INTRODUCTION:<\/p>\n
A. In our last lesson we noticed how we as God people are to be active in Christian service<\/p>\n
1. We are obligated it is our duty – Luke 17:10<\/p>\n
2. We will be lost if we are not involved in good works – Matthew 7:21<\/p>\n
B. Among the activities we are to be involved in is “together work” with other Christians<\/p>\n
1. Our working together as a collective body is essential to the well-being of the church as a whole – and individually<\/p>\n
2. We all need to understand the importance of this collective work<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
DISCUSSION:<\/p>\n
A. THE “TOGETHER” ASPECT OF LIFE IN CHRIST<\/p>\n
1. There is a problem with “solo” Christianity<\/p>\n
a. Some have a concept of Christianity which results in minimal involvement with the congregation of which they are a part<\/p>\n
1) These are “independent” Christians isolated and solitary in their service to Christ<\/p>\n
2) They speak in terms of “what the congregation is doing down there”<\/p>\n
b. Yet, it is not good that man should be alone (Gen. 2:18) – this is true socially as it is also true spiritually<\/p>\n
c. The usual consequences of solo Christianity are dangerous: inactivity, unhappiness, spiritual stagnation<\/p>\n
d. The bottom line is: Christians rarely survive apart from their proper relationship together<\/p>\n
e. Removed from the fire of which it is a part, a glowing ember soon cools and dies<\/p>\n
2. Christian “togetherness” is seen in such terms as:<\/p>\n
a. Fellowship<\/p>\n
1) Acts 2:42<\/p>\n
2) Christians are “fellows:”<\/p>\n
a) “Fellow citizens” (Eph. 2:19)<\/p>\n
b) “Fellow heirs” (Eph. 3:6)<\/p>\n
c) “Fellow workers” (Col. 4:11)<\/p>\n
d) “Fellow servants” (Col. 1:7)<\/p>\n
e) “Fellow soldier” (Phil. 2:25)<\/p>\n
3) Also, Christians extend “the right hand of fellowship” to one another (Gal. 2:9)<\/p>\n
b. Brotherhood<\/p>\n
1) “Love the brotherhood” (1 Pt. 2:17)<\/p>\n
2) Mark 3:31-35<\/p>\n
3) We need to have a family consciousness about other Christians<\/p>\n
c. Membership<\/p>\n
1) 1 Corinthians 12:18, 27<\/p>\n
2) The church is Christ’s body – Ephesians 1:22-23<\/p>\n
3) Body members are functionally interdependent – Ephesians 4:16<\/p>\n
4) Christian are members one of another (Rom. 12:5)<\/p>\n
B. SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES TO OTHER CHRISTIANS<\/p>\n
1. Attitudes to Maintain:<\/p>\n
a. Concern or care – 1 Corinthians 12:25-26<\/p>\n
b. Humility or lowliness – Philippians 2:3-4<\/p>\n
c. Peacefulness – Romans 14:17-19 … peace based on the word of God<\/p>\n
d. Appreciation for others and their work<\/p>\n
1) Philippians 1:3-5<\/p>\n
2) True appreciation will eliminate destructive criticism, gossip, and faction<\/p>\n
e. Willingness to work together – 1 Corinthians 12:21-22<\/p>\n
f. Friendliness, warmth and openness– Acts 2:44-47<\/p>\n
g. Gentle and meek – 2 Timothy 2:24-26<\/p>\n
h. Forgiving – Ephesians 4:32<\/p>\n
i. Love – John 13:34-35<\/p>\n
2. Things to Do:<\/p>\n
a. Identify with a faithful congregation, and place membership – Acts 9:26<\/p>\n
1) “Members at large” are missing an important aspect of Christianity<\/p>\n
2) One places membership with the intent of being an actual, functioning member not a mere appendage to the body<\/p>\n
b. Pray for other Christians especially those of one’s own congregation – Philippians 1:9-11<\/p>\n
c. Submit to the congregation’s eldership – Hebrews 13:7, 17<\/p>\n
d. Attend and participate in all the assemblies of the congregation – Hebrews 10:24-25<\/p>\n
e. Contribute financially to the work of the congregation<\/p>\n
1) 1 Corinthians 16:1-2<\/p>\n
2) 2 Corinthians 9:6-7<\/p>\n
f. Engage personally and directly in the three-fold work of the congregation<\/p>\n
1) Evangelism – Acts 11:19-21<\/p>\n
2) Edification – Romans 15:14<\/p>\n
3) Benevolence – Acts 2:44-45<\/p>\n
g. Help maintain unity in the congregation<\/p>\n
1) John 17:20-23<\/p>\n
2) Romans 15:5-7<\/p>\n
h. Participate in the discipline of the congregation, instructive as well as corrective<\/p>\n
1) Galatians 6:1-2<\/p>\n
2) 1 Thessalonians 5:14<\/p>\n
3) 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14-15<\/p>\n
i. Extend courtesy and hospitality – 1 Peter 4:9<\/p>\n
j. Find an individual role and fill it – Colossians 4:17<\/p>\n
C. THE NEED FOR INVOLVEMENT<\/p>\n
1. The nature of involvement<\/p>\n
a. Notice these words which describe the congregational relationship: participation, cooperation, collaboration, teamwork, and joint effort<\/p>\n
b. The crucial need of a congregation is involvement<\/p>\n
1) “Involve” is derived from Latin “in” (in) + “volve” (roll, turn) = to enwrap<\/p>\n
2) Thus, involvement means being enwrapped as a participant involved in a joint undertaking<\/p>\n
3) The Christian is intertwined with his brethren<\/p>\n
c. What is needed is total involvement by the individual Christian<\/p>\n
d. There is a double result of congregational involvement:<\/p>\n
1) The congregation as a whole is stronger<\/p>\n
2) The individual is not likely to be separated from the Lord and the Lord’s people. Consider the strands “involved” in a rope!<\/p>\n
2. The benefits of involvement<\/p>\n
a. Friendship<\/p>\n
b. Strength<\/p>\n
c. Admonition<\/p>\n
d. Instruction<\/p>\n
e. Prayers offered for<\/p>\n
f. Benevolent help when needed<\/p>\n
g. Comfort in sorrow<\/p>\n
h. Assistance in difficulty<\/p>\n
i. The joy of congregational assemblies<\/p>\n
CONCLUSION:<\/p>\n
A. Nowhere is the wisdom of God more beautifully displayed than in the relationship of Christians together- Ephesians 3:10<\/p>\n
B. In the local congregation, Christian may come to understand Paul’s feelings about his brethren in Christ – 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
INTRODUCTION: A. In our last lesson we noticed how we as God people are to be active in Christian service 1. We are obligated it is our duty – Luke 17:10 2. We will be lost if we are not involved in good works – Matthew 7:21 B. Among the activities we are to be … Continue reading “The Christian Connection – Bible Outlines”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-43599","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43599","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43599"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43599\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43599"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43599"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43599"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}