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Plainly Speaking
with Karl J. Forehand
Purpose
– Part 4
(Relational Fellowship)
by Karl J. Forehand
*This series developed in part based on Rick Warren’s
“Purpose Driven Life”
Our church has an outstanding
fellowship committee. It is what some
churches call a hospitality committee.
Whenever we have an event or special speaker, they provide the
food. Often, they plan events, like
the Valentines banquet. This
committee performs way above the standard.
I never worry that I will be embarrassed. They always do a superior job!
But, what our fellowship committee does is not all that is involved in
the Biblical definition of fellowship.
Ephesians 1:5 tells us that we
have a preordained purpose to be a part of God’s family. Salvation gives us rights to the family;
but our submission to the family is what brings about fellowship. In large and small congregations, often we
sacrifice intimacy and fellowship for routines and programs. But, I Timothy 3:14-15 tells us the church
is a household, not a business. It is
not a club or a fraternity – it is a family!
We must learn to love and fellowship with our family of God.
Rick Warren gives 4 levels of
fellowship. Where are you in this
model?
1.
Membership: Learning to Belong
Before we launch into this
area, make sure you don’t confuse membership in God’s family with the
practical requirements of your local church.
Those practices are in place to maintain order and hopefully
facilitate fellowship – but they are not necessarily the same as membership
in the body of Christ. Membership
into the body of Christ comes by faith in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t have to be approved by any
human.
With that said, we may be a part
of the body of Christ; but still not choose to belong. Often people will say that church
attendance and fellowship is not necessary.
They speak of church in terms of “I’ll try to be there” or “if nothing
happens, I’ll be there.” I don’t
understand this type of attitude. It
doesn’t make sense. It is like
saying, “I want to be a basketball player, but I don’t need a team.” It is like a person saying, “I want to be
a pilot, but I don’t want a flight crew or air traffic controllers,
etc.” Pastor will often think to
themselves, “It would be nice to be a pastor and not have to have a
congregation.” I know it is easier to
stay away, but it is not the way God designed us – we need each other. You can’t be a part of the family and not
come to the gatherings.
When we are born into the world,
we become a part of the human race.
Automatically, we have certain responsibilities. When we are re-born into the body of
Christ, we become part of the family of God.
That also carries responsibilities.
One of them is to belong.
Romans 12:5 says,
“so we, who
are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another”
This makes us
interdependent. Many times the church
is handicapped because members are not engaged. You can be on the church roles and still not belong. You can even attend regularly and not
belong. Getting along with others is
essential to learning to belong. Many
bounce from church to church, giving excuse after excuse why they can’t
belong. The truth is that belonging
takes some effort, it will make you uncomfortable, and you have to choose to
do it.
2.
Friendship: Learning to Share
And all those who
had believed were together, and had all things in
common; (Acts 2:44)
Learning to share is the first
lesson we teach our children. It
should be one of the first lessons we learn as believers. Why are most people lonely? They are lonely because they are stingy. They are stingy with their time – they are
stingy with their emotions – they are stingy with their stuff.
Two of my friends visited last
week. One was a couple and the other
was a family of six. One of the men
helped me on a project in my house.
The other got there later and stayed overnight. Both of them came to church with us the
next day. My wife gave up many hours
over that time talking with the two ladies.
We totally gave up our schedule for that 24 hours. The one guy gave me about 8 hours of free
labor. By the way, he was starting a
new job 500 miles away the next day.
He had drive 80 miles back to Omaha Sunday afternoon and get ready to
fly to Dallas on Monday morning.
For three families to experience
fellowship, we all had to share. What
does the Bible teach us about sharing?
It teaches us that we should share experiences. To do that we have to spend time
together. It also says that we should
share our possessions. In the
New Testament, they daily went to each others houses. I’m sure they weren’t as concerned with
how pretty or clean it was. To truly
have fellowship, we also have to share problems. This is the hard part, because it is not
always fun or expedient to share a problem.
3. Partnership: Learning to Contribute
for the equipping of the saints for the work of
service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature
which belongs to the fulness of Christ.
As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by
waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by
craftiness in deceitful scheming; but
speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom
the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint
supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the
growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Eph. 4:12-16)
God gave various gifts: prophets, apostles, evangelists,
pastor/teachers.
Why? “…for the equipping of the saints.” These people are not hired guns to do the
uncomfortable work. They are to equip
the saints.
To do what? “…for the work of service.” They are to equip the saints (believers) to DO the work of
ministry.
Which
does what? “…to the building up of the body of Chirst.” When members are equipped AND engaged, it
builds up the entire body of Christ.
It is stronger. If you’re
intestines are not functioning, your body is not strong and healthy. When all the parts are functioning, you
are much stronger.
For
how long? “…until we all attain (verses
13-15 ‘ maturity’)” In other words,
we have to keep functioning towards maturity – we never totally finish
growing. It is an ongoing thing.
What
is the main thing? “the proper working of each individual part
(v. 16).
I saw an
interview with a new Formula One driver the other day. He was describing that his team consisted
of approximately 500 people. He was
the focus, but he needed each of those 500 people to get the job done. The pilot may be a central figure on the
airplane, but unless someone airs up the tires, the plane isn’t going
anywhere. Unless someone puts fuel
in the plane, it won’t go very far.
Every member of the team has to be engaged.
4. Kinship: Learning to act like family
Loving God is “worship.” Becoming like God’s Son is “discipleship.” Loving God’s family is “fellowship.” The number one reason people come to
church is if they feel loved. The
problem is that you cannot orchestrate a program of “love.” We all have to do it. We have to learn to love each other like
we love our families, like we love ourselves, and like we love God
(unconditionally).
Karl
J. Forehand, 2002
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