I listened to one of Dr. Tom Constable's audio lesson's on Philippians Chapter 1 last night and he commented on Christian fellowship. He defines fellowship as "participating in and sharing the things of God with other believers."
These days in church life just about anything that includes two or more people in a room together at the same time is counted as fellowship, but often the meetings are hollow of any sharing of the things of God. I took this to heart.
Many times I have spent hours with Christian brothers with nary a mention of the things of God and thought in my mind afterward, "what fellowship we had!" I'm not advocating that 100% of our time hanging out with Christian friends or at church functions should be spent in serious spiritual conversations, fervent prayer, and accountability. However, I perceive that I can be much more intentional in this area.
Today I had the chance to have lunch with a dear brother in Christ and it was a time of mutual encouragement, spiritual sharing, and genuine cultivation of holiness. We certainly had some laughs and by no means was the entire time spent talking about spiritual issues, but I came away feeling like we had just lived out Dr. Constable's definition.
One of the first things my brother said when I told him that God has opened up the door for me to teach full time on Sundays, was that he was excited and happy for me. His words were genuine and I know that he had a God-given joy in his heart because of something God was doing in my life. This is how Godly fellowship should play out in our lives more often. Do we have true joy in our hearts when God is moving in the lives of our brothers and sisters? Are we sharing and participating in the things of God with them? My challenge to everyone this week (to myself, foremost) is to be intentional with fellowship. Don't let an opportunity pass you by to be joyful in your heart when God chooses to display His glory in the life of a friend.
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4 comments:
Thanks for sharing this.
I have had to do a reality check about this before myself: deep down have I been jealous or joyed when I see a brother or sister move forward in their faith? If not, why? I ask God to search my heart.
Another side: do we truly sorrow with those who sorrow?
Ryan - that is SO AWESOME that God has opened a door for you to have a full-time platform...
You are absolutely gifted in the area of teaching. I'm so excited that you are growing in this and faithfully serving the Lord with your gifts!!
Thanks for the encouragement Jessica. The reaction from my brothers and sisters so far has simply overwhelmed me. It really humbles me that I have such Godly friends!
Mark, great point about grieving with those who grieve.
A fine post, Ryan... a fine post indeed. I agree that lunches (and other such meetings) such as the one you mentioned truly are a blessing (and sadly hard to come by).
I have recently come around the idea that small talk has its place in the arena of meeting new people, but I just have a desire/need for something more in my friendships/relationships. Fortunately, God has surrounded me with many men (and women) with whom I can have those real conversations. So the trick is to carry that on with others because they surely have the same need/desire that I have.
On a much lighter note... how 'bout them Tigers beating the beloved Aggies? I have no beef against TAMU... but it was a nice win (albetit entirely too close for comfort).
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