fellowship…the glue that connects us

sermon 6^th Feb 2011

Intro; a new series on “The marks of a healthy church’ based around Acts 2;42 ‘They remained in the apostles teaching and fellowship, the breaking of bread and prayers.’

Today we are going to think about fellowship, on Sun 20th worship and on 6^th March before Jinny’s induction that afternoon in the morning service we will look at prayer.

When Daphne and I came to visit CPAC to see whether we would come to this church we were immediately welcomed into the warmth of the genuine fellowship here; that first tentative Sunday we felt free to worship here and when Danny and Linda invited us for lunch and listened to our story we felt embraced by the fellowship.

(1) What is fellowship and why is it so important?

- is it fellows in a ship together? That’s one way of picturing it.

The NT Greek word for fellowship is ‘koinonia’ which means sharing together in something very precious. The Apostle John, the youngest one who lay next to Jesus at the last supper, in his first epistle writes about sharing in Christ and the life He came to give. To begin chapter 1 he says, “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life- this life was revealed and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us- we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that both our joy and your joy may be complete.”

So first and foremost Christian fellowship is fellowship with those who have experienced the living Jesus.

When I committed my life to Christ and was filled with the Holy Spirit a new level of connectedness with every believer began for me.

(2) Examples of fellowship

In Acts 2:44 says, “All who believed were together and had all things in common” that word ’in common’ is another version of word koinonia used in verse 42. Here the emphasis is on sharing things in common with one another particularly with those in need.

We have had the privilege of both sharing material blessings with other Christians and of receiving material help when in need. Each time this has happened in small fellowship groups we have been a part of. 2 examples are when we moved back to Wgtn with 3 young children I did not have a regular job and when we rented a house it was touch and go whether we would be able to meet the rent. The home group we attended put a collection together for us one Easter including food and things for the children and 2 gold sovereigns which we used to cover the rent. We were so blessed and the verse came to me,’ the silver is mine and the gold is mine’ says the Lord.( Haggai 2:8) I few years later a young couple in another home group with us were struggling to get the deposit for their first home and we were able to help them.

In fellowship groups we can share our real needs and together with the Lord’s help we can share all Gods blessings with one another. Galatians 6;10 says, ‘So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially those of the family of faith.’ When I first went to a large church in ChCh volunteers were called to paint a single mother’s house. I joined in and it immediately made me feel part of that church.

(3) Obstacles to fellowship:

1. People will let you down. That’s life both in the world and in the church. The problem in the church is that we share more deeply and so can be hurt more deeply. We expect Christians to be like Jesus and always understand us and never turn against us. Sorry to tell you that although we serve a perfect Saviour and we Christians seek to emulate him we often fail. In fact all Jesus disciples did and he forgave them and restored them to serve again. St Paul wrote, ’We have this heavenly treasure in earthen vessels’ (2 Cor 4:7)

Learning to live with people who are different to you and sometimes fail you is how God matures us to be like Jesus who even forgave those who crucified Him.

Guard the fellowship and don’t allow disappointment to harden your heart and cause you to pull back.

2 Another obstacle to fellowship is what Galatians 5 calls ’party spirit’ when we form cliques and gossip about the failings of people outside our cligue. Then you get circles of people looking inwood when true fellowship is always looking out for the new person or the person on the edges. True fellowship is always wanting to share the love of God and be a host to the outsider. I believe CPAC at it’s best is a host church through it’s members looking for ways to welcome new families into the church and into the suburb.

Isn’t that part of ‘connecting people and Christ…’ This how we connect with the greatest cry of the human heart, “Who will love me?”

(3) How can we promote fellowship in CPAC and beyond this year?

Ÿ Pray for one another for starters.. Why not use the church directory to pray for a page of members each day?

Ÿ Welcome people especially those new to you at church and to your street

Ÿ Join a fellowship group

Ÿ Do things together

Ÿ Take time to listen to how people are

Ÿ Be a fun person with a smile and a Hi and a laugh

Ÿ Be quick to forgive people who let you down

I believe one of the keys to CPAC past and present and future success is that we are a church that values fellowship. Let’s commit ourselves with the Spirit’s help to be passionate about fellowship this year. It could be the adventure of your life!

