Pastor Dan Eddy

1 Corinthians 1:1-8

What is True Fellowship?

1-23-11

I. Introduction: What is true fellowship?

On December 1, 2006, a tremendous ice and snow storm hit the greater St. Louis area. For the second time in less than six months, the city was ravaged with numerous down trees and power lines and extensive power outages as a result of severe storms.

The Concordia Seminary campus, where I was going to school at the time, had 70 trees damaged. That meant 40 families and 21 faculty homes were without power and heat, not to mention those living off-campus, with very cold temperatures like we are experiencing today.

The school had backup generators and opened its student center to any student or family who needed shelter. Imagine a huge area where families camped out in one place…husbands, wives, and children sharing the same eating and sleeping area. There was music, laughter, people playing games and much joy as these families shared their food and possessions, looked out each other out, and made the best of an otherwise terrible situation.

Is that true fellowship? People banding together in a crisis?

Or is true fellowship a group of people getting together for a common goal, sharing common interests like an investment group or Rotary Club?

Or is true fellowship people helping each other fight an addiction like the many 12 steps programs to conquer alcoholism, narcotic abuse, overeating, or other compulsive behaviors.

What is true fellowship?

Our mission statement printed right in our bulletin says “Inspired by the grace of God, Christ Lutheran Church seeks to make Christ known and to exemplify God’s compassionate love through worship, fellowship, and service.”

So how do we do that with fellowship?

This morning’s Epistle Reading from 1 Corinthians 1:1-8 sheds God’s light on what is true fellowship. Please pull out the outline in your bulletins and follow along.

Sometimes a good way to know what something is – is first to know what it isn’t.

II. True Fellowship is not coffee and doughnuts or even fun activities.

Nowhere in this text or in the Bible is true fellowship defined by creature comforts.

No doubt food, drink, laughter and good times are fringe benefits to true fellowship. But describing true fellowship by its trimmings would be like describing quarterback Tom Brady by the type of fabric he wears as part of his uniform, or the name brand of his helmet, or his laugh, or long hair. No, Tom Brady is best described by the position he plays…and the team he is a part of….and the results that come from his skills as a player.

So true fellowship is not defined by these things.

III. And neither is true Fellowship defined by the physical or economic commonality of the group

If we define true fellowship in this way…many people would be excluded. If someone doesn’t look like you, then they could not be part of that group.

This was a particular challenge to the Church at Corinth where Paul’s letter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was speaking to rich, affluent Roman citizens, out-of-place Jewish people, and economically poor slaves. All were a part of this dynamic Christian congregation…but often segregated from each other, which prevented them from being in true fellowship with each other. It had become a country club of haves and have not’s.

This was not just a challenge for the Corinthians church, but with many American Christian congregations where few have successfully blended believers of different ethnic groups or races.

What happens if more and more visitors to our congregation don’t look like you? Their skin color is different; maybe they speak with something other than a European accent, have lots of tattoos and studs in their body. Or maybe their economic background, education level, or past activities don’t match the majority that are here now? Will we welcome them in true fellowship?

Just a few years ago, St. Paul Lutheran in Providence, Rhode Island was a struggling congregation with fewer than 50 people worshipping in this huge sanctuary that could hold three to four times that number. Most of the members were aging white Anglos, while most of the surrounding neighborhood was anything but white people.

In order to thrive again, the congregation needed to learn true fellowship. Today the congregation worships 160 on a Sunday. Sixty are Anglos and the other 100 are Liberian immigrants from Africa.

So, what does this text say is the essence of true fellowship?

IV. True Fellowship with God is centered around Jesus Christ. It’s who we are in God’s eyes.

In verse 9, the word for fellowship used in the original Greek was κοινωνία: (Coin-oh-knee-a) which means…partnership of faith, commonality in the faith, uniting in faith…with Christ at the center.

This means, in verse 3, true fellowship regards you as Saints because of Christ’s redemption at the Cross…not from our acts. As John the Baptizer described Him…the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.

In verse 4, true fellowship continually gives thanks for grace from Christ given by faith at your baptism. In verse 5, in true fellowship we are enriched by His Word, just like you are now, in speech and in knowledge. God blesses, equips and empowers us to be a community of believers. That starts in worship and continues in Bible study.

