Fellowship: May 30, 2011

May 30 2011. TODAYS WORD FOR MONDAY MAY 30, 2011

FELLOWSHIP

DEFINITION:

Sharing together; companionship; a community of interests.

SCRIPTURE:

God, who has called you into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ, is faithful. I Corinthians 1:9

Finally, all of you be in one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, and be courteous. I Peter 3:8.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

God’s purpose in creating Adam was so He could have fellowship with him. God saw that it was not good for Adam to be alone (Genesis 2:18) so He created Eve to be his helpmate so that they would have each other to fellowship with as well as have fellowship with God. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God their sin separated them from fellowship with God.

In our world today there are too many individuals whom we call “loners.” “Loners” live only for self and never develop many friends. We need fellowship with others today to keep our lives in balance. There are just too many “pressures” we face in today’s world to live without friends, communication and fellowship. Fellowship is the sharing together of our time, our talents and our treasures with others. It also includes the sharing together of our thoughts, our concerns and our victories.

We need fellowship with our family. This includes daily communication with our spouses, our children and our parents. For many today communication (fellowship) is difficult to schedule in our homes. We use the word schedule but fellowship should come naturally, whenever we are together, as part of a healthy and functional family.

As believers the scripture tells us that we should fellowship with other believers. This is why we need churches, Sunday schools, Bible classes and small group studies. These all provide places and programs to not only grow in our faith but to stimulate fellowship with other believers.

Christian fellowship combines social and spiritual interaction. Fellowship among Christians is unique because it is made possible only through a true relationship with Jesus Christ. Believers by their faith in Jesus have a common bond. We are all His children.

But most important we need to have daily fellowship with God. As Paul tells us in I Corinthians 1:9, God has called us into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Sin broke the fellowship Adam and Eve had with God. Our sins keep us from fellowship with God. To have fellowship with God takes a commitment that includes reading His Word daily and communicating to Him through prayer daily.

God’s Word makes us aware of our sins so we can repent and confess our sin to the Lord in prayer. The 133rd Psalm is only three verses long but David wrote clearly in this Psalm for us that fellowship should be our purpose in life. He says how good and pleasant it is for believers to dwell together in unity.

Peter writes in I Peter (above) that as believers we are to be all of one mind. This involves an agreement in doctrine --- what we believe --- but also in our practical aims in life. This is the opposite of the way the world thinks. We are not to render evil for evil but have compassion for one another, love one another and be courteous.

In Galatians 2:9 we read the account of when James and John, who were pillars in the church of Galatia, heard that Paul and Barnabas were leaving to minister to the Gentiles (known as the heathen) they gave them the right hand of fellowship. In other words they gave them their blessing and assurance of their prayers and support. As believers we need to extend our hand of fellowship to those who are ministering for the Lord by praying for them and giving them support.

Fellowship is important for families and believers today. Make sure you also are having fellowship daily with your Lord and Savior. That is the source for our strength to live a Christ honoring life.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Matthew 5:9.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.

PRAYER:

Make my fellowship with You today special so that I may show to the world I live in the good news of my faith. Help each one in my family to have fellowship with each other, other believers and, most importantly, with You.