Small churches of the few Christadelphians

The big difficulty we do encounter in Belgium is that when people do ask where we meet with how many, they hesitate to come to our meetings because we are not with enough people attending a service.
they all prefer to come to a church where they can hide in the massa's of people. When there are many people they can just be an unnoticed onlooker; but when there are just a handful of people present they shall be noticed by the others, and that is something what they do not like so much.

Today we also do hear about the empty Roman Catholic Churches but the growing attendance in the Pentecostal churches. On television people also can find many mega churches where enough entertainment is given to enjoy the show.

Most people have their instinctive opinions about “big church.”  Some may prefer to be a nobody in the amount of people present at a service, others may not like the feeling to be swallowed up in such a congregation.

We wonder if there are enough people who have a dislike for “big church,” because it seems so impersonal and also perhaps because in those churches the accent is not always on the right things. It is not the amount of people , the quantity in church, but should be more of the quality in church.

Those who do not want to come to our services because we are not with enough people should reconsider what they like to see in church and what would be that "Big church".

Don’t critique or judge getting big. Look the “bigness” right in the face. And ask, “What does big really mean?”

English: Jesus, followed by Simon Peter and Andrew (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Matthew 16:16-18 (NIV) says, “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. 18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”"

Well, if you are wanting to see a "Big Church" or going to go big, go really big!
When you accept that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God … you better also look at him as the one building his church!

Church of the Primacy of St. Peter on the Sea of Galilee. Traditional site where Jesus Christ appeared to his disciples after his resurrection and, according to Catholic tradition, established Peter's supreme jurisdiction over the Christian church. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jesus is the one who makes church. Jesus is the church. Church is not a specific 'church-building' with a tower and a cross shape directed to the east.

It is also not the construction of people. Though we would like it, it is not us building the church. It’s not the pastor on the stage or the priest in the pulpit.  It is Jesus, the Son of the living God, who is building His Church.

The Church is a big idea. Because Jesus is a big idea. And because Jesus gives his disciples a big task.

All those who call themselves Christians, should be followers of Christ. they should not only be name Christians, but doers of the Word. In Acts, Jesus describes how big of a task he is giving the disciples.  Acts 1:7-8 (MSG) states,

 “He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”

Imagine if Jesus came to us and said,

 “…you will be my witness in Leefdaal, all over Flemish Brabant and the Low countries, even to the ends of the world.”

 Yeah, that’s pretty big too.   The church is a big idea, and it will expand. It started with 12 disciples and it has grown across the world to nations with more than 100 different languages.

In Acts 2:21 (NIV), it says, ”Everyone who calls on the name of The Lord will be saved.”

That saving should we proclaim and we should bring the hearts into fire for the name of Jesus. Christians should bring forwards the Gospel of the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God.  Every person coming to believe in Jesus as the saviour send by the Most High Saviour Jehovah God, would have to become partaker of the body of Christ and as such being a member of the Church of God, which has Christ Jesus as its High priest.

All those believing individuals in their own houses, who believe in the offer Jesus made and accept him as their saviour, willing to become part of that Body of Christ, are part of the church.

Here is another example of ‘big church’ in the Bible.
  In Acts 2:41-47 is the story of the 3,000 who were baptized… imagine that in present day. How many kids rooms would we need from one week to the next? How many new greeters? How many overflow rooms? How many extra chairs? The Church basically went from meeting in a living room to needing a stadium! And that was just one day.

Now to transition just a little bit, it is one thing to agree and say, yes, we agree with you, Jesus that the church should probably be big. But what does is truly mean to be a disciple? Great question.
In John 13:34-35 (MSG) Jesus states,

 ““Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples — when they see the love you have for each other.”

Well, that sounds pretty simple doesn’t it? Love one another, cool! I’ve got it. But what does it really mean to live out your love for each other?

The first part of loving one another is building relationships with one another.  The church is not just based out of a building or a temple, it is based out of homes. Faith is centered on two places: temple and homes.
To love one another in the old church knew they needed to meet and know each other in their homes. Meeting at the temple was important, but they had to eat with each other and know each other in order to love each other like Jesus loved.  This is such a critical part of today’s church as well! That is also the reason why we meet in houses, cafetaria's, parks, have something to eat or drink with each other and not sit on benches or ordered chairs in a row.

We need our small groups and relationships to truly know each other and love each other.

It’s a great first step to agree with Jesus. But how do we actually Do what Jesus said? How do we love one another despite the chaos of life? Despite our differences?
 Jesus directs us to do the following:

Submit to one another. Honor one another. Bear with one another. Forgive one another. Accept one another. Care for one another. Encourage one another. Restore one another. Love one another.

Most of this cannot happen on Sunday morning. We have to be in each other’s lives daily.

“We, the church family, want to get bigger for the sake of eternity and smaller for the value of each individual.”