True fellowship is not defined by human standards but is centered around Jesus Christ. In true fellowship we are made holy…in order words, set apart to be God’s, to think like our Lord, not like the world.

True fellowship is accepting people as sinners, not accepting their sin, so they can be saints in Christ Jesus.

That’s why it is so important that when people kneel up here at the altar to receive Christ’s Body and Blood in the bread and cup…they know, accept, and trust in what Holy Communion offers, and understand the basic teachings of Scripture. This (point to Chancel rail) is where true fellowship is confessed.

In true fellowship God is saying through Christ Jesus “What is mine is yours. I share my Son with you. I share My holiness with you. SO do not share with me that which is not in My nature, a.k.a. sin.

In true fellowship, grace has brought you and me together in Christ.

In fact, most of the verbs in this text are passive. True fellowship is something that is being done to you, so that you can pass on that fellowship to others who are your brothers and sisters in Christ.

You see the problem Paul was pointing out with the Church at Corinth was they had received all this great fellowship from God but were not using that fellowship to build up the church…to care for each other….to bring new people in. It would be like being given a house and rarely living in it. Like being given healthy food but eating Twinkies and Ho-Ho’s. It’s like being given the crown jewel and never wearing it.

V. THEREFORE…Paul is saying that those in True Fellowship are

One, living in a way so Christ can be seen in everyone’s lives, to confirm what is proclaimed in worship. I’ve told the Church Council that when they share their faith with our members they have more power than I do. I’m expected to it. They’re not.

Second, those in fellowship are desiring spiritual gifts to keep improving in our faith both individually and collectively. True fellowship shows our spiritual talents…our skills and our abilities we give here in this congregation…speaking, planning, leading, organizing, following, doing!!!

This means we live like God, live like Jesus…faithful to others, guiltless because our actions are done with clear consciences, because we are living our forgiveness in Christ Jesus.

That’s how true fellowship builds up the church. This is what the Lord wants you and me to do with our true fellowship.

VI. What does true fellowship look like? Look at the early church.

Acts 4:32-35: Luke writes:

“Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”

I’m not suggesting what we necessarily form a Kibbutz or Commune. These verses describe an example of true fellowship. It is not saying you have to do true fellowship this way. But look at the extent people were willing to go to make sure people stayed in the faith, and were strengthened in body, mind and spirit. You know the early church grew because Christians took care of themselves and that was attractive to people on the outside.

I can guarantee you one thing…when people live like this…they know each other well and care for each other a lot often. There much giving and taking going on. That’s living out true fellowship.

And to help instill the importance of true fellowship, I would like you to open up your bulletins. You will notice a piece of paper in there with a number on it. If your number is one, please come up here to the piano. If you have a two…come up here to the baptism font. If you have a number 3 go to the back on the woods side and if you have a four…go back by the organ. Go ahead and do that now.

This reminds me of a fellowship dinner we have over at the Foote’s home over two years ago. We had over 40 in attendance. And right before people sat down to dinner…we made them count off by fours. And the ones ate with the one, twos with the twos and so on and so forth.

People who had been members of Christ Lutheran for years, who had worshipped together years, formed new friendships that day. True fellowship means you care for each other in Christ Jesus.

True fellowship involves developing relationship (beyond their name)…taking your time, taking your talents to build the body of Christ stronger. It’s knowing people’s strengths, needs, likes, dislikes…it involves people knowing each other. It involves taking responsible for each other. And that starts this morning with our annual congregational meeting.

Look at the people in your group. This morning at coffee hour…or after the congregational meeting…talk to someone in a way to learn something new about them…not to be nosey but because you care. It involves risk and sacrifice. But with them comes growth, spiritually and numerically for you and for them. Please head back to your seats.

VII. Conclusion

Just like fellowship of the Concordia Students banned together to save each other from freezing to death. Just like the fellowship of the investment club is there to save people from financial ruin, and just as the fellowship of the 12 steps groups are there to save people from their addictions…so the true fellowship of the Church is encouraging all of that AND is here to help save each other from ending up in Hell…and to make sure we are all on the way to Heaven.

So this Epiphany season…receive this blessing: May you see the Lord in worship through Word and Sacrament. May others confirm God’s presence in the fellowship of the congregation. And we all live Christ in loving service to each other and the world. Amen.