part of the larger society, but they only really relate to one another.  They're only truly comfortable and open around one another.  They understand each other.  They enjoy a unique fellowship by virtue of their profession or affiliation.  Law enforcement officers are like that, and fire fighters, and even doctors.  Why can't we Christians be more like that?

In our scripture reading this morning, the Apostle John opens his letter by attesting to his credibility as a witness of all that Jesus did during His ministry.  He wants to share all he has seen and heard with other believers so that they too may have the joy of knowing Jesus and of being in fellowship with Him and with our Father God.

This is that greater fellowship I spoke of.  This is the fellowship that means the most to us.  But there’s a catch.

Since God is all light, and no darkness is in Him, if we continue to walk in darkness, in our sin, then we have no fellowship with God.  But if we do walk in the light and do enjoy fellowship with God, then the blood of His Son Jesus washes us clean of our sin.  And we need this, for we are a sinful people.

Which is why it is so important that we also fellowship with one another, with our brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus.  We can help keep each other in the light, keep each other in true fellowship with God.  Worshiping together, singing together, eating together, working together keeps us strong – strong in our faith and strong as a family.

And fellowship can help us grow.  On the day of Pentecost, after the Holy Spirit settled on all the disciples, Peter gave an impassioned sermon to those gathered together in that place.  Hear the words the Apostle Luke reported of this milestone event in the early church, in the 2nd chapter of his Book of the Acts of the Apostles, from verses 38 through 47…

38 Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

40 And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” 41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ teachings and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and would sell their possessions and goods, and distributed them among all, as anyone had need.

46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

--Acts 2:38-47 (NKJV)

On the day of Pentecost, around 3000 people found salvation in Jesus Christ.  But they didn’t just go back home to life as before.  No, they took the apostles’ words and teachings to heart, breaking bread together, praying together, fellowshipping together.  They were now a group with a common interest - one of those definitions of fellowship.  And the Lord added daily to the church and to those being saved.

Family, there are many reasons why we might not always be able to come together.  Life happens, and sometimes we just have to do other things with our limited time and energy.  Injury, illness, inclement weather, natural disasters, work, planned trips and vacations…  Any of these can keep us from Christian fellowship.  The pandemic wreaked havoc on the church and church attendance in general.  But attendance across all Christian churches had been falling long before 2019.

This is a trend we need to break.  The church as a whole needs to put more emphasis back on fellowship – fellowship with one another, and fellowship with God and His Son Jesus.  And then the church can grow again and reclaim its important role in the greater community.

Another definition of “fellowship” is communion, as between members of the same church.  In just a few moments, we will be coming together at our Lord’s table to take of the elements of His body and blood.  The Apostle Paul cautions us not to come to this table until we are right with God.  So if any of us is harboring a personal sin that we know displeases our Father God, or a grudge against a brother or sister, let us take the next few minutes to lay our sin at the feet of our Lord and seek forgiveness.

In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Son of God, who gave His all for us.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Almighty God, thank You for choosing us to believe in Your Son Jesus, and thank You for calling us to serve Him as we walk through this life.  You gave us the faith to believe, and by our fellowship with one another, we share that faith and encourage that belief.  Father, we admit that sometimes we just have trouble finding common ground.  Sometimes we’re just too cautious, too suspicious of the motives of others, even other believers.  Please forgive us those times, dear Father.  Please help us be more like Jesus.  Help us show Your love to others by giving of ourselves, giving of our love freely, unconditionally, sacrificially, just as Jesus gave of Himself for us.  And please help us share our Lord Jesus with others so that they too may be saved by Your mercy and His sacrifice.  

Father, please shield us from Satan as he attacks our faith, trying to make us his own.  Help us be better servants, glorifying You in all we do so that the world can see You in us, through our deeds, in how we live.  And help us remain strong, faithful, and true to You in all things, no matter what comes our way.

Please hear us now, Father, as we pause for just a moment to speak to You through Your Spirit within us, promising to be more obedient to Your commands, and seeking Your help to do so…

Lord Jesus, You set the example for us to follow by choosing twelve men and bringing them into fellowship with You and with each other.  It couldn’t have been easy for them to accept each other, even with You as the common factor.  They mostly came from different walks of life, different strata in society, different attitudes, thoughts, and objectives.  Yet You brought them together and built Your church starting with them, the church that stands even today.  And now it’s up to us to work together to ensure Your church will endure until You return to call it home.  Please help us fellowship more and get along better.  Help us be more like You.  Help us love all others, even those who hate us and wish us harm.  Help us reach out to the non-believing world, sharing the Gospel message, showing Your love through our love.  Give us the words to say, show us the deeds to do to lead the lost to You.

And Jesus, please shield our minds and our hearts from Satan’s lies and the world’s empty promises.  Guide us around all the devil’s traps and snares.  Help us see though his temptations.  Help us keep our focus on the things of heaven and the needs of others rather than on anything this world might offer.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.