How To Know God

Over the last forty (40) years I have written a number of quotes, comments, pithy sayings, and poems in the fly-leafs of my bibles. Each Tuesday I am going to share those various entries from my bibles with you. I hope they will be as much of blessing to you as they have been to me. Sometimes I will be able to give credit where credit is due and sometimes I won’t be able to credit the source. I apologize for this to each one who contributed these gems over the last forty (40) years.

TODAY'S TREASURE:

The Bible is the fullest revelation and representation that God could give of His own being so that we might know and love Him.

What is Fellowship? Part III

"Pastor, I think my family and myself are going to leave "Fill-in-the-blank Community Church" because we just can't find any fellowship here."

What pastor (s) have not heard that statement before. It comes right after, "Pastor, we need to talk." We all know what that statement means don't we? No matter how many times it is heard, it is still as heart-breaking as the first time.

Most pastors get upset and defensive when they hear this from a family that is either a member or who have been attending for some time. Unfortunately excuses begin to be thrown about and blame is usually fixed on the "family" that is leaving. 

Pastors begin to point out all the wonderful fellowship that is available at ABC Bible Church. They point out the corporate worship service, the summer VBS, the men and/or women's bible studies, the BYKOTAs', the Quilting group, the ladies fellowship, the men's fellowship, and the every other Thursday evening on a full moon except for holidays sock darning society. 

The offender is usually accused of not taking advantage of all these wonderful activities of fellowship. They may be encouraged to try another group or "fellowship" opportunity.

I will admit and give you the fact that some if not many "believers" do not make genuine attempts at developing biblical fellowship. There are those times where the blame is squarely on the "offended" family.

However, in many cases, sadly, it is the pastor who is to be blamed. First, for not recognizing that real or true fellowship may in fact not be taking place at his church. Second, for not taking the leadership initiative through teaching in order to foster a practicing spiritual dynamic of Christian fellowship. 

Remember fellowship is not simply or merely activity with a "Christian" moniker attached to it. Attending monthly or quarterly pot-lucks do not always foster fellowship. No doubt they can produce great meals and some fun times. But while the middle is getting "fed and fat" the soul can be withering away. Many souls are starving and thin because fellowship does not happen.

I know. I have been in "churches" where the preaching was good, the people were friendly and even sincere, but I was starving for fellowship. 

David, while on the run from King Saul took refuge in a cave. While sitting in this cave on the run, in fear for his life, and alone made this pointed statement:

"Look on my right hand and see, for there is no one who acknowledges me; refuge has failed me, no one cares for my soul." (Psalms 142:4, NKJV)

Isn't that a pitiful commentary on both David's situation and his feelings? My friend I have felt like that one more than one occasion. I have cried that very statement in prayers to God. 

I did not have this distressful and emotional out-break while in some cave in the desert. I have had it while "worshipping" along side of a church-full of believers. I felt it while teaching an Adult Sunday School class. I felt it at pot-lucks. I have experienced it in the privacy of my own home.

Regardless of what I was doing or not doing there have been times when I believed no one (God excluded) cared for my soul. Why would I say this?

When I get together with God's people I find it difficult to get a "spiritual" conversation started. If I can get one started I find it impossible to keep it going beyond a one sentence acknowledgment.

I am not asked how I am doing spiritually. I am rarely built up in my faith or feel that my inner man has been strengthened. I am rarely encouraged or exhorted. You see true, biblical, Christian, spiritual fellowship has not taken place.

Oh, we have talked and visited. I have learned who is taking a trip, who is sick, who has scheduled surgery, how hot the weather has been, how rude drivers are, and on and on and on. You know what I mean.

Lest you set out to rebuke me (and periodically I need that) I make every attempt for quite some time before I recognize that I am feeling as David did. I take the initiative. I don't wait on someone else to do so in every case. Of course I do feed myself with personal fellowship with my heavenly Father almost every morning.

But I would love to know that some cares for my soul, that someone acknowledges me. And so does that family who just told you, "Pastor, I don't get any fellowship here at our church." 

You can say to me or our "fictional family" all day long, that "we" have a whole church that loves us and cares for us. There is more than being friendly, liked, even loved, and/or tolerated superficially in an auditorium or bible study setting. It is entirely something different to have someone whom I have a common denominator with participating in my spiritual development through fellowship which enriches my soul.

Pastor, don't be dismissive. Don't be defensive. Most importantly don't be dumb. Ask them what they mean. Ask them what they are missing or what it is that they think they are not getting. Evaluate your church body - is real biblical and spiritual fellowship even taking place. Or is it truly missing.

