CE 1 YEAR: 34 Friendship

Week 34

Friendship

They were devoted to Christian fellowship

The first Christians were devoted to “the fellowship” (Acts 2:42). Our word “fellowship” comes from the Greek word koinōnia. It means to SHARE YOUR LIFE WITH OTHERS. The passage goes on to describe what fellowship and sharing meant to them.

First, they shared their possessions (Acts 2:44-45; cf. 4:34–35). Christian fellowship is to care for one another enough to share with one another. We should not just claim to love the people in our church, but to show them we love them with our actions (1 John 3:17-18).

Secondly, they shared their homes, and practiced hospitality with one another. This included regularly sharing meals together in their homes (Acts 2:46).

Thirdly, the first Christians had a shared purpose. In fact, in the original Greek, Acts describes the Christians as having “one mind” (homothymadon) a total of 6 times (Acts 1:14; 2:1, 46; 4:24; 5:12; 15:25). Elsewhere the Apostle Paul encouraged Christians to be of one mind, having the same love, united in spirit, and focused on one purpose (Phil 2:2). The early Christians lived this way and shared a common purpose of serving and obeying Jesus Christ.

Authentic Christians are not content to be merely acquaintances with the people in their church. Their life is mixed up with one another. They invite people from their church into their homes. They eat with people in their church. They sacrifice to meet needs of those in their church. They spend a lot of time together. And the text says that they did this with sincerity (Acts 2:46), not out of a sense of obligation. They enjoyed spending time together!

They were devoted to Christian friendship

Clearly the first Christians considered one another their best, closest, and most trusted friends. And FRIENDSHIP is the best one-word definition of biblical fellowship. Likewise, Jesus called His disciples His friends (John 15:15).

The first Christians were serious about obeying Christ’s “new commandment” to love one another as He had loved His disciples (John 13:34-35).

First, notice the kind of love we are to have for one another. Jesus commanded, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus said this initially to a group of men who were His best friends. Jesus modeled Authentic Christianity by making it one of His first priorities to gather around Himself a group of twelve close friends to do ministry with (John 15:12-15). How many pastors, missionaries, and Christians serve Christ with their best friends like Jesus did? Far too few. Yet this is precisely what Jesus modeled for us and why Authentic Christianity is serving Christ with your best friends.

Second, notice to whom this love is to be directed. It is “one another.” Accordingly, the greatest commandment is not just to love God, but rather to love God and people (Matt 22:36-40). This is because we are greatly limited in being able to love God apart from loving people. This is why we have relatively few commands in the NT to love God, but a multitude of commands to love people. A primary way to love Him is to love a person (1 John 4:20-21).

But not just any people. The most repeated command in Scripture is not to love your enemies, or unbelievers, or even your spouse and children. All of the 50 some NT commands to love “one another” specifically refer to loving the Christians in your church!

There is an encouraging emphasis in the Church today on serving the lost in all kinds of ministries. But it is not our love for unbelievers that proves to the world we belong to Jesus. Jesus said it would be our love for people in our church that would prove to unbelievers that we follow Jesus (John 13:35). Likewise, the greatest kind of love according to Jesus is not loving your enemies, but loving your friends (John 15:12-13). Indeed, we are to do good to all people, but especially the brothers and sisters in our church (Gal 6:10).

Biblical fellowship is reflected in all of those “love one another” commands in the NT. As you read a sampling below, ask yourself how many of them can practically and consistently be obeyed by just sitting in a church service with people once a week? What kind of relationships would you need to have with people in your church to even obey and experience these commands? How much of this Authentic Christianity is really occurring in typical Christianity?

– Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34)

– Lay down your life for your friends (John 15:13)

– Be devoted to one another in brotherly love (Rom 12:10)

– Honor one another above yourselves (Rom 12:10)

– Live in harmony with one another (Rom 12:16)

– Accept one another (Rom 15:7)

– Instruct one another (Rom 15:14)

– Serve one another in love (Gal 5:13)

– Be patient, bearing with one another (Eph 4:2)

– Be kind and compassionate to one another (Eph 4:32)

– Forgive each other, just as in Christ God forgave you (Eph 4:32)

– Submit to one another (Eph 5:21)

– Teach and admonish one another (Col 3:16)

– Encourage one another and build each other up (1 Thess 5:11)

