A Commitment to Fellowship
Matthew 28:19
A commitment to the great commission is a commitment to fellowship
Biblical fellowship is an absolute must if we are going to be a spiritually healthy church where Christ is seen and heard
Fellowship has to do with our relationship with God and with others, especially those of the household of faith
If Greater Hopewell is going to grow spiritually and fulfill the great commission and commandment we must live in fellowship with each other, which is the indicator that we are in fellowship with God
When a person gets saved by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he or she enters into fellowship with God.
I 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."
Well, the great commission commands us to fellowship people into the local church, to grow and development Christ-like character
After one is convicted and converted into the family of God they are to be fellowshipped into the life of the Lord’s church
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
So, after being evangelized, fellowship is to take place and be ongoing
One of the many things Satan does really well is keeping us from connecting with one another through the ministry of fellowship
Just as evangelism is a commandment so is fellowship
We will not become a spiritually healthy church where Christ is seen, if we will not trust each other and give each others the benefit of the doubt, instead of thinking the worse and expecting the worse from our brothers and sisters
I. Commandment to be in fellowship with God and People
II. Fellowship is dying to sin and self
III. Fellowship is sharing life’s ups and downs
IV. Fellowship is ministering together for the glory of God
Our relationship with each other matters
Our relationship with each other depicts our spiritual maturity or lack of it
Fellowship requires intentionality and honesty with God and people
As we move forward in 2023 God has commanded us to be in fellowship with Him and his people
I. Commandment to be in fellowship with God and people
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
Baptize in the Greek is immerse, to share in
Fellowship is to share life together
II. Fellowship is dying to sin and self
“Baptizing them”
IV. Fellowship is ministering together for the glory of God
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”
Hebrew 13:1, “Let brotherly love continue”
Listen don’t let Satan disrupt fellowship in the body Christ
Satan’s goal is to destroy, to detach, and distort relationships in the Lord’s church
Satan is good at what he does. He works at it day and night
Don’t allow him to do to you what he did to Adam and Eve
If the church of the Living God stays together:
Goliath could not stop David!
The wall of Jericho could not stop Joshua!
The grave could not stop Jesus!
And Satan in hell can’t stop us!
Biblical fellowship is an absolute must if we are going to be a spiritually healthy church where Christ is seen and heard
Fellowship has to do with our relationship with God and with others, especially those of the household of faith
If Greater Hopewell is going to grow spiritually and fulfill the great commission and commandment we must live in fellowship with each other, which is the indicator that we are in fellowship with God
When a person gets saved by the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, he or she enters into fellowship with God.
I 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."
Well, the great commission commands us to fellowship people into the local church, to grow and development Christ-like character
After one is convicted and converted into the family of God they are to be fellowshipped into the life of the Lord’s church
“Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
So, after being evangelized, fellowship is to take place and be ongoing
One of the many things Satan does really well is keeping us from connecting with one another through the ministry of fellowship
Just as evangelism is a commandment so is fellowship
We will not become a spiritually healthy church where Christ is seen, if we will not trust each other and give each others the benefit of the doubt, instead of thinking the worse and expecting the worse from our brothers and sisters
I. Commandment to be in fellowship with God and People
II. Fellowship is dying to sin and self
III. Fellowship is sharing life’s ups and downs
IV. Fellowship is ministering together for the glory of God
Our relationship with each other matters
Our relationship with each other depicts our spiritual maturity or lack of it
Fellowship requires intentionality and honesty with God and people
As we move forward in 2023 God has commanded us to be in fellowship with Him and his people
I. Commandment to be in fellowship with God and people
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost”
Baptize in the Greek is immerse, to share in
Fellowship is to share life together
- Salvation spiritually fellowships new believers into the body of Christ
- The church fellowship believers into the local church through water baptism and the right hand of fellowship
- Right hand of fellowship is an outward expression of heart felt fellowship
- Our authority for fellowship is God the Father, Son, and the Holy Ghost
- Our fellowship is with the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
- We are in union with God vertically
- We are in union with each other horizontally
II. Fellowship is dying to sin and self
“Baptizing them”
- Baptism symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus
- When God saves us, we are dead to sin and self
- Sin no longer controls us
- Self no longer controls us
- The enemy of fellowship is selfishness and sin
- Dying to sin and self enables us to have fellowship with God and others
- Fellowship enables us in loving and forgiving others
III. Fellowship is sharing life’s ups and downs
- Life experiences can spiritually strengthen the believers
- God did not intend for us to go through life alone
- We have the assurance of God being with us
- We need to know that people are with us
- Fellowship is what was intended in Genesis 2:18
- And the LORD God said it is not good that the man should be alone
- We are relational being
- God put people in our life to help us through life, dealing with all the trails in life
- Not to be critical or accusative
- But to be an encourager not a destroyer
- We are to be building each other up
IV. Fellowship is ministering together for the glory of God
“Baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost”
- We are fellowshipped into the body of Christ for God’s glory
- It is in the authority and the assignment of the Godhead to engage in ministry together to build up the body of Christ
- Fellowship is people who are wired differently but lay aside their differences for the ministry of building up the Lord’s church
- Fellowship is saints agreeing with God to carry out the great commission and commandment
- Fellowship is essential to spiritual growth and development
Hebrew 13:1, “Let brotherly love continue”
Listen don’t let Satan disrupt fellowship in the body Christ
Satan’s goal is to destroy, to detach, and distort relationships in the Lord’s church
Satan is good at what he does. He works at it day and night
Don’t allow him to do to you what he did to Adam and Eve
If the church of the Living God stays together:
- There is no mountain that we can’t move
- There is no valley that we can’t go though
- There is no giant that we can’t slay
Goliath could not stop David!
The wall of Jericho could not stop Joshua!
The grave could not stop Jesus!
And Satan in hell can’t stop us!