Shaking hands as you walk in the door or down an aisle on the way to a chair or pew, a smile from across the room, singing together the same hymn, and listening to a sermon together does not mean that fellowship has taken place. More often than not it has not taken place.

Maybe this family is in need of mentoring or discipling. Maybe this family is need of exhortation and edification. Maybe this family needs to be taught biblically an accurately. Maybe this family is right.

Don't tell them to attend the pot-lucks or ask them why they don't attend the men's or women's bible studies. Have you spent the time and made the necessary herculean effort to teach and develop real fellowship in your church?

Let's talk some more about this subject. Will you join me on Wednesday? 

Please enjoy Tuesday's Treasure Tuesday.

If you are able, stop by on Wednesday. I hope to share with you at least seven reasons why fellowship does not take place at the average evangelical church.

Thank You!

This post marks 1500 posts since I began this blog in February 2009. I have received over 6500 comments and over 417,000 visitors.

I have tried to give you a quality product each time I posted. My goals have never changed. I have tried to live up to them in these past 1500 entries.

Thank you for taking the time to visit the Gospel-driven Disciples. Thank you for reading! Thank you for commenting! 

Most of all thank you for your friendship. I love and appreciate each and every one of you. 

Blogs come and go - some are good and some are bad. Interest peaks and then wanes. I know my readership has declined but I thank you for the past four years and 1500 posts. 

May God bless each and every one of you for being such a blessing to me on this journey.

William Hendriksen on preaching comfort...

To be sure, sin must be exposed in all its horror. Without the knowledge of sin there is no salvation. The preacher who fails to describe sin as it truly is -defiance of God's holy will -, and who neglects to point out again and again, what terrible consequences, is not a true interpreter of the word of God. On the other hand, the pulpiteer who neglects to address words of comfort to penitents, and to encourage them with messages of cheer taken from or based on Scripture, is not true to the maxim, engraved on many a pulpit, "Sir, we would see Jesus." (John 12:21)

Hendricksen's N. T. Commentary, p497

What Is Fellowship? Part II

In our last post I took some time to share with you what fellowship was not. I listed six things that do not constitute Christian fellowship. Today I will include a seventh.

• Fellowship is not two men in a ship
• Fellowship is not simply an event
• Fellowship is not merely having conversation
• Fellowship is not sharing a common activity
• Fellowship is not secular
• Fellowship is not accomplished with unbelievers
• Fellowship is not sharing a common interest

There is no doubt that fellowship can include at least six of these seven things. The key is to realize that simply utilizing or participating in these things does not necessarily constitute biblical or Christian fellowship.

My main premise or thesis yesterday was to suggest that the first major part in understanding fellowship was to define it. In other words we need to be on the same page. This term or this concept means meaning different things to different people. 

For example, attending a Seahawks game doesn't qualify for fellowship. No doubt fellowship could take place there, however, the mere attendance at the game with one or more people doesn't constitute fellowship. Why? 

You may attend the game and you might even wear the number 12, 12th man jersey, but guess what? You are just a fan. You can shout, cheer, stomp, and do the wave but you are just a sideline fan. You are not a part of the Seahawks football organization.

Fellowship takes more that attendance or having a common interest in something. Same goes for church attendance or even a men's prayer/bible study fellowship. One can attend and even have a common interest but be on the sidelines just the same. 

Having dinner, going to a ball game, attending church or even helping out a VBS can be done by anyone. The difference between events and activities and Christian fellowship is that it is spiritual in nature and participatory. Remember, the term used in the New Testament refers to a common participation in spiritual activities: a sharing, a participation, intercourse, intimacy, and or a joint contribution.

J. I. Packer has a fantastic definition of Christian fellowship:

"[Fellowship is] a sharing with our fellow-believers the things that God made known to us about himself, in hope that we may thus help them to know Him better and so enrich their fellowship with Him. Fellowship is, secondly, a seeking to share what God has made known of himself to others, as a means to finding strength, refreshment, and instruction for one's own soul."

For example:

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship in the breaking of bread and in prayers. (Acts 2:42, NKJV)

Take your concordance or your bible software program (I recommend three that are excellent and free - ONLINE Bible; eSword, and/or The Word) and follow the words participation, "sharing", "fellowship", and/or "taking part." You can of course use your Thompson Chain Reference bible also - thanks Jim Hodges for your wonderful gift to me!

