Sermon Tone Analysis

Community Life: Relationships in the Church

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.”

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In this lesson, we will examine a key assumption of New Testament teaching: All of the Christian life takes place in the context of our relationships with other believers within the framework of the local church.

Although we enter into a relationship with God as individuals, we nevertheless enter into something greater than our individuality: the church—the community of God’s people.

We will find that besides being woven into the very fabric of the Christian life, our relationships with other believers are a tremendous means of blessing, both for ourselves and others.

God never meant for us to live the

Christian life alone.

Instead, He gives us the marvelous privilege of living our lives with other like-minded brothers and sisters.

The Foundation of our Fellowship: God’s Community

God Is Creating a People...Not a Person

Throughout the history of redemption, God has been acting to create “a people for His own possession” ().

God promised Abraham that He would make him “a great nation” and through him “all the families on the earth” would be blessed ().

Carrying forth God’s purposes, Abraham’s descendants

were formed into a nation.

Their faithfulness to the covenant would result in their peculiar identity as the people of God.

“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.

And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’

These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.””

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Christ’s finished work not only provided forgiveness of sins, but it also advanced God’s work of creating a people for Himself by bringing the church into existence.

“looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”

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“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.”

(.f., )

Our true nature as the church and as Christians is church-wide.

God is saving a people, not an unconnected group of isolated individuals.

This is not merely theoretical.

Our lives are to give expression to the reality of our existence as the people of God.

To deny this by pursuing individualism or independence is to isolate ourselves from the express purpose of God.

The local church is God’s appointed context for this to take place.

What does this mean practically?

What is God’s intention for our lives together?

Is it simply attending the same gathering on a Sunday?

Is it merely acknowledging the same body of doctrines?

“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.

So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

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This picture of the early church may seem too good to be true, but in reality it is this kind of community that God desires to create in His church: “a people for His own possession” ().

The Nature of Our Fellowship

Because the Holy Spirit has joined us together as a community, our relationships are to be marked by this reality.

We don’t simply attend the same service or enjoy

the same interests—we have been united at the deepest level by the Spirit of God.

The New Testament characterizes our relationships with each other by the word fellowship.

A Definition of Fellowship

The word often translated fellowship in the New Testament (koinonia; c.f., ) is also rendered participation, partnership, and communion.

The word expresses the idea of sharing something in common or joining a mutual endeavor (often with sacrifice involved).

Biblical writers took up this word to describe the relationship believers have with God through Christ, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

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It was also extended to describe the relationship believers have with each other.

Our Fellowship with God

Paul speaks of the work of the cross of Christ as “the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” ().

This “redemption” brings about our “propitiation by his blood” (), which means that the wrath of God has been satisfied in Christ.

It was completely poured out upon Him so that we can receive mercy.

Further, the righteousness of Christ is attributed to us by the work of “justification” by God

().

We who were sinners can now be declared righteous in the sight of God.

This is the grace of the gospel.

But it does not stop there!

We are told later in Romans that we have also received the gift of “reconciliation” (), a word that refers to the relationship between us and God that is now restored.

Reconciliation is not even the last word, however, for in we are told that we have also received “the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba!

Father!’”

This is the glory of our fellowship with God.

We go from being enemies of His because of our sin, to being in fellowship with God as His children.

Our intimacy with Him is revealed in that great cry, “Abba!

Father!”

At all times and in all situations, we can cry out to Him and know that He hears us.

“that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.”

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Our Fellowship with Believers

Our fellowship with one another is a spiritual relationship--nothing less than our participation together in the very life of God.

Our mutual fellowship is made possible by Christ’s work on the cross and brought about by the Holy Spirit.

Such fellowship is exceedingly profound and precious.

Biblical fellowship is the deepest possible level of human relationship.

Only Christians can hope to experience this type of relationship.

The glorious nature of Christian fellowship must inform our relationships with other Christians in the local church.

The Fruit of Our Fellowship

Fellowship that is truly biblical has both profound purposes and rich benefits in our relationships together in the church.

Growth in Godliness

Sanctification is a group project.

God never intended it to be accomplished in isolation from other Christians in the local church.

All genuine Christians should have a desire to grow in godliness, and we simply can never progress on our own like we can in close relationships with other believers.

We need the consistent encouragement of others.

“Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.”

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We need others to help us resist sin and to strengthen our resolve for godliness.

“but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” ()

We need the input of others to help us see our sin and repent from it.

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.”

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We need to confess our sins to others so as to weaken sin’s power and invite accountability.

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

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Providing Mutual Care

We live in a fallen world, and the effects of sin—our own and others’—are all around us: pain, sorrow, sickness, death.

God has promised to care for us, and much of His care comes to us through other believers.

Indeed, Christians are to be distinguished by their sacrificial love for one another.

“but our presentable parts have no need.

But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.

And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

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Benefiting from the Diversity of Gifts

The Holy Spirit distributes gifts to build the church.

But God has also made us dependent upon one another—no one person has all the gifts necessary.

We need one another and the unique gifts each one brings to mature as a body.

“from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”