Day 33--40Days of Prayer-- The baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience necessary for Christians if they are to become truly like Jesus in life and ministry. As a result of this intimate connection with Jesus, we will begin to experience our greatest victories over sin and will develop the most meaningful relationship possible with our Saviour. One fact that we have to deal with as a church is in the area of Christian fellowship. Most appear like a rather independent group of believers. When it comes to fellowship we do not always fare so well. Most church services are somewhat formal, with little or no interaction with other believers, we come to church just before services start and we leave just after services. All Christians’ not just Seventh-day Adventist need to focus on building our relationships with other Spirit-filled Christians. Pastor Dennis Smith once said, “As God’s children we must keep our hearts on Christ and stay untainted by the world we live in.” how do we do this? By fellowshipping with other Christians within our community. Other Supporting Scripture; (Acts 2:42), (1 John 1:7), (Isa: 2:5), (Heb 10:23-25) Fellowship means to spend time with others who also love Christ. A pile of logs normally allows for a good fire. If, however, one log is separated from the others the fire on that log goes out soon. Likewise, Christians must support each other and stand together, otherwise the fire of their enthusiasm will soon be extinguished. Fellowship is essential for Christian growth. Therefore, we belong to a church and are actively involved in it. Healthy Fellowship (1) The Vertical: This is our communion and fellowship with the Lord through the Word, prayer, the filling of the Holy Spirit, and the abiding life. (2) The Horizontal: This is our communion and fellowship with the body of Christ, other believers. This includes: (a) assembling together as a whole body (Acts. 2:42; Heb. 10:25); (b) assembling in smaller groups (2 Tim. 2:2); (c) meeting together one-on-one (1 Thess. 5:11); (d) sharing and communicating truth together and building up one another (Rom. 1:11-12; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Thess 5:11; Philem. 6); (e) sharing together in worship, i.e., the Lord’s supper (1 Cor. 10:16), the singing of hymns, psalms, and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), prayer (1 Cor. 14:16-17), the ministry of the Word (Acts 20:20; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Pet. 4:10-11); (f) sharing together as partners in the needs, burdens, concerns, joys, and blessings for the purpose of encouragement, comfort, challenge or exhortation, praise, prayer and physical help according to the needs and ability (cf. Phil. 1:5 with 1:19; and 2:4 with 1:27; also 4:3; Rom. 12:15; and 1 Thess. 5:11,14,15; Heb. 10:33). This means we must develop the loving art of communication. We need to be willing to share our own burdens and aspirations and be available to hear what others are saying so we may minister to needs according to the directives of the Word. The ultimate goal is to build up and enrich others in the things of Christ that we may all together experience the sufficiency of His life and tune our lives into His. We need others for that. As the early church was first devoted to the apostles’ teaching, they were also devoted to caring for one another and to sharing with one another what they were learning and what Christ was meaning to them. Let us pray; Lord we plead for your compassion and deliverance from our sins. Restore us to spiritual strength and help us to find like minded christians to fellowship with and prepare fo your return. In Jesus name, Amen
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 06:00:27 +0000
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