Formed For God's Family
October 10, 2004
Romans 12:5
19th Sunday after Pentecost
Galena-Warwick United Methodist Charge
Warwick & Galena, Maryland
Rev. Dr. Lawrence D. Jameson
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Romans 12:5
So in Christ we who are many
form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
Last week we learned
that our first purpose in life
is to worship God, and make him smile.
Today we are talking about
the second most important purpose in our lives:
“we were formed for God’s family”.
In Romans 12:5
the Bible says:
So in Christ we who are many
form one body,
and each member belongs to all the others.
I belong to you.
You belong to me.
We are God’s people,
sisters and brothers in Jesus.
Our relationships are profoundly important.
We really do need each other!
We are the body of Christ.
We are members together.
This isn’t just rhetoric.
This is a core teaching of the Christian religion.
This isn’t just theory.
It is practical.
If we obey God in this area,
our lives will be transformed.
Do you know what it is called
when Christians love one another?
There is a word for that.
The word is Fellowship.
Fellowship is a term
that we all know and use,
but most people don’t have a clue
about what it really means.
Fellowship isn’t just talking,
or eating a meal together.
Fellowship is loving God’s family.
In John 13:34
the Lord Jesus said:
A new command I give you: Love one another.
As I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples,
if you love one another.
How is that done?
What practical steps can I take
to obey this commandment?
In this sermon,
I want to teach you about four levels of fellowship.
Level One - Choosing to belong
This is the most basic level,
making the choice to belong.
You might think this is easy,
but for lots of people,
it’s hard.
My grandmother, Margaret Ethel Paris Atchley,
never officially joined any church.
I remember talking to her about it.
Grandma said, “I’m a member of the Universal Church”.
Actually, grandmother Atchley,
that’s not a good thing.
You missed out on some wonderful blessings
because joining a church
honors God,
enables you to put down roots,
and helps you to obey the commandments of Jesus.
People who don’t want to belong to any church
are not going to grow like they should.
Have you ever heard
a football player say,
“I’m a football player, but I don’t want to be a part of any team”
a honey bee say,
“I’m a bee, but I don’t want to be a part of any hive”
a soldier say,
“I’m a good soldier, but I don’t want to take the loyalty oath.”
God designed us
for fellowship with other Christian believers.
If we say “no”
to that part of our Christian life,
we are actually cutting ourselves off
from a deeper walk with the Lord.
Did you know that is impossible to fulfill
all the purposes of your life
without fellowship?
Look at the five purposes we are learning about:
1) Worship 4) Ministry
2) Fellowship 5) Evangelism
3) Discipleship
If we don’t take Fellowship seriously,
we can’t experience Discipleship
because that only happens in the context of community.
If we don’t take Fellowship seriously,
we can’t do Ministry
because you can’t build up the body of Christ
if you are not in the body of Christ.
If we don’t take Fellowship seriously,
we can do Evangelism
because evangelism involves introducing
people to the body of Christ.
Just look at the example of Jesus.
He chose to be baptized
as a sign of his obedience to the Father.
He commanded us to make disciples
by baptizing them
in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
What is the core meaning of baptism?
It is a rite of initiation into the community of faith!
Did you know that the Jews still baptize today?
If a gentile wants to convert and become a Jew,
the Rabbis require them to be baptized.
Baptism has ancient Jewish roots.
It was a sign of death to the old life
and new birth into the community of faith.
It was no accident that Jesus taught
his disciples to baptize every new believer.
Why?
Because baptism is the ritual of initiation
into the family of God.
Being baptized and becoming a voting member
of a local church
is the basic minimum,
the starting point,
for obedience to Jesus concerning the purpose of Fellowship.
The bare minimum for every Christian
who accepts Jesus
is to be baptized
and to become a member of a local congregation.
We choose to belong.
Level Two - Learning to Share
The second practical level of Christian fellowship
is learning to share.
Rick Warren calls this the “friendship level”.
This level is a little deeper,
and a little more challenging
than baptism and church membership.
Once you have been baptized
and become a voting member of a local congregation,
you need to cultivate friendships
with a few other Christians.
How do you do that?
I’m going to tell you how,
but first I want to say
that it involves giving.
Someone once said,
“You can give without loving,
but you can’t love without giving.”
God wants you to have
relationships of depth
with people of quality.
In Acts 2:44
the Bible says,
"All the believers met together constantly
and shared everything with each other."
In order to obey the commandment of Jesus Christ
to love one another,
in order to fulfill your God given purpose
in the area of Fellowship,
you are going to have to give up
some of your time.
Rick Warren said,
“Do you know why most people are lonely?
They don't make time for friendships.
They are too busy achieving;
they are too busy working;
they are too busy doing other things.
They are not willing to put the time into it.
You have to meet together.
You have to get together.
And until you start saying
this is going to be a priority in my life,
you're not going to develop any deep friends.
They don't just happen.
