The Four C’s Of Fellowship

“Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.” Acts 4:32

  1. COMMON UNDERSTANDING

As Christians, we are unified with a common purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God with unified hearts and minds. We hold in common the fundamentals of the faith i.e. the Bible is God’s inspired Word, Jesus died for the sins of the world, the Godhead consist of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, etc. 

We MAJOR ON THE MAJORS, AND MINOR ON THE MINORS. 

SCRIPTURES: Amos 3:3; 1 Corinthians 12:12-14; Jude 1:3

  1. COMMON UNSELFISHNESS

It is not enough to simply KNOW what God says about Who He is and how we are to treat Him and our brothers and sisters; we must practically give from our hearts. The watching world cannot see Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, except we show them through our love and sacrifice for each other. The world only shares for its own selfish gain, with a tight fist holding onto its goods. The follower of Christ holds loosely to his possessions, his time, his life. Jesus said, “For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?” The spirit of the world says GET; the Spirit of God says GIVE. 

SCRIPTURES: John 3:16; Acts 4:32; Luke 9:24; Galatians 5:13; 1 John 3:17

  1. CONSTANT FORGIVENESS

One of the surest signs that we have received the love and forgiveness that God has shown us through the cross of Christ is that we are loving and forgiving as well. “To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” We become what we behold. We will let each other down, and we must practice the art of turning our hearts and minds over to Jesus, not dwelling on those that hurt us. Winkie Pratney says, “Unforgiveness is the headache of heaven.”

SCRIPTURES: Matthew 18: 21-22; Matthew 6: 14-15; Matthew 5: 23-24; Numbers 14:18; Psalm 32:1, 5; 130:4; Matthew 12: 31, 32

  1. COMMITMENT 

A marriage only works if there is commitment. In fellowship, we are committed to each others highest good. Love is unselfishly choosing the highest good for God and His Kingdom, which includes others as well. We must tune our lives to His Life, and be committed to Him if we will truly be committed to one another. Commitment says, “Over my dead body are you going to live a stupid spiritual life.” Commitment fights for real love and relationship. Like a surgeon that cuts out deathly cancer, commitment is willing to say the things that will save a life, even though it is painful in the moment. Commitment shows up at the darkest hour and provides comfort and encouragement. The world longs to see a people that are not only committed to a cause, but to each other, in love. 

SCRIPTURES: Matthew 10:32-33; 24:12-13; 16:24-27; Psalm 31:23; Proverbs 11:13; 27:6; 28:20; Isaiah 8:2

PRACTICAL CHALLENGES

  1. Give away something valuable to you, something that hurts to give away. 

  2. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you if you have bitterness towards someone else; pray blessing over that person and forgive them. (Do not move on to any other thing until this one is done)

  3. Find a way to serve your brothers i.e. wash their car, buy them lunch, wash the dishes, etc.

Posted on September 17, 2016 in Small Group Leaders

Jesus Is Worth Everything

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