Today, we're going to look at the second purpose, which is you are formed for God's family.
Ephesians 1:5, “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ." The entire Bible, is the story of God building a family. Throughout history God is building a family for Himself that is going to last not just here on earth, but forever in eternity. One of the things we are going to do in heaven, in eternity, is to love God. And the other thing is we are going to love the other believers that are there.
Our second purpose in life is Fellowship. That's the word that the Bible uses to describe loving each other. The Bible says: I John 4:21. "The person who loves God must also love other believers." Despite of possible misunderstandings about the term, fellowship is loving God's family. We have to love other believers.
In God's family there are four levels of fellowship, four levels of loving God’s family, the local church.
The first level is Membership or "Choosing to belong." That means you find a church family and you choose to get connected to it. The Christian life is not just a matter of believing. It is matter of belonging, and you and I must choose to belong. Fellowship begins with belonging, with making that choice. It is a membership choice.
The second level of Fellowship is the friendship level. Learning to share. We were created in God's image. You were made for relationships. Life is not a solo act. And we all need friends. Acts 2:44. "All the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other."
1) you can't develop friendships without meeting together; and
2) you can't develop friendships without sharing. The more frequently you meet together, the closer you're going to get.
A fundamental lesson in life is learning to share. Every little child has to learn to share and in the family of God you and I need to learn to share with other believers. The Bible is full of instructions on things we're to share as Christians with each other:
- First, we share Experiences. The Bible says people learn from one other “just as iron sharpens iron."
- Second, we share our Homes. I Peter 4:9, "open up your homes to each other." It doesn't say if they are nice ones, open them up. It just says open them up. We can worship together. We can celebrate together. We can learn together.
- Third, we share our Problems. The Bible says, “Share each other's troubles and problems.” You don't have to fix everyone's problem. God hasn't told you to do that. It just says share them. This means lend a listening ear. It is just sharing sympathy and experience.
I encourage you to get involved in a small group to experience this true sharing! Hebrews 10:25, “Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. Instead, let us encourage one another.” The primary purpose of a group is to encourage each other. I hope you'll never give up this habit we are experiencing now, because we're always going to need encouragement.
The third level of Fellowship is Partnership - doing my part. Partnership is realizing that I’ve got a contribution to make; that the family of God needs you. God wants to make a difference through your life. In every family there are family responsibilities. The same is true in God's family. The Bible is filled with the fact that you and I are to work with one another in getting this job done. 1 Corinthians 3:9. "We are partners working together for God."
We get to be part of God's plan for the universe and for Antwerp! This will happen when we cooperate and participate together in the family of God.
To be a part, you must find out, “Where do I fit, how I do I fit?” Ephesians 4:16 says. “The whole body is fitted together perfectly…As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole Body is healthy and growing and full of love." You and I have a part to play in the Body of Christ. And when we cooperate, we get much more done together than we could get done by ourselves.
My philosophy for ministry is that God has given all of us gifts and talents. It is our responsibility to discover them and use them for His purposes. After the 40 Days of Purpose you will have opportunity to take a Spiritual Gifts Inventory, a type of test that can help you determine the specific gifts God has given you for ministry or contribution to your local church family. Fellowship is each of us doing our part.
Lastly, let’s talk about the deepest level of fellowship in the family of God – Kinship.
Kinship literally means your closest relationships, your closest family. It is Loving believers like family.
Romans 12:10 says, "Be devoted to each other like a loving family." The word for fellowship in the NT is the Greek word “koinonia." The basic root literally means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ. That is family relationship. That is kinship. This is what life is all about, loving God and learning to love each other. Life is not about accomplishments. It is about relationships. This is what we want to learn and practice in ANTIA!
Loving God, is called “Worship,” and loving each other, is called “Fellowship.” The Bible says John 13, Jesus said, “Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples."
This is the dream I have for ANTIA: that we would not be known for our size, not our sermons, not our singing, not our strategy, not our buildings, but our love. That people would EXPERIENCE meaningful worship and fellowship. And, focusing on the things that unite us, rather than what separates us.
Today, people are not looking for religion, they are looking for a family. They are not looking for doctrine; they are looking for love. This is what Christian faith is all about, loving God and loving each other. The greatest privilege is being a part of God's family. God's family is a laboratory for learning to love.
At which of these levels of fellowship are you at?
- Have you made it to the first one, choosing to belong? Are you committed to one local church? Maybe choosing a church is your next step.
- Then you need to learn to share. The most natural way is in small group setting.
- Then you need to not just share your heart, you need to do your part. That's partnership. Find your place to give back, to make a contribution. If you're in the family of God, He has some family responsibilities for you.
- Then are there any other believers that know you are devoted to them? That you're going to be there for them in their crisis?
As you read the following prayer, say it from your heart:
You know, Father, next to salvation, the greatest gift you have ever given us is the opportunity to be a part of your family. Thank you that we don't have to go through life disconnected and isolated.See you on 10 November at the Seafarer's Centre!
Dear God, I want to be a part of your family and I want to learn to love my spiritual family just like you do. Forgive me for taking it casually. I want to grow in the levels of fellowship, so today I’m choosing to belong. I’m not going to float around anymore. I want to learn to share and make time to develop real friendships. I want to do my part in the family of God. I want to learn to love other believers like brothers and sisters. Teach me the meaning of real love. In your name I pray, Amen.
Reijo Nevalainen, ANTIA Project Leader