FIVE VITAL SIGNS OF A HEALTHY CHRISTIAN PART II
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER
The week after Pentecost, we started a series
exploring the "Five Vital Signs of a Healthy Christian, based on the lives
of the believers in the early Church. What do I mean by a healthy Christian? A
healthy Christian is a follower of Christ who grows in the knowledge of God and
aspires to be more like Jesus by following his teachings. What is a healthy
Church?
One pastor defines it: "A healthy church is not
perfect without sin. It has not figured everything out. Instead, it continually
strives to take God's side in the battle against the ungodly desires and
deceits of the world, our flesh, and the devil. It's a church that continually
seeks to conform itself to God's Word. In short, "A healthy church is a
congregation that increasingly reflects God's character as his character has
been revealed in his Word." [1]
Looking into Acts 2:42-47, we derive five vital signs
of a healthy Christian and a Church. 1. Worship (Vs. 46-47) 2. Fellowship (46)
3. Ministry (Vs. 45) 4. Evangelism (Vs. 47)
5. Discipleship (Vs.42). Acts 2:42-47. We learned that a healthy
Christian is a worshipping Christian. Today we will look into another vital
sign of spiritual health: Fellowship.
Vs. 42, "All the believers devoted themselves to
the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including
the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. Vs. 46, "They worshiped together at the
Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals
with great joy and generosity." The early Church was a fellowshipping
community.
What is biblical fellowship? The word fellowship is
derived from the Greek word Koinonia, which means "holding or sharing
something in common" or participation in something or with someone. Let's
explore how biblical fellowship was manifested in the early Church.
As Christians, we have been reconciled to God in
Christ and one another in God's family. The Church is not only a family but also
a fellowship. I Cor 1:9, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into
the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
We are also called into fellowship with the whole
family of God. Fellowship Refers to "Our Common Life Together" It is
a relationship between individuals that involves active participation in shared
values and in one another. Let's see how the early Church believers maintained vertical
and horizontal fellowship and how it impacts our lives today.
1.
A Vertical Fellowship with God
Vs.42 "All the believers devoted themselves to
the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including
the Lord's Supper), and to prayer. The early believers got their priorities
right. They recognized that their first and foremost priority was to maintain
their vertical Fellowship with God daily. The verse reads, "All the
believers devoted themselves," which means without any exceptions, and no
one is excluded.
They realized the power of learning together from the apostles'
teachings, celebrating the Lord's supper, and praying. It was not done once a
week or whenever it felt good for them, but it was a daily occurrence. Daily fellowshipping
with God through studying the scripture, worship, and prayer sets you on the
right path for spiritual health and growth.
Therefore, we encourage all those attending Hope
Church to join our Sunday morning Bible studies, worship service, and mid-week
connect groups. We see this devotion among several practicing Jews, Muslims,
and Hindus. Unfortunately, this sort of devotion is becoming rare among Western
Christians. Our priorities are getting mixed up. We get distracted by many
pursuits other than maintaining our Fellowship with God. Here are some examples
of those who fellowshipped with God. Enoch walked in close Fellowship with God
for 365 years Gen 5:23-24.
We live in a world without fear of God. Wickedness is
increasing rapidly, yet we can maintain our Fellowship with God as Noah did. Gen 6:9, "Noah was a righteous
man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in
close fellowship with God."
It is not only us who want to live in close fellowship
with God, but God himself is delighted to live among His people. John 14:23, Jesus
replied, "All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them,
and we will come and make our home with each of them."
Can you imagine the implication of having God the
Father, Jesus the Son, and God the Holy Spirit come and make their home within
our hearts? That makes us live in a community with our Triune God. How do we
know we are in fellowship with God? Our love for Him and one another and our
active participation in His work indicate our fellowship with Him.
II.
A Horizontal Fellowship with One another
God restored our broken
relationship so that we might continue to fellowship with Him and one another,
especially the members of God's family. Vs. 46, "They worshiped together
at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their
meals with great joy and generosity." The early church believers
fellowshipped with God daily in the temple.
But they didn't stop there; they took their fellowship
to each other's homes. They met in homes for the Lord's Supper and shared their
meals with joy and generosity. The fellowship, oneness, and sharing enjoyed in
the early Church are fruits of the Holy Spirit. These are just a few ways we
encourage fellowship at Hope Church, third Sunday Luncheons, Missions' Potlucks,
Picnics, and BBQs. If you have any creative ideas to bring people together,
please share them with us. We believe when we come together, it fosters
fellowship, which is necessary for Christians and Churches to remain healthy.
Besides enjoying good meals and partaking in communion, why did the early
Church strongly emphasize fellowship?
III.
We Need One Another
Many early Church believers were from a Jewish
background. Though they believed in Jesus as the Messiah, they did not separate
themselves from the rest of the community. They still went to the temple and
synagogues for worship and instruction in the Scriptures.
Their belief in Jesus created friction with Jews who
didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah—in addition to that, persecution by
the Roman government forced the believers to meet in homes. The early Church
believers were small in numbers compared to the majority of Romans, needing one
another to practice their newfound relationship with Jesus. They did it not in
isolation but by living in small home-based communities.
The writer of the Hebrews urges the believers to
persevere under persecution by doing the following as the Lord's return was
drawing near. They
were to go right into God's presence with sincere hearts, fully trusting him to
maintain their verticle fellowship with God. They were to motivate one another
to acts of love and good works and not to neglect meeting together but
encourage one another. That was to maintain their horizontal fellowship with one
another.
We are living in the latter part of the last days.
Many signs indicate that the day of our Lord's return is imminent. The previous
three years have been challenging for Christians and Churches. COVID-19 has
caused many churches to shut down their in-person worship services, small group
meetings, and fellowship times, sending believers to isolation and resulting in
depression and discouragement. Thank God now COVID-19 seems to be behind us.
Therefore, I encourage us to keep attending Church,
where we can maintain our fellowship with God and one another. Like the early
Church believers, let us devote ourselves to biblical teachings, prayer,
worship, and fellowship. When we come together, let us encourage, love, and
spur one another to good works; by doing so, we will become a healthy Church.
