The document discusses the purpose of fellowship in the church. It defines biblical fellowship as a communion and participation between believers based on their common belief in and relationship with Jesus Christ. True fellowship involves sharing life together, prioritizing other believers' needs, sharing possessions communally, and encouraging one another's spiritual growth. The benefits of fellowship include meeting basic human needs for community, receiving emotional support and encouragement, and participating together in the gospel through the Holy Spirit. The document urges readers to evaluate whether their local church exhibits biblical fellowship and challenges them to actively work on building fellowship within the congregation.

1. The Purpose of The Church#2 “Fellowship” Jeffery Anselmi http://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon.asp?SermonID=60357&Sermon%20The%20Purpose%20of%20The%20Church-%20Fellowship%20by%20Jeffery%20Anselmi

2. Last week we talked about the reason for having a purpose.The Church needs to define its purpose; this must start from God’s word. The first Purpose of the church that we looked at was Worship.There are four basic questions that we have to answer as a church.

3. Why does the Church exist? What are we to be as a church? (Who and what are we?) What are we to do as a church? (What does God want done in the world?) 4. How are we to do it?

4. The way that we answer these questions will give a context from which to function from as a church.If we do not answer these questions, we will just stumble around with no true purpose to what we do.What is one thing that people look for in a church? What do you think draws people to a church?

5. According to a 1995 study done by the Barna Research group, the number 2 reason a person attends a church service is “how much people seem to care for one another.” At least 50% of the unchurched audience found meeting other people as a good reason to attend a worship service.

6. The second purpose of the church that we are going to study is Fellowship.In His book “The Body” Chuck Colson states the following:Surveys show that the number one thing people look for in a church is fellowship. But what most modern westerners seek is a far cry from what the Bible describes and what the early church practiced. No term in the Christian lexicon is more abused than fellowship.

7. Acts 2:42 NET They were devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Reverential awe came over everyone, and many wonders and miraculous signs came about by the apostles.44All who believed were together and held everything in common,

8. 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and distributing the proceeds to everyone, as anyone had need. 46 Every day they continued to gather together by common consent in the temple courts, breaking bread from house to house, sharing their food with glad and humble hearts,

9. 47 praising God and having the good will of all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were being saved.

10. WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP? When you hear the word Fellowship, what do you think about? What is the first thing that comes to mind?To some people fellowship means a warm affirming “hot tub” religion that soothes our frayed nerves and provides relief from the battering of everyday life.

11. Sometimes we turn the social aspect of fellowship into an end in itself. We reduce fellowship to a good meal, or to the time that we go places together anywhere from shopping to going to retreats.For some people fellowship means no more than coming together for church events. We meet in our “fellowship” hall.

12. The word in the New Testament literally means “a communion”, a participation of people together in God’s grace. It means to have something in common. Common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other person or receiving what he or she has.

13. It describes a community in which individuals willingly pledge to share in common, to be in submission to each other, to support one another and bear one another’s burdens, to build up each other up in our relationship with Jesus.Romans 12:16 NET Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited.

14. SINGLE PURPOSE Acts 1:14 NET All these continued together in prayer with one mind, together with the women, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

15. PUT OTHERS FIRST Philippians 2:3 NET Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

16. Romans 12:4 NET For just as in one body we have many members, and not all the members serve the same function, 5 so we who are many are one body in Christ, and individually we are members who belong to one another.

17. SHARING Acts 4:32 NET The group of those who believed were of one heart and mind, and no one said that any of his possessions was his own, but everything was held in common.33With great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on them all.

18. 34For there was no one needy among them, because those who were owners of land or houses were selling them and bringing the proceeds from the sales 35and placing them at the apostles' feet. The proceeds were distributed to each, as anyone had need.

19. Fellowship is a oneness of purpose and cause, a setting aside of personal agenda’s. It is a focused purpose.If we have fellowship, it is based on the fact that we live for and serve Jesus.

20. COMMON BELIEF 1 John 1:1 NET This is what we proclaim to you: what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and our hands have touched (concerning the word of life —2and the life was revealed, and we have seen and testify and announce to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us).

21. 3What we have seen and heard we announce to you too, so that you may have fellowship with us (and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ). 1 John 1:7 NET But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.