We all should feel like brothers and sisters in Christ.

As brethren and sisters we do have to help each other to grow spiritually. It is by sharing ideas that we can help each other to see other things or to think about other things or to think in another way. As such we can grow and get more strength, because others share their messes, and we share our messes, yet we are still there for each other, serving one another and loving one another despite the chaos of life.

“Let’s share our messes so that we can see grace move in each other as light is shed on our mess.”

“Is big church healthy?

Size doesn’t have anything to do with health. Health has everything to do with our relationships.”

When we want to become good Christians, this shall not only become by becoming 'churchgoers'. We do need to make church, but making church happens in the own heart. It is the willingness to become part of the Body of Christ and willing to share that feeling with others, in love, by taking their bad and good elements, overlooking their peculiarities. Willing to take every person like he or she is, and considering him or her as your brother or sister.

This brotherly love is what makes the church, not the building or the presence of just material bodies in one specific place.

The Christadelphians may gather with not so many people, but the love of those people for each other and their love for God is what binds them all over the world. In one specific place they are perhaps not with many, but they do feel connected with others in many different countries, speaking many different languages, which we even not always understand. But we understand each other in the love of God, and that is what binds us forever.

Next time when you are looking for a church, question what you are looking for. Are you looking to find a place where you can find some nice entertainment? Are you looking for some enjoyable socialising? Or are you looking for the genuine love Christ has given mankind?

Are you submitting to one another? Are you letting others go first? Are we honoring one another in how we speak to each other? Are we caring for one another? 

When was the last time we went out of our way to appreciate and love on someone else? How are you loving each other as Jesus loves?

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(With respect to a sermon and writing by Beau Johnson)

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• "JJesus, A Miracle Worker"/Humility
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• New Wine Skins
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If You want to start winning the war

You want to start winning the war,
you have to start engaging the enemy.
  The best weapon against hate, Love.
  Don’t attack someone because a lifestyle choice is sinful,
you are probably in sin too.
 Instead why not work together to seek out salvation
just like the scripture tells us to?

The church is not a building, the church is us
– and it reflects, or should reflect the mind of Christ
as we are his hands and feet here.

*

En Soma: One Body

En Soma: Cleveland

Young Adult Unity Summit Do you pray for unity? Do you think it is a vital part of our faith?
 Do you want to become active in bridging gaps between ecclesias?
 Are you a brother or sister between the ages of 18 and 30?

 If you answered yes to these questions, Cleveland is the place to be this spring! En Soma ("One Body," from 1 Corinthians 10:17) is a weekend summit for young adults within the Christadelphian/CGAF community who want to promote unity within the Body of Christ.

English: folio 150 recto of the codex, with the beginning of the 1. Epistle to the Corrinthians (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When: May 17-19, 2013 Where: Church Of The Blessed Hope, 7450 Wilson Mills Road, Chesterland, OH 44026

Speakers: Bre. Kyle Tucker, John Mannell, Scott Tennant, and Alan Guist

Friday evening’s activities will begin at 7 pm. After pizza, devotion, and social time, participants will be directed to their host families’ homes. Study sessions will take place on Saturday, after which we will enjoy dinner and devotion. We plan to conclude with lunch following the Sunday morning worship service. Information and registration can be found at ensoma.weebly.com.

 Please register by May 1. Contact Sis. Livi Jones at livijones@ymail.com with any questions.
We hope to see you this May for an uplifting and productive weekend!

Related articles

• The Necessity of Unity
• Hint 8 - in Your Leadership, Put Into Practice the Biblical Principle of Mutual Submission

Church sent into the world

David Bosch writes, “The involvement in the world should lead to a deepening of our relationship with and dependence on God, and the deepening of this relationship should lead to an increasing involvement in the world.” Tod Hiestand writes: " the individual church must see itself as sent into the world, it must also see itself as sent into the world along with the church catholic."

The mission of the church is derived from Jesus' call to gather together. also the apostle Paul called us not to neglect our own congregational meetings which form the church, (Hebrews 10:25)
The church’s call to be a “sign, witness and foretaste” of the coming Kingdom may not be overlooked.

God has sent the church so that in His mission His “love and attention are directed primarily at the world". God has given His son as the foundation of the Church.

We are all part of the world but God and His son Jesus have given us the task to distantiate from the worldly matters. The church that “goes” is the church that finds its primary identity detached from the world and set apart as holy.  The separate and untainted church rightfully understands that it needs to be a witness for the gospel.
Missiologist David Bosch writes: “Spirituality or devotional life seems to mean withdrawal from the world, charging my batteries, and then going out into the world. The image is of an automobile that runs on batteries only.”
Jesus light of Israel, but also for all people, states the need for us to remain set apart in their sentness, “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.”(John 17:18) We can hope to reap which shall only be possible if we properly reflect the teachings of Christ Jesus. Christ means ‘Messiah’, the  anointed one. He was anointed in order " to preach the Gospel" (Luke 4:18); and we too have been anointed insofar as we are in Christ, the anointed one (2 Corinthians 1:21). Therefore as He was ordained a preacher of the Gospel to the world, we too share that honour (as we do all His honours, to some extent). He was anointed (‘oiled’) by God in order to give the oil of joy to His people; He shared His experience of anointing with us, and we must go out and do likewise (Isaiah 61:1,2) (cp. Luke 4:18).