They happen because you choose to make the time for them.
It is not luck. It is a choice.”
Let me read that quote again.
We need to hear this.
Rick Warren said,
“Do you know why most people are lonely?
They don't make time for friendships.
They are too busy achieving;
they are too busy working;
they are too busy doing other things.
They are not willing to put the time into it.
You have to meet together.
You have to get together.
And until you start saying
this is going to be a priority in my life,
you're not going to develop any deep friends.
They don't just happen.
They happen because you choose to make the time for them.
It is not luck. It is a choice.”
I’ve got five words for you
that hold the practical key
to enjoying deeper fellowship:
GET IN A SMALL GROUP.
I used to think that the key
to church growth
was forming small groups.
I was right, and I was wrong.
Sure, small groups help the church to grow,
but
most important of all
small groups helps Christian people grow.
What do you do in a small group?
You can do anything you like.
Your group can be a Bible Study,
or a mission team,
or a music group,
or a youth group,
or a leadership team,
or a just about anything that honors God.
Think about what interests you
and then
share your idea with a few other Christians.
Monica Samans did this recently.
She got a burden to do a scrapbook Bible Study
for women.
She prayed a lot.
She shared her idea with a few friends.
Then she stepped out in faith
and said,
“I’m going to lead a Scrapbook Bible Study for women.
Who wants to participate?”
Monica, I give you an A+
Way to go!
This is exactly what this church needs.
Christian people getting together.
How many people here
are attending a 40 Days of Purpose
small group?
I hope some of these groups
will enjoy their experience so much
that they choose to continue meeting together
when the 40 Days is over.
You can do that you know!
Nobody is going to force you to disband.
The pastor isn’t going to tell you
what to do.
You get to decide.
You might just turn your meeting into a once a month Bible Study,
or maybe a prayer group
or you all might decide
to form a motor-cycle troop and go touring.
It’s up to you!
My ideal small group
would be to tour the great restaurants of the Eastern Shore
every Sunday afternoon.
Level Three - Doing My Part
What word describes
someone who does their part
in the church?
Partnership!
In 1 Corinthians 3:9
the Bible says,
"We are partners working together for God."
At level one
we choose to belong.
At level two
we share our time, and cultivate friendships.
At level three
we accept our fair share
of responsibility
to insure that our church family thrives.
In Ephesians 4:16
the Bible says,
From him the whole body,
joined and held together
by every supporting ligament,
grows and builds itself up in love,
as each part does its work.
What happens to your body
if one of the parts
does not work?
You suffer!
The same is true for this local church!
Methodists have a tradition
of asking our members
to support the ministry of the church
through
our prayers,
our presence,
our gifts,
and our service.
Dear ones,
this church needs your support and participation.
You get to decide what your part is.
Look around. What does this church need?
When you do your part
to help your church family thrive
God steps in
and multiplies your gifts
just like he did with the loaves and the fishes.
Level Four - Kinship
This is the deepest level of Christian fellowship.
I want this for each and every one of us!
Baptism and membership are basic first steps.
Participation in a small group will help you grow
faster and farther than you ever would on your own.
Taking responsibility to do your part for the church family,
will bring maturity into your life.
But Kinship is deeper still.
Rick Warren said,
“Kinship literally means your closest relationships.
It means your closest family.
When somebody has an accident, they say,
“Notify the next-of-kin”,
and they don't mean go find Aunt Ethyl.
They mean you find the person they care about most,
the person who is closest to them,
the one they hold most dearly,
you go get the person that matters most to them,
and you bring them here right now
because they are kin.
And the Bible says that's the kind of attitude we should have.”
Do you have that kind of friendship?
I call it the 9-11 kind of friendship.
If there is trouble in your life,
lots of people will be running out
but only heros are running in.
Did you know
that there are two John 3:16s in the Bible?
We all know about 3:16 in the Gospel of John,
but there is an Epistle of John too.
In 1 John 3:16
the Bible says,
This is how we know what love is:
Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.
And we ought to lay down our lives
for our brothers.
You don’t get there overnight.
It takes time.
Nobody makes deep friendships quickly.
You’ve got to slowly cultivate trust like that.
Level Four Fellowship
is for you,
but only when you go
level by level
and grow into it.
Conclusion
Dear ones,
do you want to see
a super powerful force
ordained by God
designed to help you live a successful Christian life?
Look around you.
These are your sisters and brothers.
If you love them,
as Jesus has commanded you,
you will know joy
that cannot be purchased for any price.
Prayer
Lord, I want to learn to love my spiritual family, just like you do. Forgive me
for taking it casually. I want to grow in the levels of fellowship, so today I’m
choosing to belong.
I want to learn to share, and make time to develop real friendships.
I want to do my part in the family of God.
I want to learn to love other believers not in a casual or shallow way,
but like brothers and sisters that I can depend on.
Teach me the meaning of real love. In your name I pray, Amen.