GBC Connection

March 2010

Spiritual fellowship is not a topic that we dwell on very often. Many of

us assume that time spent around coffee & food is considered fellowship. I’m

not saying that fellowship cannot happen during these times, but mere “small

talk” is not what God intended fellowship to be. The word fellowship has lost

some of its importance among believers. The Christians of the early Church

devoted themselves to fellowship (Acts 2:42). They were interested in each

other’s well being and edification. J. I. Packer says,

''We should not...think of our fellowship with other

Christians as a spiritual luxury, an optional addition

to the exercises of private devotion. We should

recognize rather that such fellowship is a spiritual

necessity; for God has made us in such a way that

our fellowship with himself is fed by our fellowship

with fellow-Christians, and requires to be so fed

constantly for its own deepening and enrichment." [http://www.new-testament-christian.com/fellowship.html]

There is a need for us to be involved in each other’s lives on a deeper level.

God did not intend for us to go through life by ourselves. Instead he made us

part of a body that needs to function together for His good. Our ministry is

not only to unbelievers but also to believers. God desires that we build each

other up. He wants us to …

Love One Another (1 Pet. 1:22; 1 John 3:17-18).

Forgive One Another (Col. 3:13; Eph. 4:31-32; Mat. 18:21-35).

Confess Your Faults One To Another (Jam. 5:16).

Pray For One Another (Jam. 5:16).

Bear One Another's Burdens (Gal. 6:2).

Admonish One Another (Heb. 3:13; 10:25).

Consider One Another (Heb. 10:24).

Comfort One Another (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11).

Edify One Another (Rom. 14:19).

Teach One Another (Col. 3:16).

Serve One Another (Gal. 5:13; John 13:1-17).

Accept one another (Rom. 15:7). [http://www.new-testament-christian.com/fellowship.html]

Making the Connection

I think we are all guilty of not practicing fellowship and taking a

personal interest in others lives in our own Church assembly. I don’t often

ask the “deeper” questions to get at the root of someone’s spiritual well-being

so that I can encourage, pray for, and comfort. As Believers we should

desire to not only help someone out in time of grief or loss, but in times of

struggle and heartache. We often don’t share our personal lives enough with

each other. Satan wants the lines of communication to stay close between

believers so that he can make us weaker.

If we all want to work together as a body effectively then we need to

get to know the other parts as well as we know ourselves. Packer says that

our fellowship with Him is fed by our fellowship with other fellow-Christians.

The closer we are as a body and the more enriching our time is together and

the more enriched our Spiritual walk with God will be. This is a very

interesting perspective, and it holds a lot of truth. If we are focused on others

and loving them, admonishing, edifying, and building up, then our thoughts

and actions are focused on Godly things, which ultimately is what God wants!

Taking Action

Take some time to reflect on fellowship. Read over and look up the

references from the list of things that God desires for us to do as part of

fellowship.

Think of someone from our Church family that you may not have a

close relationship already with, and then consider how you might put into

practice a few of these qualities to fellowship with that person.

Allow yourself to be stretched out of your comfort zone. And Pray!

Suggested Reading: see list on left Memorization: James 5:16

The purpose of GBC (Graphite Bible Chapel) Connection is to encourage further reflection and study to facilitate a deeper connection between our Sunday teaching and your daily lives – the triumphs, tragedies, and toil that each of us face every month.

Archived GBC Connection:

October 2009