– Have sincere love for your brothers (1 Pet 1:22)

– Love one another deeply from the heart (1 Pet 1:22)

– Be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. (1 Peter 3:8)

– Offer hospitality to one another (1 Pet 4:9)

– Encourage one another daily (Heb 3:13)

– Spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Heb 10:24)

– Let us not give up meeting together (Heb 10:25)

– Keep on loving each other as brother. (Hebrews 13:1)

– 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 (1 John 3:16)

– Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth (1 John 3:18)

Can you believe how much God expects your life to be wrapped up in the lives of other Christians? God is trying with all His might to describe what real Christianity is: Serving Jesus with your best friends.

They were devoted to their Christian family

When you become a Christian you get a new Father in Heaven (Week 13). You also get a new family on Earth. This is why throughout the NT, Christians are called brothers and sisters. Your Father wants you to love, serve, accept, and encourage other Christians as if they are your own siblings.

It has already been noted that the dozens of “love one another” commands in the NT specifically refer to loving the Christians in your church. Why are there more commands to love people in your church, than to love your own spouse and children? Because God views your church family as your family. Listen carefully, here, because God wants to expand how you view who your family is. The kind of care and concern anybody would expect you to have for your own blood family, is the kind of care and concern God is expecting you to have for your spiritual church family. In God’s sight, we are all brothers and sisters in His family.

One day Jesus’ mother and brothers wanted to speak to Him (Matt 12:46-50). What did Jesus say? His real family were those who were following God. This did not mean that Jesus did not care about His blood family or honor His parents (Matt 19:25-27). But Jesus believed His spiritual family was more important than His blood family. He wants you to believe the same.

Loving and caring for the needs of your immediate family is not enough for Authentic Christianity. While this can be an incredible challenge in itself, God our Father calls us to more. We work and earn wages to provide not only for our own family, but to be able to be generous to other families in our church family. We are not to spend all of our time only serving the needs of our own family, but to be giving some time to serving the needs of others in our church as well.

Maybe you did not grow up in a close family. Look around you at the next church service you attend. This is your family now. Maybe they don’t feel like your family, but our Father in Heaven wants us to do whatever is necessary to make them our family because they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Do you want to love other Christians like your brothers and sisters? Then understand something important. You probably will not experience the biblical ideas of fellowship, friendship, and family by merely attending church on Sunday.

How are we going to have the relationships necessary to do Authentic Christianity? How about just the command to encourage one another (Rom 15:14; Col 3:16; 1 Thess 5:11; Heb 3:13)? Just that simple command would require several things. First, to even be aware of a need in a person’s life. Secondly, to have a close enough friendship that they trust your knowledge of their struggle and value your encouragement and counsel.

The first Christians were serious about obeying the “love one another” commands. This is why they were committed to small group meetings in their homes. There is no better way to obey and experience those “love one another” commands. Small groups are the best way to cultivate the fellowship, friendship, and family that Christ desires His people to have in a local church.

God intended Christianity to be a team sport. Imagine trying to win a football game all by yourself. You would lose. And you will lose at Christianity if you try to live it by yourself. You can be a Christian and remain independent of others. But you will never be an Authentic Christian until you join a team. You can join a church, but if you never devote yourself to a small group of Christians as if they were your very own family, you will not have Authentic Christianity.

Practical Application: The meetings you are having to discuss the Essentials is an example of small group fellowship in your church. Would you like to continue this type of meeting? A helpful agenda for such meetings could be the P.O.W.E.R. Plan you were encouraged to use for God Times in Week 33. An encouraging and edifying small group can occur with the same elements. 1) sharing praises to God; 2) being open about your struggles; 3) sharing God’s word; 4) praying for each other; and 5) sharing your resolutions. For those interested, make plans to continue your small group fellowship.

In your small group meeting this week, share praises and prayer requests and then discuss these questions:

1) What does “fellowship” (koinonia) mean in the NT? How did this look in the lives of the first Christians?

2) Why is friendship the best one-word definition of biblical fellowship? What are the elements of good friendships that make biblical fellowship possible?

3) Look again at the “love one another” commands listed in this chapter? How has your experience in the Essentials small group helped you to better obey these commands?

4) How did Jesus define who His real family was? What would this look like in your life?

5) What was especially meaningful to you in this chapter? Why?