PILLARS OF THE CHURCH: FELLOWSHIP
Series of Four Sermons
©Thomas B. Cundiff
Psalm 100 -- All Lands Summoned to Praise God
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness;
come into his presence with singing.
come into his presence with singing.
Know that the Lord is God.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
It is he that made us, and we are his;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
and his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him, bless his name.
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
his steadfast love endures for ever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.
Ephesians 4: 1-16
Unity in the Body of Christ
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said,
‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.’ (When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
he gave gifts to his people.’ (When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
I.
Is there joy in your life? Do you feel good about who you are and what you are doing? Whether at work or school or church or in your personal life of activities, are you satisfied with how things are going? Are you having some fun?
Personally: I feel pretty good about how things are going in my life. Entering my 27th year of ministry with you, approaching that scary birthday when I turn 60, I’m feeling really good. I have my fair share of issues….like my hips that aren’t getting any better…..but for the most part feel pretty ‘darn good’
– except for the fact that as I grow older I seem to have become more forgetful!
Feeling good? What I know for sure is we all have our fair share of issues. For many in our church, times are tough. Whether it is the economy or health issues or family/relationship issues, times for many are tough. Life isn’t all that joyful.
As a pastor, what is satisfying for me, personally, is when we can use our resources in the church to get through rough times.
The goal is always searching for that JOY we can find in having a special relationship with our Lord!
What is satisfying to me as pastor is when you call me and share with me what is going on with you. I look forward to getting updates from you as to how things are going.
With all the challenges we face in our lives, with our families, in the community and church there is one thing that lifts me up: YOU! To borrow from the Josh Groban song, YOU RAISE ME UP!
You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains;
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas;
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders;
You raise me up... To more than I can be.
II.
Fellowship in searching for JOY in our relationship with our Lord is the third pillar of essential components in doing ministry as Christ’s church.
-- The first pillar is worship in gathering together to give glory to God who gives us everything including life itself.
-- The second pillar is education is celebrating God giving us minds to know and discern how God wants us to live our lives.
-- The third pillar is fellowship, to borrow from the Westminster Catechism, enjoying God.
What is the chief end of humankind but to “glorify
God and to enjoy God forever!”
Joy in God in fellowship in nurturing a closer relationship with our Lord is an essential part of the life of a Christian. We are born not with frowns our faces. Glowering expressions on our faces are not natural. What comes naturally are beaming smiles and laughter! Having joy in our lives is a fundamental gift given all children of God!
Yet so many in this world don’t have smiles or joy or reasons to be joyful. A fundamental calling for the Christian to nurture finding ways to share in fellowship with others bring a taste of the joy of God to others….regardless where they are in lifes struggles.
Several points in talking about this third pillar, FELLOWSHIP:
First, fellowship in the church is meant to help us nurture and grow in FAITH. To think of growth in faith this way: Fellowship, as one author has said, is like a ‘liquid solution in which we are all suspended so all the nutrients from God can flow in and through us.” In reality we are all already suspended in a solution called the AIR we breathe and the WATER we drink that makes life possible.
The air we breathe as the fellowship of the ‘communion of saints’ are the winds of God flowing in and through us with every breath we take. God’s Spirit is always breathing in and through us helping us grow in faith.
Second, next to growth in faith, fellowship in union with Christ helps motivate us to share our God given gifts with others…..as scripture says about each of us:
“……….that some (of us are) would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Third, within the context of fellowship is the sacred work we do in the name of Jesus our Lord – our sacred calling to build up the body of Christ. Thinking about the deacons who will be meeting later this morning, there is something SACRED about fostering a culture of nurture and care and compassion within the church.
Fellowship leads to all the good things we can do to live our lives in the image of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who lived and died and continues to bind us together and build us up….as scripture says --
“mature to the measure of the full statue of Christ. We must not be tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
“YOU RAISE ME UP”, as the Apostle Paul says, to integrate into our lives and the lives of those around us…..called…...
….. with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
As Christ’s church, we can get through anything with smiles on our faces. God is always going to be with us raising us up to be more than we can ever be…..
IV.
We have been blessed and filled with joy in serving Christ as a church for nearly 144 years. Our challenge is to keep on going with smiles on our faces and Christ in our hearts!
We need to continue to grow in Christ through worship, educational programming and fellowship. Next week I will talk about the fourth pillar, mission. But for today, we celebrate basking in the warmth and sense of COMPLETENESS God provides for us in being together…..in worship……doing Christ’s work in the world.
Let’s savor the time we have together. With God in our hearts, let’s never forget those who have special needs. Let’s give special attention to those who may not have smiles on their faces this particular day.
And lastly, let’s not forget take care of ourselves in order to take care of others.
To end with this benediction I wrote for this church some years ago, worth repeating, based on 2 Corinthians 13: 11-13 – a good summary for this message:
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, our savior and friend;
May the love of God, binding us together and building us up;
May the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, knitting us together as a church family;
Be with us until we meet again. Amen.
Amen
Endnote: Some of these thoughts emerged after reading a sermon by Dr. Laird Stuart, retired pastor from the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh San Francisco Westminster September 19, 1982 .
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