| Fellowship:
Day by Day in 2016 A. Day by day. That’s our congregational focus
for 2016. To be “of Christ.” Every day. Everywhere. To follow in the footsteps of the
earliest Christians—men and women whose lives were powerfully transformed (Acts 2:42-47). How did
that transformation come about?
1. Conviction was experienced
by those who were willing to receive “the word of the cross.” 2.
Conviction through “the word of the cross” produced devotion to “the
way of the cross.” 3. Devotion to “the way of the cross” is
fueled by awe. B. Where does this ancient
“newborn picture” of the Lord’s church take us next? __________________: a word that implies
joint participation, sharing, commonality, or partnership. A. 1 Corinthians 1:9 contains incredibly
wonderful news! 1. “God is faithful” — this opportunity is
made available by the grace of our Creator. 2.
“By whom you were called” — this good news is calling for a
_____________ (2 Thes 2:13-14).
3. “Into the fellowship” — we
are called to become a part of something larger than ourselves. 4.
“Of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” — this relationship revolves
around ______ (1 John 1:1-3). B. When
you are convicted and answer that call and I am convicted and answer that
call and we devote ourselves to
“walking in the light,” we enjoy _________________ with one another (1 John
1:5-7). 1. We are in the state or condition of being
“fellows” (Col 4:7, 10-11; Phil 2:25).
2. The gospel brings us
into: a. _________________ (John 17:20-21) b. One body (1 Cor 12:12-13) c. _________________ (1 Cor 1:10) d. Unity (Eph 4:1-6) e. ____________ (2 Cor 6:14-18) f. Community (Eph 2:13-19) g. _________________ (Eph 3:6) h. Partnership (Phil 1:3-5) i. Full ____________ (Phil 2:1-2) C. This fellowship isn’t simply theoretical;
it powerfully, visibly, tangibly shapes real ______ (Phil 2:3-4; 2 Cor 13:11; 1 Thes 5:11-15; Heb
3:13-14; 10:24-25; 13:1-3; James 5:16; 1 Pet 3:8-9; 1 John 3:18). D. Acts 2:42-47 describes the beautiful
fellowship of the very first Christians.
1. They devoted themselves to
learning…together. 2. They worshiped the God who is
awesome…together. 3. When necessary, they sold and shared…together. 4.
They spent time in homes…together. E. Do you want to grow in 2016? Do you want to
develop authentic relationships in 2016? Do you want to have real impact on the lives of
other people in 2016? Don’t settle for “theoretical”
fellowship! |
