Selling in church – What does the Bible say? ‣ Yet for a church that seeks to be guided in principle and practice by the New Testament, fellowship is very important. Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. Wisdom Concerning The Secret And Revealed Things, The Net Pastor's Journal, Eng Ed, Issue 38 Winter 2021. Publication date: Feb 21, 2021. Eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; 10 in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. Should an Unbeliever Partake of Communion? 46 And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. One such concept that has been especially warped in its biblical meaning is the concept of Christian fellowship. Publisher: OpenBible.info. And when James and Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to Barnabas and me, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. As a verb, to fellowship simply means to spend time with that community or company. OpenBible.info Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 2. Never be wise in your own sight. That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith, both yours and mine. By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. I went up because of a revelation and set before them (though privately before those who seemed influential) the gospel that I proclaim among the Gentiles, in order to make sure I was not running or had not run in vain. People must recognize our goal. As previously discussed, our purpose is to show God’s glory to the world in all the many ways He has instructed us in the Bible. You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Geocoding If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food. Then after fourteen years I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. 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. R We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. It is like the precious oil on the head, running down on the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! Therefore encourage one another with these words. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. “The churches of Christ greet you” (Romans 16:16). So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. U 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. Fellowship is the indispensable means of accomplishing the God-given purpose of the church. 1 John 1:3 - That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. Finally, however, about five o’clock, he broke through into the trench the man in front of him was digging. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Yes in Acts 2:47 King James Bible. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. This is a point almost universally ignored by Christian groups today. Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The importance of fellowship to the church can be seen first in the fact that fellowship occurred naturally as a result of the establishment of the church. There he found some disciples. - And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. The Bible is the foundation of fellowship. Ought you not rather to mourn? The instruments are our spiritual gifts and natural abilities. Suppose a person does not believe that the Lord is the Son of God. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. They think the church can make it without them. Here, fellowship primarily focuses on our spiritual unity with Christ, an inner relationship. So, then, we see that the practice of fellowship, the outward exercise of our inner unity in doing God’s will, is not only natural but indispensable in accomplishing God’s purpose for the church. By no means! So you see, the very nature of God’s plan necessitates the Godly capacities of many individuals added together to show His perfections to the world. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. I have before me a photocopy out of a book that I have which contains every Scripture that uses the Greek word for fellowship, koinonia. As you work with others, your gifts will surface and you’ll find places you might function in our church according to your gifts and abilities. It is only as we work together in this way that it is possible to accomplish God’s plan. And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison. It is not “being in” or “being part” but it is “doing with” Christ. ‣ I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. It was one of their objectives. And we can only participate with Him in doing God’s will, for that is all He ever does! It is an exclusively post-pentecost relationship. For this reason we must quit thinking of Christian fellowship as primarily doing things such as having pot luck dinners or watching football or playing basketball with other believers. The Bible gives us everything we need to recover a greater vision of true friendship. You can practice fellowship by taking an active part where you can best help with this goal. That their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. And all those who had believed were together, and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions, and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries. Genesis 5:22-24 Then Enoch walked with God three hundred years after he became the father of … And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers. Each of these words denotes a unity which is expressed outwardly. This is true of fellowship but by contrast, fellowship is also an inner unity. So in God’s symphony—His plan, the score is the Bible which reveals His Son, Jesus Christ. We can sometimes be misunderstood because of mispronunciations as when Howard Hendrick’s child told a friend that his father taught in a “cemetery.” Sometimes sound-alike phrases are misunderstood as with the child in a Christian school who was asked to draw a picture depicting the hymn “Gladly the Cross I’d Bear” and instead drew a picture of Gladly, the cross-eyed bear. Our sixth observation concerning the meaning of “fellowship” is that it is a unique relationship with Christ. # bible-study, # church But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. Y Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John. The point of this exhortation is in the adjective "unfruitful." 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. And this is what the Church is, God’s orchestra! And all who believed were together and had all things in common. Answer: Church discipline is the process of correcting sinful behavior among members of a local church body for the purpose of protecting the church, restoring the sinner to a right walk with God, and renewing fellowship among the church members. Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. The church is not really a place. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”. That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. Koinonia is used nineteen times in the New Testament and in addition to being translated as “fellowship” it is also translated by the words, “contribution,” “sharing,” and “participation.” A close study of the usage of this word shows that action is always included in its meaning. And koinonia means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. But what a lot of people have overlooked is the fact that the word "fellowship" in the Scriptures has to do with spiritual activities. ... We used to take sweet counsel together; within God's house we walked in the throng. So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. This inner aspect of fellowship may be seen in verses such as 1 Corinthians 1:9: God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Unless otherwise indicated, all content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License. Our heart should hold the church dear, persevere in commitment and value the role we play in the body of Christ. If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. Maybe the strongest and most pointed passage about fellowship is from Hebrews 10 when the author says that some have stopped meeting and are neglecting fellowship. But if we have problems understanding the concepts of each other, that is nothing compared to the problems we encounter understanding the concepts of God, for His thoughts are not our thoughts, they are foreign to us. Outdo one another in showing honor. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”. Contact me: openbibleinfo (at) gmail.com. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. Hebrews 10:25 says don’t forsake gathering of the assembly of believers. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 3. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. This is the way fellowship will affect us if we get in and dig together. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. This is important for all men and women of faith. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. Jesus told His disciples, "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:35). And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.” And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Nobody had to come to the disciples and other new believers on the day of Pentecost and say, “You need to practice fellowship.” The Bible tells us to meet together as believers and to encourage one another. With the unity of the Holy Spirit and a divine purpose, we must all put our shoulders to the plow until God’s plan is complete. According to the Bible, our chief happiness is in fellowship with the triune God and all who trust him. But the importance of fellowship to the church does not rest solely upon the fact that it was the natural result of the coming of the Holy Spirit. ‣ People often do not take part in a church because they see no clear purpose. Our English word, “fellowship” is the translation of the Greek word, “koinonia.” This Greek word is derived from the root, “koinos,” which was a prefix in ancient Greek. As iron sharpens iron , in true Christian fellowship Christians sharpen one another’s faith and stir one another to exercise that faith in love and good works, all to God’s glory. C Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. I Just like the old advice of “if you want to be successful, surround yourself with successful people” goes, if you want to be encouraged on your spiritual journey, it’s best to surround yourself with people on that same journey. And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ‣ For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. The Bible does teach that the church is to have fellowship. And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. Q REMOVING SOMEONE FROM THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE CHURCH. The church has a part in accomplishing that plan. ‣ Love one another with brotherly affection. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ‣ F Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! ‣ By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. Neither does he believe that Jesus is God. The Bible doesn’t give us a specific number of times per month we should attend church, but it does speak to the heart we should have for the house of God. There are only four legionnaires left alive in the post. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Such statements as the following reveal that we face problems when trying to communicate to one another: “I know you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”. The phrase “through the church” in vs. 10 shows that the church is to be God’s instrument in accomplishing His plan. Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Why does fellowship matter? In the movie, the Arabs are attacking a foreign legion outpost. Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Now, with these seven observations, we should be able to give a biblical definition to the word, “fellowship.” We can say that: “Fellowship is a relationship of inner unity among believers that expresses itself in outer co-participation with Christ and one another in accomplishing God’s will on earth.”. N Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. In calling unchurched Christians a “grotesque anomaly,” Stott is simply joining his voice with the consistent teaching of the church throughout its history. Is it medically safe to engage in ten days of total fasting monthly taking only water. And you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church entered into partnership with me in giving and receiving, except you only. Its beauty is impossible to capture in one note no matter how loud. You can discover where you can best help by recognizing your spiritual gifts and natural abilities and by knowing the needs of our church. We see in this passage that God has an eternal plan. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. Only by a full orchestra playing together can the beautiful harmony be fully captured. Visit the Bible online to search for words if you don’t know the specific passage your’re looking for. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. And I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. Question: "What does the Bible say about church discipline?" L For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. W Rather, its primary importance stems from the fact that: 2. Bible verses about church attendance I must be honest. When the topic of selling something in church is discussed, the most common accounts debated are those involving Jesus cleansing the temple.In one instance, Jesus said, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations'? But what is fellowship? A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By noon, he had dug down over his head and felt all alone at his work. D For the church lies at the very centre of the eternal purpose of God.” 1 God does not save people from sin without also saving them into the body of Christ. ‣ Let's explore several passages and consider numerous biblical reasons for going to church. But fellowship is not an event, no, it should be part of our life as a Christ-follower. For “church leaders,” “bible teachers,” “pastors,” etc., to admit they are wrong and change their practices will in many ways destroy the system they have built (along with themselves) because “church membership” is built upon nothing less than a house of sand. ‣ The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. Let brotherly love continue. Of David. And never does the New Testament conceive of the Christian existing on a prolonged basis outside the fellowship of the church. It is not just being together but doing together. It is only doing God’s will together. When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place.