August 6, 2016

"Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.  And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25

I have often heard these verses used to put pressure on people to come to church. And, in truth, it does say pretty clearly that believers should come to church.

But I think the stronger message is found in the first part of verse 24 where it tells you WHY you should come to church. And it tells you HOW you should come to church. And it tells you what should happen while you are at church.

Why should you come to church? You should come prepared to bring encouragement to others. The Scripture suggests that during the week you should be praying and thinking of ways to encourage. You probably know from week to week who in your congregation needs some encouragement so that gives you all week to pray and prepare to encourage.

It also says you should come regularly because there will never be a week that someone doesn't need to be encouraged. So, there shouldn't be a week you fail to come so you can encourage!

Church should be like that mythical, musical "Home on the Range" where never is heard a discouraging word. Encouragement should be one of the main things that happens to church when people come.

Doesn't it make sense that if people knew they were going to be encouraged every week when they went to church they would be more likely to come to church regularly?

I think so!

There is a by-product of coming to church to encourage others, you get encouraged too! Who doesn't want to attend a fellowship like that?

Does that describe your church?

Does that describe how you go to church and why?

There is one more important qualifier in these verses, you and those you go to church with should dial up the encouragement as "the day" approaches. What day is that?

The last days. The trying and testing and troubles. The days when encouragement will be at a premium and churches that do it well will see their fellowship grow and expand and deepen.

Let this thought from God's Word encourage you to encourage!

They Had Us At, "Welcome!"

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is For brethren to dwell together in unity!" Psalm 133:1

Before I understood the Biblical implications of fellowship in a local church I personally experienced it's powerful impact! It is, in fact, the main factor in me being involved in a local church today.

Prior to that Sunday morning in 1960 we were not involved in a church. It wasn't because we didn't want to be it was because we never felt wanted or welcomed in any of the churches we attended. But the twenty-some people who made up the congregation at Silver Lake Wesleyan Methodist Church greeted us with warmth and sincerity. Since this was new to us we weren't quite sure what to make of it. As we left the church after that first visit we knew we would be back.

Entering the church on the following Sunday we weren't sure what to expect. We doubted we receive the same sincere welcome as we had the Sunday before. We were wrong! We were greeted as warmly as the previous Sunday! Perhaps even more so! They had us at, "Welcome!" 

Having "our own" church family that loved us and welcomed us and showed excitement over our presence! For the first time in our lives we had a church home! It felt wonderful! It was literally life-changing! Before the Word had a chance to change us their warm welcome did! The faithful folks at Silver Lake Wesleyan Methodist Church loved us to life.

Christian fellowship is powerful!

Rhonda Baker is a pastor at Sin City Church in Henderson, Nevada. Sin City is a dynamic rapidly growing church that is committed to loving people to life. And they are!

Rhonda knows about being loved to life. Coming out of a bad relationship and in a bad way she knew she needed something solid to hold onto. There was a young man named Randy who worked with her and he always seemed happy and positive. Intrigued by him she became friendly with him and they became friends. He invited her to his church and she experienced authentic Christian fellowship for the first time in her life. It rocked her world.

A few weeks later she found herself at a beer garden on a Saturday night alone in a crowd. This used to be where she came to have fun but this was not fun. The emptiness that haunted her soul stood in sharp contrast to the feeling she had experienced that Sunday at Princeton Wesleyan Church. She decided she would go back there in the morning.

She did. It was as she remembered and even better. That morning she knew Jesus was the answer she was looking for. From that day forward Princeton Wesleyan loved her to life. And Randy decided to love her for life and it was my pleasure to unite Randy and Rhonda Baker in marriage 36 years ago!

Authentic fellowship is powerful!

Charlie and Anne came to Parkway Wesleyan from a formal mainline church. They had friends at that church but had not experienced fellowship in the way they came to know it at Parkway. 

They are both very relational people and when they found out what authentic fellowship felt like, they were hooked. Previously, they had given all they understood about themselves to all they understood about God but in an environment of Christian fellowship they flourished! I was thrilled as their pastor, their Sunday School teacher, mentor and friend to share in the process of loving them to life. And over the last several years of my tenure at Parkway I watched them love others to life!

When Charlie and Anne retired and moved to the Myrtle Beach area and began to look for a church they knew to look for a church with authentic fellowship because they realize how powerful it is!