Fellowship Prayer

Lord, I stand in fellowship with my brothers and sisters today

Thank you for your death which saved me from my sins.

As you have forgiven me,

I choose to forgive those who have let me down.

Bind us together in the love poured out by your Spirit.

Make us a mighty army who can receive and share your love and power with one another and with those in need.

In Christ we commit ourselves to be hosts to welcome people amongst us and to share your blessings with them.

May your Kingdom come more and more through us in Jesus name. Amen

PURPOSE YOUR WILL Sermon 30.1.11

Scriptures: Joshua 24: 14-18; Philippians 2:12-13

Intro: this is the 3^rd sermon on preparing us to face 2011 with the Lord.

a prepare your heart

b plan your vision

(1) GOD’S PURPOSE:

Math 6 :9-13 Thy will be done on earth as in heaven

1. 2 Pet 3:9 God’s will is that no-one should perish

2. 1 Tim 2:4 God’s will is that all people should be saved eg star fish story

3. John 3:16 brings both the negative and positive parts of salvation together

Eg Shop owner in Kovalam who was touched and comforted by Jesus

Eg. Joyce in Oamaru dying

(2) CPAC PURPOSE:

To be a people equipped to serve God’s purpose.

Connecting people and Christ to bring healing, hope and life

Ÿ To the people of Churton Park and Northern Wgtn

Ÿ Wherever we have connections in these suburbs; our schools; our work places; where we live and play

Ÿ Amongst our families and friends

Ÿ In NZ and overseas

Ÿ To bring people to faith in Christ including healing the sick, bringing hope to young and old and abundant life to all who we come across.

(3) HOW CAN WE DO THIS?

We can commit our wills to Christ (for 2011).

Description of the function of our wills from “The Spiritual Man” by Watchman Nee. Page 75 A Believers Will…… This shows the importance of the decisions we make.

Our will is an extremely important function of our being. With our will we can decide for good or bad with the most important decisions in our lives. The greatest choices we make in life are with our will. For instance when we marry there are just 2 words which seal our marriage. When the marriage minister said to me, “Will you take Daphne as your lawful wedded wife…?” I said, “I will.” With your will you can decide to serve the Lord or to serve yourself. God has more exciting plans for your life than you could ever imagine.

But you are created by God with a free will: you can choose to follow the Lord or you can decide to pull back and do your own thing and even deny the Lord. Adam and Eve were free to obey God and do what He said or to disobey. They had all the fruit trees to eat from in the garden but they deliberately chose to eat the forbidden fruit. This led to their banishment from the garden then mankind’s downward spiral into envy and murder and violence. Jesus disciples were free to follow Him or desert him. We have the same free will today. That’s why I want to challenge you today. Will you decide today to serve the Lord this year or will you pull back?

By our wills we can both follow the Lord and we can overcome evil. Last weekend I had the privilege of praying with a man called John. As I prayed with him about putting on the armour of God when we came to putting on the shoes of the gospel of peace I told him to remember that Satan is a defeated foe under our feet. To demonstrate this I told him to stamp his feet a couple of times which he did. Then he took a packet of tobacco out of his pocket and stamped on it. As he did so he felt the Holy Spirit was helping him to break the addiction of nicotine off his life. James 4:7 tells us, ‘Submit yourself to God, resist the Devil and he will flee from you.’

A positive verse about using our will as we work out Jesus Lordship in our lives is Philippians 2:12-13, ‘Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.’

(4) JESUS EXAMPLE:

Jesus as a human chose to do the will of his Heavenly Father. In John 5:30 He said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgement is just, for I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” In John 6:38 he says,” for I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.” and in Luke 22;42 at Gethsemene before the cross he prayed, “nevertheless not my will but yours be done.”

(5) DECISION TIME:

Joshua challenged the people to decide who they would serve. In Joshua 24:15 He said, “Choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the river or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” God promises to send the power of the Holy Spirit on those who choose to serve Christ.” now is the time to commit ourselves to Him for today and this year of 2011.