Fellowship
The Purpose-Driven
Church
Fellowship?
“They devoted themselves to the
apostles’ teaching and to the
fellowship… All the believers were
together and had everything in
common.”
(Acts 2:42 & 44)
Fellowship?
When you think of
the word
Fellowship, what
comes to mind?
Coffee Hours?
When you think of
the word
Fellowship, what
comes to mind?
Pie Socials?
When you think of
the word
Fellowship, what
comes to mind?
Potlucks &
Picnics?
When you think of
the word
Fellowship, what
comes to mind?
Handshakes &
Hugs?
When you think of
the word
Fellowship, what
comes to mind?
Happy People in
Church?
When you think of
the word
Fellowship, what
comes to mind?
How
about…
The Lord
of the
Rings!?
Especially…
The
Fellowship
of the Ring!
The Fellowship of the Ring!?!?
The Lord of the Rings tells
the story of a Hobbit named
Frodo who is entrusted with a
magical ring that must be
destroyed at a certain place
in order to save the earth
from the evil that is ready to
overwhelm it.
To help him along his way,
a Fellowship is formed:
The Fellowship of the
Ring. The Fellowship is a
combination of such beings
as…
Hobbits!
To help him along his
way, a Fellowship is
formed: The Fellowship
of the Ring. The
Fellowship is a
combination of such
beings as…
Elfins (Elves)
To help him along his
way, a Fellowship is
formed: The Fellowship
of the Ring. The
Fellowship is a
combination of such
beings as…
Elfins (Elves)
To help him along his
way, a Fellowship is
formed: The Fellowship
of the Ring. The
Fellowship is a
combination of such
beings as…
Dwarves
To help him along his
way, a Fellowship is
formed: The Fellowship
of the Ring. The
Fellowship is a
combination of such
beings as…
Wizards
To help him along his
way, a Fellowship is
formed: The Fellowship
of the Ring. The
Fellowship is a
combination of such
beings as…
& Humans
Together they fight
off a horde of evil
enemies & opponents
until final victory is
achieved and the world
is once again safe for
all to live in!
That’s the Fellowship of the Ring
But what does that have to do with us and
with Christian Fellowship?
Lots!
Christian Fellowship is a bonding
together of differing people from
differing backgrounds from differing
ethnic, national, racial & language
groups. All of us united together into a
community for one common reason and
for one common purpose!
Indeed, the word that we translate
‘fellowship’ in the original language of the
New Testament is the word κοινωνια which
means “in common” or “things held in
common.” We get the words ‘communion’ &
‘community’ from it. So when we are told in
Acts that the early Christians devoted
themselves to the fellowship…
Their community that enjoyed a
common faith in Jesus
&
Their community that had been
given a common mission to do
Jesus’ will
The Apostle John put it this way:
That which was from the beginning, which we
have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,
which we have looked at and our hands have
touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word
of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and
testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal
life, which was with the Father and has appeared
to us…
We proclaim to you what we have seen and
heard, so that you also may have fellowship with
us. And our fellowship is with the Father and
with his Son, Jesus Christ.
1 John 1:1-3
Fellowship begins with
the Father who sent
His Son, Jesus, to
enter our existence,
breathe our air, live our
lives and rescue us from
the plague of sin, Satan
& death.
What draws us together
into community in the
first place is that we
share a common faith in
the Son of God, in the
salvation He brings and
in the Life He gives.
First and foremost, we
are a community
because of Jesus. He
is the One we have in
common.
Nothing else and no
one else!
Just as with our friends
in the Fellowship of the
Ring, so the Fellowship
of Believers is made up
of people who really
don’t have anything else
in common other than
Jesus!
Maybe this video clip will help…
Something
greater than
ourselves
Forgiven &
Embraced
Supported
Community
Relationships
Loved…
unconditionally
Family of
Christ
Comforted
Accountability
Also like our friends in the Fellowship of the
Ring, the Fellowship of Believers has common
work to do, common goals to achieve and
common undertakings to accomplish.
We are called upon to serve our
Lord Jesus Christ,
TOGETHER!
And what does that
serving together look
like?
Well… probably we
won’t have to deal
with someone like
Gollum or an evil
orc!
Maybe this video clip will help…
Home to a
deeper calling
The embrace of a
friend
A sanctuary
Opportunity to work More
together & touch a
than a
world in need
Building
An act of kindness
to empower
to share
A hand
reaching out
For St. Paul Lutheran
Church & School to be a
Purpose-Driven church it is
the utmost necessity that
we insist on seeing
ourselves as being a
Fellowship of Believers.
And we insist on fleshing
out what that means.
Our society is more and more isolated. People
all around us crave for community… for a sense of
belonging. They need more than what the world
has to offer. They don’t need another bowling
league, music festival, social club or anything of
the sort!
They need Community!
They need Fellowship!
Just like we do!
As a Purpose-Driven congregation, we seek
to grow in the embracing fellowship we have
with each other as brothers & sisters in Christ.
We do that in formal ways and (more
importantly) informal ways. We look for
opportunities to truly be together in
significant, sharing groupings - where
relationships are built, faith-growth is
encouraged and where Christ is honored.
And also, as a Purpose-Driven congregation,
we seek to work together as a community of
believers who, sharing our common assets
reach out to a world in need, model Christian
Love & Fellowship and invite those who are on
the outside to come in…
Come in to the Fellowship of
Believers
No matter who they
are - even if they’re a
Hobbit - they have a
place in our
Fellowship through
faith in Jesus
Christ!
As people who have
a common Savior
and as people who
have common
Savior-given goals,
let us LIVE as the
Fellowship that we
ARE!
Hold me, Jesus
Well, sometimes my life
Just don't make sense at all
When the mountains look so big
And my faith just seems so small
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a
leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace
And I wake up in the night and feel the dark
It's so hot inside my soul
I swear there must be blisters on my heart
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a
leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace
Surrender don't come natural to me
I'd rather fight You for something I don't
really want
Than to take what You give that I need
And I've beat my head against so many
walls
Now I'm falling down, I'm falling on my knees
And this Salvation Army band
Is playing this hymn
And Your grace rings out so deep
It makes my resistance seem so thin
xx
So hold me Jesus, 'cause I'm shaking like a
leaf
You have been King of my glory
Won't You be my Prince of Peace
Fellowship
The Purpose-Driven
Church