These are just a couple of many stories I could tell about the  of fellowship in a church committed to good "followship".

One of the ways that following Jesus pays great dividends is when it produces authentic fellowship. Fellowship is a fruit of "followship"!

Someone near you needs to be loved to life. Someone in your life needs to experience the power of Christian fellowship. 

Follow well!

August 4, 2016

“I also tell you this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:19-20

We tend to believe that significant things can only happen amidst large crowds or conventions or congregations of people.

Sometimes that's true. Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes it only takes two or three as long as those two or three are Christ-followers!

God works through people! He doesn't count heads He counts hearts! Specifically, He counts the conditions of the hearts. And when two or three Christ-followers gather in unity concerning earthly issues and agree in prayer about heavenly issues God moves in response to them!

That's the power of fellowship!

That's the power of following!

That's the power of God!

That's the power of Godly fellowship!

It's not really a math problem it is a maturity problem. If you ascribe more value to getting right than you do to being right God will add His blessing to your fellowship! And that's how fellowship grows!

Again, I say, fellowship results from "followship"!

Coffee and Casseroles

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." I John 1:7

There really is a direct relationship between "followship" and fellowship and this verse makes that clear. Authentic fellowship is a blessed by-product of authentic Christ-following.

It is worth taking a closer look at the inspired insights contained in this verse.

Authentic fellowship is a result of conforming to Christ!

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light" V. 7a

You can't be a follower if you aren't following Jesus and Jesus walks in the light!

What is the light?

The light is God's will and God's way as revealed in God's Word!

When you have a group of Christ followers each of whom are diligently committed to walk as Jesus walks those believers are going to be drawn together by their common love and their common life-style. That develops into authentic fellowship between authentic followers!

Authentic fellowship is a result of authentic connections!

".....we have fellowship with one another...." V. 7b

I have been a member of athletic teams and enjoyed the strong connection that develops from being team mates. I have a special connection with several of the pitchers I worked with when I was their catcher. We are still pretty close.

I have been a member of several civic organizations and built some strong connections from meeting together weekly, doing service projects together and enjoying social outings or trips. I still value some of those friendships!

But neither of those very pleasant and positive experiences pale in comparison to the depth of the friendships I have developed being part of a local congregation of passionate followers of Christ! As we have sincerely followed Christ together, worshipping together, serving together, praying together, sacrificing together, learning together, laughing together and weeping together.

The fellowship connection that is forged among authentic Christians passionately following Jesus together is a glimpse of Heaven on earth!

True Christian fellowship is the result of authentic conforming and authentic connections AND,

Authentic fellowship is the result of authentic cleansing.

"and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." 

"Followship" and fellowship go to a new level of satisfaction once death to self happens and leads the way to a cleansing of the heart by the blood of Jesus.

When you have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus the Holy Spirit can find a way into your mind to cleanse it as well as your selfish will.

Once your sin and self-interest have been crucified you become more sensitive to the voice of God. And, the Holy Spirit does a powerful work in your heart and mind and then takes up residence in your soul. When His Spirit bears witness with your spirit it gives you certainty, substance and a heart to share His love with others.

Also, the Spirit draws Christ-followers into fellowship with each other and with Jesus Christ. So, again, fellowship is a result of "followship" at a never before experienced level of obedient following!

Christian fellowship is SO MUCH more than having coffee or a casserole together. It is having a deep level spiritual connection with God and through His Spirit as you follow His Son!

Are you hungry for that sort of "followship?" 

Do you long for greater intimacy with God?

Follow Jesus into holiness and find the power of God's Spirit and the peace of His Presence! You will find a relationship that will redefine how you follow and how you fellowship!

August 2, 2026

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” I John 1:7

I borrow this devotional from Dale A. Robbins:

Fellowship comes from the Greek word, "KOINONIA", which means “to share in common.” Christian fellowship is more than attending Church — it is “assimilating” into the body of believers, becoming “one” in worshipping, loving, caring and sharing.

According to the scripture, fellowship is not an optional matter for believers. It says, “if walk in the light [in fellowship with God]... this causes us to have fellowship with one another.” And from the outcome of this fellowship, “the blood of Jesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).

