Deepening Fellowship: Understanding God's Command on Communion

1. 2 Cor. 5:17 “Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”

3. Fellowship

4. Fellowship • koinonia, koy-nohn-ee'-ah; • from G2844; partnership, i.e. (lit.) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction:--(to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship.” Strong

5. Fellowship • The KJV uses the word “communion” many times instead of fellowship. • The words that are used in all translations for this word are ... • fellowship • participation • communion • contribution • sharing

6. Why Is This An Important Subject? • God Commands Us To Have Fellowship: • 1 Cor. 1:9 - Christians are called into fellowship with Jesus Christ • 1 Cor. 10:16-17 - The Lord’s Supper is a sharing. • 2 Cor. 8:4 - Christians had fellowship with other Christians in helping them out financially. (NASB - participation). • Rom. 15:26 - The contribution of Achaia and Macedonia is the same word translated fellowship. • Gal. 2:9 - The pillars of faith at Jerusalem offered Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship. • Acts 2:46 - The Christians had social fellowship also by taking their meals together from house to house. 1 John 5:3; James 3:9-10

7. 1 Cor 10:16-17 “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”

8. 1 John 1:3 “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

9. Why Is This An Important Subject? • God Commands Us Not To Have Fellowship: • 2 Cor. 6:14 - Light has no fellowship with Darkness. • Eph. 5:11 (sugkoinoneo:G4790) - Christians are to have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.

10. Eph 5:11 “And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them.”

11. Matt. 18:17 “And if he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax-gatherer.”

12. 1 John 1:7 “If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”

14. Fellowship

15. Can You Have Fellowship With A Non-Christian? • Can You Have Fellowship With A Person That is “Shaking Up” or Living With His Girlfriend? • Can You Have Fellowship With a Muslim? • Can You Have Fellowship With A Brother With Whom You Disagree? What Kind of Fellowship?

16. #1 Universal Fellowship“Fellowship With A Neighbor” • Gal 6:10 “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith.” • 1 Thess 5:15 “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men.”

17. Universal Fellowship“Fellowship With A Neighbor” • Mark 12:31 “The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these.” • All Men Are God’s Creation. Jesus Came To Save All Men. • The Pharisees Didn’t Want To Practice This Kind of Fellowship.

18. Universal Fellowship“Fellowship With A Neighbor” • Examples of This Kind of Fellowship • The People You Work With At Your Job. • PTA • Little League or Pop Warner • 1 Cor 5:9-10 “I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters; for then you would have to go out of the world.”

19. Universal Fellowship“Fellowship With A Neighbor” • This Fellowship Has Limits • 2 Cor 6:14-15 “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever?”

20. Universal Fellowship“Fellowship With A Neighbor” • Where Do We Draw The Line? • We Draw It The Same Place Jesus Did- Participating In Their Sin. • We Must Make Sure Our Fellowship With Them Is Not Showing Approval of Their Sin. • This Is Where Most of Our Evangelism Will Come From. • Disfellowship? Simply Stop Your Participation With The Group.

21. #2 Moral Fellowship • They May Not Be Christians, But They Believe in Jesus and God’s Morality. • Mark 9:38-40 “John said to Him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to hinder him because he was not following us’.But Jesus said, ‘Do not hinder him, for there is no one who shall perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me. For he who is not against us is for us.’”

22. Faith Fellowship“Moral Fellowship” • Phil. 1:14-18, “…and that most of the brethren, trusting in the Lord because of my imprisonment, have far more courage to speak the word of God without fear. Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition, rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice, yes, and I will rejoice.”

23. Faith Fellowship“Moral Fellowship” • We Work Together To Achieve A Moral Goal. • Examples: • Boy Scouts of America • Christian Coalition or Traditional Values • An Anti-abortion Group • This Fellowship Has The Same Limits. • Promise Keepers

24. The Most Important FellowshipFellowship With Our Lord and Savior • Gen 5:22 - “Then Enoch walked with God” • Gen 6:9 - “Noah walked with God.” • ____________ walked with God. • 1 Thess 2:12, “So that you may walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

26. Fellowship

27. Universal Fellowship“Fellowship With A Neighbor” • Moral Fellowship • “Fellowship With Those Who Share Similar Morals”

28. In-Christ Fellowship“Christian Fellowship” • We May Have Fellowship With Other Christians Who Are Not Members of Our Local Congregation. • Attend A Gospel Meeting or Lectureship At Another Church. • Visit A Congregation While Out of Town. • Attend A Bible Class With Christians From Other Congregations. • Attend An Area-wide Singing.

29. In-Christ Fellowship“Christian Fellowship” • Acts 20:4-7 • Acts 11:29 • Acts 21:3-4 • This Fellowship Has Limits • They Have To Be Christians! • 1 John 1:3; Gal. 2:9

30. Who Is A Christian? • Man Wants To Say That Anyone Who Believes In Jesus Is A Christian, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT GOD SAYS. • Man Wants To Say That There Are Good and Sincere People in Other Churches That Should Be Called Christians, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT GOD SAYS. • God Says One Who Has Believed, Repented, Confessed, and Been Baptized For The Forgiveness of Sins Is A Christian (Acts 19:1-6).

31. Fellowship? No When Fellowship Does Not Require Participation In Our Differences. War Question Institutionalism Fellowship? Yes When Fellowship Requires Participation In Our Differences. Singing w/ Instruments The Role of Women Do We Have To Agree With Them?

32. Congregational Fellowship“Local Fellowship” • This Is Fellowship Between Christians As A Local Congregation of God’s People. • It Is The Most Important and Intimate Fellowship A Christian Can and Must Have. • The Brea church of Christ • Acts 2:42

33. Congregational Fellowship“Local Fellowship” • Can A Congregation Restrict Its Fellowship? • Absolutely! • Acts 9:26-28 • Matt. 18:17

34. Fellowship? No When Fellowship Does Not Require Participation In Our Differences. War Question Institutionalism Why? (Work on this page)

35. 1 John 1:6-8 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”