And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Act 2:42 

Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:25

Acts 2:42-47; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Recurrent Thought

The Fellowship of Believers is the visible demonstration of the Body of Christ where God is praised and glorified and through which believers are blessed and built-up and the world around is exposed to the Power and Grace of God.

The New Testament Church collectively pursued four Practices (Acts 2:42).  These included understanding and following the Apostles Teaching, Fellowshipping with one another, breaking of bread and offering prayers regularly. These Practices distinguished and separated the New Testament Church. Today’s discourse handles the second practice of fellowshipping. All believers were expected to fellowship with other Christ-devoted followers. 

ICA P40

Launched 24th March ending May 2nd

Plan 40 is a strategy of Win in which we intentionally, plan and casting Vision in how we win others to Christ. 

Part of the strategy is to prepare for the eventual teaching (life class) that we conduct to ensure all who are born again receive. 

The most basic activity under P40 is Praying for specific peoples for the salvation of their Souls. The Church has asked you to Pray for three names you should deliberately pray for.

Before we talk about the Biblical Practice of Fellowship let us unpack the Word Church

Two Forms of Church 

The Word Church comes from the Anglo-Saxon word Kirke. However, the basic description and understanding of the “Church” is based on the Greek Ekklesia, which means “a called-out assembly” The Church therefore represents:

• A people called out of the world of Sin 
• A people who have appropriated the “Finished work of Christ”
• A people called out to follow Jesus’ teachings and practices

Therefore, the Church is neither a structure made out of bricks and mortar nor an institution created by human polity.  On the contrary, the church is a group—a community—of people who see themselves as standing in a relationship with the God who has saved them. The church is a people—a people brought together by the Holy Spirit—a people bound to each other through Christ—, a people in covenant with God. Above all, they are God’s people!

There are two important understandings of the Church as shown in the Biblical text and in practice:

1. Universal (catholic) Church
   • A universal Church includes all believers in the world who are blood washed and have a personal allegiance with Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior from all tribes, languages and peoples embedded in all denominations and located in all continents (Rev. 5: 9)
2. Local Church
   • It is an assembly of people that is part of and represents the Universal Church and meets regularly and consistently in a geographical place.

The Local church, when it acts according to the Lord’s demands and as it models after the Apostolic Model in the New Testament is the most powerful and transformational community that there is in any setting. But we must immediately state that although the local church is powerful in its ideal state, no local assembly is perfect. 

Biblical Practice of Fellowshipping

The word Fellowship, also translated as Communion stems from a Greek word called Koinonia whose root word of projects the meaning of  “to have in common” or “to share.” Koinonia is therefore, a partnership enhanced by participation into a cause or distribution of resources for a common good. Therefore, Christian Fellowship, of which we speak about, is  a deliberate pursuit of relationships, with established levels of accountability, support, and participating in activities with mutual edification.

Two Forms of Fellowship

Scripture describes two forms of Fellowship which are initiated by unique baptisms. First, Personal Fellowship with Jesus (God) is the fundamental spiritual relationship that establishes a child of God. It is inherently invisible, personal and private. Figuratively it is represented by Jesus being the Vine, and the individual believers are branches while the Father is addressed as the Vine Dresser (John 15). This fellowship is a fundamental relationship without which one cannot be regarded as a child of God. It is the relationship that makes the second form of Fellowship possible. When this form of fellowship is dead, however one builds or follows the second one, it produces no valuable consequence. When one is born again he is Baptized into Christ. The Scripture states that “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Gal. 3:27 ESV) 

Second,  Public Fellowship with people of like-mindedness is the visible communion demonstrated in gatherings of an ekklesia, a called out assembly. The word Koinonia largely speaks of the second. Koinonia is where we deliberately honor the relationships we have in the body of believers . The Bible uses the symbolism of the Human Body (1 Cor. 12:13-27). The scriptures also demonstrate that to belong to the Church is also a form of Baptism:  “For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit (1Cor._12:13 )

The Church followed radical practices just as it had a radical beginning. To be a member,  one had to be radically transformed. 

Here are four Elements of True Fellowship based on Acts 2:42-47 and 1 Cor.12: 13-27

1. True Fellowship is Honoring Spirit-Built Relationships
   • The Church of Jesus Christ is built on the relationship of the Spirit and therefore, as believers meet physically they must honor the Spirit who brings them together
   • True Fellowship recognizes that we are not mobilized based on our hobbies and likes, but based on our connection to Jesus 
2. True Fellowship Enhances the Giftedness of Everyone (1 Cor. 12:14-15)
   • The Body is not one organ, but many, which do different functions
   • No one person has the capacity to do all things alone
   • No one person has capacity to have all the giftings, resources to help all
   • We all depend on the giftedness of others. We are do not have all gifts
   • True Fellowship celebrates everyone; for each one of us, contribute to others.
   • Fellowship creates an environment to leverage the wisdom from experiences, perspectives, abilities from one another.
3. True Fellowship is the Celebration of Diversity (I Cor. 12:16-20)
   • Not all organs in the body are the same, but different.
   • The Fellowship of believers celebrates the diversity of God and uniqueness of each individual
   • The People in the Church come with all diversities. Not all organs are the same. 
   • Fellowship is not a demand of uniformity but diversity as God determines
   • The Body of Christ celebrates collaboration: Unity in Diversity.
   • All God-established diversities become a source of enrichment. Each one brings the wisdom and perspective to help another. We are going into elections, and we will see how we push ethnicity against others. In Christ there is
     Gal 3:28  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 
     Gal 3:29  And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise
4. True Fellowship is a catalyst for Evangelism and Outreach Acts 2:43
   • Genuine Fellowship is very magnetic. It goes beyond its confinement and touches communities beyond itself. 
   • True Fellowship is a powerful catalyst for evangelism and outreach. It goes beyond the walls of the local assembly 
   • When believers interact sincerely and deeply, they create an environment where the transforming power of the Spirit is released. Acts 2:43
   • In the place of fellowship, believers are trained to win souls and disciple other believers.

How do I become a member of the one body? By obedience to the gospel (Rom. 1:16). The initial steps are belief (Jn. 3.16), repentance (Lk. 13:3), confession (Rom. 10:9-10) and baptism (Acts 2:38). The final step puts one into the body, the church (1 Cor. 12:13; Acts 2:41, 47).

Altar

Recognize, Honor and Celebrate the Body of Christ