"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. (Philippians 1:3-5, NKJV)

"Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. (II Corinthians 8:1-4, KJV)

So, what is fellowship? Let's get on the same page shall we? Fellowship is sharing the things that God has revealed about Himself in order to benefit one another for the express purpose of edifying or the building up of one another by instructing, reproving, correcting, refreshing so that one is made more into the image of Christ for His glory.

This can take place anywhere. It can take place in your living room, your car, a Seahawks game, a pot-luck, a men's prayer/bible study, corporate worship, The Electric Bean (our local "Christian" coffee shop) or at the Keg Steak and Ale House.

Fellowship is spiritual. It centers on the inner man. Fellowship includes blending together in the bonds of Christ resulting in spiritual benefits for one another. Fellowship always benefits the beleiver.

Fellowship is not calling for a pot-luck on the 5th Sunday of the month where everyone "chows-down" on Fried Chicken and beans while talking about the weather, the grandchildren, or will Russell Wilson will take it to the next level. 

By the way, I also do not mean to imply that fellowship is "stained glass windows and high cathedral ceiling" super-sainthood either. I hope that goes without saying. One may rave on the Southern Fried Chicken or the cutest thing the grand-kids said yesterday as means to leading into spiritual fellowship.

Let's talk a little more about fellowship again, what do you say? Join me on Monday, Lord willing.

What is Fellowship? Part I

"And they continued steadfastly  in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:42, NKJV) (emphasis mine)

First of all, let's define the "they." Who are the "they?" It seems they "they" are those who are mentioned in verse 40 and verse 41. Peter is preaching to a group of people and he exhorts them to be saved from the perverted Jewish nation.

Those whom he is preaching to respond by "receiving" Peter's words and they were baptized to show that they had received Peter's words.

So, that is who the "they" are. 

Secondly, what did the "they" do? Verse 42 says that the "they" continued. This is a bad or poor translation of προσκαρτερουντες. Our word is a present active participle. This means that the "they" were continuing at that moment and they continued to continue. A better translation might read that "they were adhering closely" to the apostle's doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayer.

These people who had been saved by the gospel are now consistently adhering to the teachings of the apostles.

Let's look at this word fellowship. 

There is an old joke that goes somewhat like this-

If you have 3 baptists in a room you have 4 opinions. Basically it means that baptists like to "fight" and have a hard time getting along. This is borne out in the fact that there are over [at last count] 46 different types of baptists. 

I tell this joke often although I am a baptist. First, I am a baptist with a little "b" and second, I understand it and have seen it so I am really not offended. If you are, then lighten up.

The reason I tell it is we find the same problem when we talk about fellowship. If you ask 10 people what fellowship means or to define it you will get 11 definitions.

When we talk about fellowship I think the first thing we have to do is define it. We must be on the same page as to what it means and what we are talking about or what we say about it will have either no meaning or it will foster confusion.

The Greek word is κοινωνια. It can be translated as fellowship, association, community, communion, joint participation, or intercourse. From these ideas we get the following notions:

• the share which one has in anything
• intercourse, fellowship, or intamacy
• a benefaction, a collection, or joint contribution

We are most familiar with the notion or concept that is used of the intimate bond of fellowship which unites Christians and of the fellowship of Christians with God and Christ.

For this post let me share with you 6 things that fellowship is not.

1. Fellowship is not two or more people in a ship
2. Fellowship is not an event - it is not a worship service, pot-luck, VBS, Bible study, small group, men's prayer breakfast or etc.
3. Fellowship is not merely having conversation either with or without food or drink
4. Fellowship is not merely sharing a common activity
5. Fellowship is not secular although it may take place in a secular environment
6. Fellowship does not take place with non-believers even if they are present

When you hear the word "pot-luck" you might automatically think "fellowship." Or you might think that getting together for food or drink constitutes fellowship - it doesn't! These things do not resemble the fellowship that we see in the Bible.

Tomorrow we will define fellowship. Stay tune!

Gospel-driven Disciples

What is a Gospel-driven Disciple?

A Disciple who makes 

disciples who makes disciples!

A disciple is a believer who patterns their lifestyle after the lifestyle of a more mature believer.

A "discipler" is a believer who is obedient to the Great Commission and actively pours their live and the teachings of Christ into a disciple. (See above definition)

Jesus commanded [not requested or suggested] that we do exactly as He did for three years for His 12 disciples (See above definition)



"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of he Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, [even] to the end of the age. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20, NKJV)