What does fellowship with the brethren have to do with cleansing us from sin? As we know, the Bible says “the life is in the blood” (Lev. 17:11). This is a fact, both biologically and spiritually. The blood in your body is a cleansing agent which purges the toxins and bacteria in our system, and supplies oxygen to vital areas necessary for our survival. Each minute, your heart pumps and circulates blood through miles of inter-connected veins and arteries, passing through the kidneys for filtering, and back into the same circulating cycle. However, in the event that a part of your body were to be severed from the flow of blood, the absence of blood circulation would cause that part to become infected — it would develop gangrene and would die. Survival is not possible without continual circulation of the blood.

So it is within the body of Christ, the Church (1 Cor. 12:27). For the blood of Jesus Christ to have its continual cleansing effect over our sins, we must remain attached to Christ’s body. If we sever fellowship with His body, we risk cutting off the circulation of the cleansing blood!

Keep in mind, salvation is based on “faith,” and is not earned by performing “works” such as attending Church (Eph. 2:8-9). But fellowship with Christ’s body, the church, is critical in helping to sustain your faith by providing ministry, encouragement, and an atmosphere of spiritual “cleansing” and growth.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is obviously the basis for the forgiveness of our sins, but the Bible indicates that we cannot have a proper relationship with Christ without a proper relationship with His body. For instance, the scriptures indicate that our worship to God is unacceptable unless we make things right with our brethren. “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift” (Matt. 5:23-24).

Fellowship is one of the great benefits of being a Christ-follower!I can surely say my life has been significantly shaped by the Christian fellowship I have enjoyed and experienced over the years!

As great as it is to be a Christian it is ever greater to be a Christian who is part of a warm, God honoring and Biblical-centered fellowship.

So, as you begin this day give some thought to how you will enjoy the blessings of godly fellowship today. 

August 1, 2016

"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." I Thessalonians 5:11

What a day we had at FredWes yesterday!

We heard from our teens reporting on Youth Camp. It's always inspiring to hear testimonies of life change!

This evening, following an exciting week of Vacation Bible School we enjoyed hearing songs and testimonies from our children about how God touched their lives.

In between we did some strong worship and a message from the Word.

If you spent the day with us at FredWes you have to be encouraged! That's the blessing of fellowship with other Christ-followers.

Through the Summer I am sharing a series of messages on what it means to follow Christ. Following Jesus is not without it's challenges but following Him alone, apart from fellowship should not be one of them!

In this verse you are urged to encourage other followers and build them up. How can you do that if you are not involved in regular fellowship with Christ-followers? Why would you want to?

Christ dwells in the hearts of His followers so it stands to reason the more followers who gather together in fellowship the stronger the sense of His presence and more encouraging it will be for all!

If you are a Christ-follower but not regularly involved in a fellowship that encourages you and builds you up, according to Scripture you need to find one!

And if you are attached to such a fellowship support it with your prayers and your presence!

July 31, 2016

"Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” Matthew 19:27

Even though it was Peter who asked this question it could have been anyone of us since each of us who begin following Jesus do so with our own agenda. We come to Jesus wanting to figure how we can leverage Who He is or what He can do for our benefit.

Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh, the second member of the Trinity and we follow Him with the intention of making it about us.

Never mind that Jesus had already spoken to this issue early in His teaching ministry:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Matthew 6:33

In yesterday's post I detailed how Judas Iscariot tried to force God to fit into his agenda and discovered the eternal and universal truth - "God's hand can't be forced and His will can't be thwarted". Judas in disgrace went out and hung himself.

Earlier in this story Peter tried to impose his agenda on Jesus by telling Him He wouldn't have to suffer and die. Jesus rebuked him and called him "Satan". That's not good.

Sarah and Abraham tried it with Hagar and it didn't end well. (Still hasn't ended, right Middle East?)

Others have tried it and everyone ended in miserable humiliating defeat. But yet we still try.

You've tried.

I've tried.

You get even more perspective on how pervasive this instinct is when you see Jesus struggling in prayer over His will and God's will in Gethsemane. So difficult was this struggle that Jesus sweat drops of blood over it.

It's a defining moment in your spiritual journey when you stop trying to sell your plan and begin complying with His will and His plan. 

As you begin this day why not pray sincerely as Jesus prayed and as Judas wished He would have prayed, "Nevertheless, not my will but your will be done"?