Rick warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 18

Experiencing Life
Together

Section 18
Pages 138 - 144

Sunday 3 October 2010

Life is meant to be
shared


In the Bible this is called fellowship.
How would you define fellowship?
...casual conversation, fun, food, meeting
people?
Real fellowship is experiencing life
together
Including - unselfish loving, sacrificial giving,
honest sharing, practical serving etc.
In fact all the one another commands found
in the NT


In fellowship size is important
- smaller is better - you can
worship in a crowd, but for
fellowship small groups are
better
>10 and some people don’t
take part, and a few dominate
Jesus worked with a small
group.
The Body of Christ is a
collection of many small cells


The Body of Christ is a
collection of many small cells
- the life of the animal is in
the cell
In this way every Christian
should be involved in a small
group of some sort - this is
where real fellowship takes
place.
Matt 18:20 For where two or
three are gathered in my name,
there am I among them.

Beware of Fakes or Poor
Imitations - often fellowship
is advertised but not delivered


In Real Fellowship People
Experience Authenticity

Real fellowship is genuine heart to heart
gut level sharing. It is honest. It reveals
hurts, feelings, failures, doubts, fears,
weaknesses - it asks for help.
Often in church we pretend (role play!) and
wear masks


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 cleanses us from all sin. If we say
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.
1 John 1:7-8
Darkness hides things - light reveals and deals
with them. Of course then we have to deal
with fear of exposure - which makes us
very vulnerable


...confess your sins to one
another and pray for one
another, that you may be
healed.The prayer of a
righteous person has great
power as it is working.
James 5:16


Experience Mutuality
Mutuality is the are of giving and receiving.
It is depending upon each other.
The way God designed our bodies is a model
for understanding our lives together as a
church: every part dependent on every other
part
1 Cor 12:25
Build relationships, share
responsibilities, help each other

...that you and I may be mutually encouraged by
each other's faith - Rom 1:12
Accountability is easier when we walk with
someone else alongside us - you are not
responsible for other people in the Body but
you are responsible to them.
Do whatever you can to help them.
Rom 14:19 - Let us therefore make every effort
to do what leads to peace and to mutual
ediﬁcation.


Experience Sympathy
Sympathy - entering into, sharing
the pain of others (Biblically it is
called sympathy, though in modern
expression it is called empathy)
Col 3:12 - Therefore, as God's chosen
people, holy and dearly loved, clothe
yourselves with compassion,
(sympathy) kindness, humility,
gentleness and patience.

Sympathy meets needs: to be
understood, and to have your
feelings validated.
When you understand and
afﬁrm someone's feelings you
build fellowship with them.
This takes time, requires you
forgetting your own hurts,
needs you to leave self pity.


Levels of fellowship, at a basic
level, Sharing, Studying
At the deepest level
Suffering (entering into
another’s pain, grief, burden).
Gal 6:2 - Bear one another’s
burdens, and so fulﬁll the law of
Christ.
In crisis, grief, doubt we often
need others most


Job needed this:
A despairing man should have
the devotion of his friends, even
though he forsakes the fear of
the Almighty.
Job 6:14


Experience Mercy

What is
mercy?

Easton's Bible Dictionary
Compassion for the miserable. Its object is
misery.
By the atoning sacriﬁce of Christ a way is
open for the exercise of mercy towards the
sons of men, in harmony with the demands of
truth and righteousness (Genesis 19:19;
Exodus 20:6; 34:6, 7;Psalm 85:10; 86:15, 16).
In Christ mercy and truth meet together.
Mercy is also a Christian grace (Matthew 5:7;
18:33-35).


Noah Webster's Dictionary
1. (n.) Forbearance to inﬂict harm under
circumstances of provocation, when one has
the power to inﬂict it; compassionate
treatment of an offender or adversary;
clemency.
2. (n.) Compassionate treatment of the
unfortunate and helpless.
3. (n.) Disposition to exercise compassion or
favor; pity; compassion; willing to spare/help.
4. (n.) A blessing regarded as a manifestation
of compassion or favor.

Fellowship is a place of
grace - mistakes are
rubbed out not in.
We all need mercy.
We should all offer mercy.
2 Cor 2:7 - Now instead, you
ought to forgive and comfort
him, so that he will not be
overwhelmed by excessive
sorrow.


You can’t have fellowship without
forgiveness
Bear with each other and forgive whatever
grievances you may have against one another.
Forgive as the Lord forgave you. - Col. 3:13
LB translates this, “Never hold grudges” -
bitterness, resentment and the like destroy
fellowship.
Imperfect people will hurt one another - it takes
grace and mercy to maintain fellowship -
remember Col 3:13


Out of God’s mercy to us we
show mercy to others.
When you are hurt you make a
choice to retaliate - or to resolve
and forgive

Trust and forgiveness are related:
Forgiveness lets go of the past and should be
immediate regardless of the the person asking for it.
Trust then depends on future behaviour - do they
then show changed behaviour?


Point to ponder

I need others in my life


Verse to remember
Gal 6:2
Carry each other's burdens, and
in this way you will fulﬁll the law
of Christ.


Question to consider
What one step can I take today
to connect with another
believer at a more genuine,
heart-to-heart level?


Rick warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 18

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