Tabor Baptist Church

Introduction

• It is good to be alone sometimes
• It is essential for us to live in community
• There is a danger to being alone too much
• Prov 18:1
• Examples
• The danger of introspection and morbidity
• Can think wrongly
• Can become proud
• Looking at communion and unity in love
• Heb 10:25
• The Bible encourages fellowship
• 1 Cor 12 - we are a body
• We need one another
• Some Christians can isolate themselves
• Example of AW Pink
• God values fellowship and so should we
• Parable of the Sower
• Didn't look at 8:1-3
• Verses about fellowship and women loved by Christ
• 8:19-21 speaks about fellowship
• Those who love Jesus are His 'relatives'
• Those who love Jesus obey Him
• Fellowship is about knowing Christ and doing His word
• Overview:
• Made for Fellowship
• Meaning of Fellowship
• Motivators for Fellowship

Made for Fellowship

• Christ's incarnation - essentially a solitary figure
• Explanation ... but,
• He was a man of community
• He was often about people
• He chose to be with the 12 apostles
• v1 - Christ was preaching the Kingdom of God
• The apostles were with Him
• The Creation Narrative
• Book - When God is not enough
• Adam had everything including God - but it was not good that he was alone
• Before the fall - the centrality of communion, fellowship and unity
• God saw that man needed one like him to care of and be cared for
• The Trinity
• Three distinct parts of the Godhead
• Perfect community, fellowship, love and unity
• We are made in God's image
• We are made to be in community
• Isolation is selfish (though times of space is okay)
• The fall:
• Relationships were disturbed
• Christ came into the world to restore our relationship with God
• Then our relationships with one another can be restored
• Fellowship
• Paul - 2 Tim 4:6-13
• v17-18
• Paul knew what it was like to be abandoned, but the Lord always stuck with him
• v21
• How much do we value fellowship?
• Do we see the need for fellowship?
• First with God
• Second with each other

Meaning of Fellowship (v19-21)

• These verses initially look the opposite of fellowship
• John 7:5 - His brothers did not believe
• Mark 3:21 - His own people rejected Him
• Jesus would not be controlled by His brothers or mother
• His family had to be obedient to His agenda
• Not a matter of Jesus not showing love to His family
• Jesus was preaching to the people
• Jesus' true family are those who hear the gospel message, who repent of their sins, who cast themselves on Jesus and obey His word
• Heart worship of Christ
• Love for Him and His word
• Fellowship with Christ leads to fellowship with one another
• John 14:15
  • Explanation of true fellowship
• The proof of fellowship is that you obey Jesus
• v21,23
• 15:10
• A Christian is someone who has been adopted into God's family
• A child of God
• Luke 11:27-28
• Such true fellowship with Joel - despite only spending a small amount of time with him
• Unity - because Christ had entered their hearts
• People ought to see God's love in us
• The Church is made up of individuals in fellowship
• Family
• Why do we come to Church?
  • Example of Lloyd Jones
• Fellowship is those who love God's word
• Ecc 4:9-10 - Reading and Explanation
• Example of house group
• Costly
• v2 - It was no small thing that the women did
• Example of Dr Charles Woodrow
• We can give a cup of cold water in Christ's name

Motivators for Fellowship

• The blessings of fellowship - to experience:
• The power and presence of Christ
• His sufferings
• A deeper love for Christ and others
• The favour and approval of Christ
• v2-3 The women's names are remembered
• We don't do things for a name or for people to remember us
• Honour to Jesus Christ
• Warnings to those who fail to love and care
• Those who do not forgive and hate others - cannot know the love of God
• A great proof of a Christian is that they love God's people
• Tangible love
• Do we love being in Church?