Life Together!!! Shalom Brothers and Sisters, the world is seperated by water into different divisions of land, then they are all named into different countries with different cultures and language. But when you stop and think about where this all came from, the only answer that you should come up with is that God/Yahweh Created it all and gave it to us to live and cultivate, as was commanded in the beginning of time to Adam also. No matter where you live in the world that God/Yahweh Created, with all the troubles that man causes out of his own greed, God/Yahweh’s whole intention was for us all to live a: Life Together!!! The passage from the Word of God/Yahweh for today is Psalm 133:1; “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!” Life Together: A Shared Life!!! We see from the passage today that God/Yahweh intends for us to experience life together. The Bible calls this shared experience or fellowship!!! Today, however, these words have lost most of its Biblical meaning. Fellowship now usually refers to a casual conversation, socializing, for food and fun. The question arises; “Where do you fellowship?” or that could mean; “Where do you attend the church of God/Yahweh?” “Stay after for fellowship,” usually means; “Wait for refreshments.” But brothers and sisters real fellowship is so much more than just showing up at services. It is experiencing a life together… It includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other ‘one another’ commands found in the New Testament of the Word of God/Yahweh!!! When it comes to fellowship, size matters: smaller is better. You can worship with a crowd, but you cant fellowship with one. Once a group becomes larger than about ten people, someone stops participating and it is usually the quietest person, and a few people will then dominate the group. Jesus/Yeshua ministered in the context of a small group of disciples. He could have chosen more, but He knew twelve is about the maximum size you can have in a small group if everyone is to participate. The body of Christ/Yeshua, like your own body, is really a collection of many small cells. The life of the body of Christ/Yeshua, like your body, is contained in the cells… For this reason, every Believer needs to be involved in a small group within their church of God/Yahweh, whether is it a home fellowship group, a Bible study meeting in a room at the congregation building. This is where real community takes place, not in the big gatherings of service!!! Life Together: Authentic Friendships!!! In 1 John 1:7-8 we read; “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, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” In Believer fellowship people should experience authenticity: Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. Its genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level sharing. It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer. Authenticity is the exact opposite of what you find in many churches of God/Yahweh today. Instead of an atmosphere of honesty and humility, there is pretending, role-playing, politicking, superficial politeness, and shallow conversation. People wear masks (including many of the pastors, teachers and preachers), keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real friendship, however… Its only as we become open about our lives that we experience authentic fellowship. The Bible said; “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, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God/Yahweh says it happens in the light. We tend to use darkness to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are. Of course, being authentic requires both courage and humility. It means facing our fear of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again. Why would anyone take such a risk? Because its the only way to grow Spiritually and be emotionally healthy. The Bible says in James 5:16; “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective!!!” Life Together: A Mutual Dependency!!! We read in Romans 1:12; “That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” In authentic Believer fellowship people should experience a mutual dependency. This mutuality is the art of giving and receiving; its depending on each other. The Word of God/Yahweh again says in 1 Corinthians 12:25; “So that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.” Mutuality is the heart of fellowship: Building relationships, sharing responsibilities, and helping each other... Paul told us in Romans 1:12 again; “That is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” All of us are more consistent in our faith when others walk with us and encourage us. The Bible commands mutual accountability, mutual encouragement, mutual serving, and mutual honoring. Over fifty times in the New Testament were commanded to do different tasks for ‘one another’ and ‘each other.’ The Bible tells us in Romans 14:19; “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” You are not responsible for everyone in the body of Christ/Yeshua, but you are responsible to them. God/Yahweh expects you do whatever you can to help them!!! Life Together: Dont Be Reluctant To Show Mercy!!! Now we read in 2 Corinthians 2:7; “Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” In real fellowship people experience mercy. Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes arent rubbed in, but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice… We all need mercy, because we all stumble and fall and require help getting back on track. We need to offer mercy to each other and be willing to receive it from each other.You cant have fellowship without forgiveness, because bitterness and resentment always destroy fellowship. Sometimes we hurt each other intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, but either way, it takes massive amounts of mercy and grace to create and maintain fellowship. It is written in Colossians 3:13; “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.” The mercy God/Yahweh shows to us is the motivation for us to show mercy to others. Whenever youre hurt by someone, you have a choice to make: Will I use my energy and emotions for retaliation or for resolution? You cant do both!!! Many people are reluctant to show mercy, because they dont understand the difference between trust and forgiveness: Forgiveness is letting go of the past… Trust has to do with future behavior. Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it… Trust must be rebuilt over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are commanded by God/Yahweh to forgive them instantly, but you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time. The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability!!! Life Together: Offering Sympathy!!! In Colossians 3:12 we read; “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” In real fellowship people experience compassion otherwise known as sympathy. Sympathy is not giving advice or offering quick, cosmetic help; sympathy is entering in and sharing the pain of others… Sympathy is moreor less saying; “I understand what youre going through, and what you feel is neither strange nor crazy.” Todayhowever, some call this ‘empathy,’ but the Bible Word’s it says; “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion (sympathy), kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Sympathy meets two fundamental human needs: The need to be understood and the need to have your feelings validated!!! Every time you understand and affirm someones feelings, you build fellowship. The problem is that were often in such a hurry to fix things that we dont have time to sympathize with people. Or were preoccupied with our own hurts. Self-pity dries up sympathy for others. There are different levels of fellowship, and each is appropriate at different times: The simplest levels of fellowship are the fellowship of sharing and the fellowship of studying God/Yahwehs Word together… A deeper level is the fellowship of serving, as when we minister together on mission trips or mercy projects… The deepest, most intense level is the fellowship is of suffering, as we read in Philippians 3:10; “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” And in Hebrews 10:33-34; “Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You suffered along with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.” This is where we enter into each others pain and grief and carry each others burdens. The Believers who understand this level best are those around the world who are being persecuted, despised, and often martyred for their faith… The Word of God/Yahweh teaches us in Galatians 6:2; “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” It is in the times of deep crisis, grief, and doubt that we need each other most. When circumstances crush us to the point that our faith falters, thats when we need believing friends the most… We need a small group of friends to have faith in God/Yahweh for us and to pull us through. In a small group, the body of Christ/Yeshua is real and tangible even when God/Yahweh seems distant. This is what Job desperately needed during his suffering. He cried out in Job 6:14; “Anyone who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” This is an example that we can also remember and follow in this life here on earth as Believers as we all live our: Life Together!!! Be Blessed in the name and shed blood of Christ Jesus/Yeshua our Savior who gave us the chance to live Life Together… Hallelujah, Amen!!! PastorJeff Walker
Posted on: Sun, 09 Mar 2014 08:53:10 +0000
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