22. Notice that if we do not accept what the Bible says about Jesus, we cannot have fellowship. Notice that if WE are not walking in the light, we cannot have fellowship.This is why Paul gives us a warning about not being yoked together with unbelievers.

23. COMMON CAUSE 2 Corinthians 6:14 NET Do not become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship does light have with darkness? 15 And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar?

24. Or what does a believer share in common with an unbeliever? 16 And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in themand will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

25. 1 Corinthians 5:9 NET I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.10In no way did I mean the immoral people of this world, or the greedy and swindlers and idolaters, since you would then have to go out of the world.

26. 11But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who calls himself a Christian who is sexually immoral, or greedy, or an idolater, or verbally abusive, or a drunkard, or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 For what do I have to do with judging those outside? Are you not to judge those inside? 13But God will judge those outside. Remove the evil person from among you.

27. A person who claims Christ yet lives an immoral life is not in fellowship with other Christians. Ephesians 5:5 NET For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

28. When you see that fellowship is a oneness of purpose, mind, and life, do you feel that we have fellowship at the Lindley Christian Church? If you do not feel that we do what are YOU going to do to fix it?

29. WHAT IS THE OBJECTIVE OF FELLOWSHIP? The reason that we have fellowship is to help each one of us to grow in Christ. We are to help one another grow in Christ. We are to encourage each other to live for Jesus.

30. Ephesians 2:19 TLB Now you are no longer strangers to God and foreigners to heaven, but you are members of God’s very own family, citizens of God’s country, and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian. We are called to belong, not just believe, we are not meant to live on an island.

31. What is the purpose of a healthy family? To build up, to encourage, to equip. If we are doing our job as parents, we are raising our children in such a way that they have the tools to make it in life.1 Thessalonians 5:11 NET Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, just as you are in fact doing.

32. Hebrews 3:13 NET But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called "Today," that none of you may become hardened by sin's deception. We have fellowship so that we can grow together in Christ. We have fellowship with one another so that we can be there for one another.

33. We cannot help each other if we do not know each other. We cannot have true fellowship if we do not spend time together. We cannot help each other if we are afraid to open up to one another. I imagine that if you would ask those who have been willing to let others get to know them, most of them would say they have been helped by this.

34. WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF FELLOWSHIP? A basic human need. People to live with.Just think how hard it would be if you thought you were the only one. It makes it tough. We need that sense community to help us along the way.

35. Not only do we need people to live with, but the church provides us a family for living. Most of us need the encouragement of a family.We receive an emotional benefit.

36. Support Colossians 3:12 NET Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if someone happens to have a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. 14 And to all these virtues add love, which is the perfect bond.

37. We need the support of others. What happens when God grants the gift of genuine Christian fellowship? Deep, joyful sharing replaces the polite prattle typically exchanged by Christians on Sunday morning. Sisters and brothers begin to discuss the things that really matter to them. They disclose their inner fears, their areas of peculiar temptation, their deepest joys.(Ronald J. Sider)

38. Koinonia (fellowship) was Paul’s favorite word to describe a believer’s relationship with the risen Lord and the benefits of salvation which come through Him. On the basis of faith believers have fellowship with the Son; 1 Corinthians 1:9 NET God is faithful, by whom you were called into fellowship with his son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

39. We share fellowship in the gospel. 1 Corinthians 9:23 NET I do all these things because of the gospel, so that I can be a participant in it. Philippians 1:5 NET because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.

40. Paul probably meant that all believers participate together in the saving power and message of the good news. Believers also share together a fellowship with the Holy Spirit, 2 Corinthians 13:13 NET The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.Which the apostle understood as a most important bond for unity in the life of the church.

41. Philippians 2:1 NET Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit, any affection or mercy, 2 complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.

42. 3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 4 Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

43. I ask you again, do we have fellowship at Lindley Christian Church? Our fellowship has to be based on our relationship with Jesus. Fellowship is an important purpose of the church. It is one of the things that people will be attracted to.

44. If the world doesn’t see a church that is one in heart and one in purpose, they will not take us very serious. I want to challenge you as we look at the purpose of the church to not just hear the messages, but purpose to think about how you can make these purposes your purposes.