Isaiah’s description of the beauty of Christ’s preaching in (Isaiah 52:7) is quoted by Paul concerning every preacher of the Gospel (Romans 10:15); the “he” of (Isaiah 52) is changed to “them” in Romans 10. And Paul is quoting this Old Testament prophecy about Jesus to prove that we are all “sent” to preach the Gospel. The validity of our commission to preach is quite simply that Jesus Himself preached; in this way we are all personally “sent” to preach, simply because He was sent to preach. As the Father sent Him, so He sends us.  We should be ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20) and we should show the world that we are united in that one Body of Christ. Jesus prays that they would remain unified, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” With Jesus’ prayer as a foundation for understanding the nature of the church we see that the Church finds itself in the world, yet set apart and unified.

We as brothers and sisters in Christ do have to be unified if we desire to have an effective witness in the world and to build a true church of Christ. We can not be monads or private disciples going our own way, out of love for our fellow believers we do have to share the love of Christ and our own love with the whole community.

We need to speak out against the suburban value of extreme individualism and call Christians back to community. We should prepare the ground, fertilise the field, and plant Bible based structures.

We need to deconstruct the value of consumerism in a way that leads instead to sacrificial living and we need to understand how our individualism and consumerism lead us to neglect the hurting and needy people in our neighborhoods and cities. We cannot stay together in a closed or isolated cocoon. It can help everybody if we can move from an individualized witness to a more robust and powerful communal witness.

Jesus was not about sending his disciples out by themselves into their individualized world to “share the gospel” so that people could “go to heaven when they die.” Rather, he was sending them out to be a communal, public witness to the Kingdom that he was announcing and inaugurating. We need a Church that rejects the lone ranger mentality and lives in sacrificial and compassionate community.

(Based on ideas from Todd Hiestand and Duncan Heaster)

Making church

That God our prayers wants is sometimes found strange even by Christian believers. But our Creator has His eye on us and would like to have it tht His creation loves Him as their father. We should show our presence, our gifts and our service as the expression of our gratitude to God. Jesus gave us the task to pray to His Father as well instituted he at the Last Supper, just a few hours before his dead, the Memorial Meal.

As such we do have received the task to come together, regularly meeting to remember the dead of Jesus.It is our presence our physical presence, our attendance, that we have to give to God. As part of the limb of Christ we should become thriving blood and give the community warmth and health to live and grow.
Remember the old story about the blind man who also had great difficulty hearing? He couldn't see and couldn't hear, but he never missed church. He was there every Sunday. Someone asked him, "Why? You can't see what's happening and you can't hear much of what is being said, but you are always here at church. You are always here. Why? Why do you come?"
He answered, "Because I want the world to know whose side I'm on."

It does not have to be every Sunday or even on Sunday, but we should have to be able to find a day in the so many hours which lay for us. Every one of us who finds himself a believer should be courageous enough to come out in this world as a follower of Christ and show it by his attitude.The world should tell by the way you live, by your love for the church, by your devotion to the church, by your church attendance record, whose side you are on. In the spirit of gratitude to God for his inexpressible gift of Jesus Christ, we can give our prayers and our presence.

When we as believers would unite and come together we shall be able to create church. We can become church.

We can pray, too, that God will be with you and will use you as His instrument of love and peace and grace. But then you have to be prepared to be willing to give yourself as an instrument in the hands of God.

Then it becomes important that we ask God to create His instrument here on earth for us. We can pray that we can form with others a church where we may be faithful in continuing the preaching, teaching, healing, caring ministry of Christ. Please pray for your church. The church needs your prayers.

In the articles Opbouw van een ecclesia en verbonden kosten & The Ecclesia in the churchsystem we go in to present the possibilities and difficulties we have to face forming an ecclesia.

We show that the point is that we are all needed. But, you know, there is another thing to be said that is even more important: We all need to give. Giving is good for our souls. It's the spiritual expression of our gratitude and commitment to God and it is so important to our spiritual health. Virtue is its own reward and so is giving. The real reward is in the giving. And this giving can be in different ways. Everybody has something in which he can excell. that what we can do well we can use for the community. We can give our service to all the believers who want to become united.

When we join hands in grateful service to God we are making the church together. When in gratitude to God for His inexpressible gift of Jesus Christ, we give our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. We are making the church together. Let's do just that - for our own sakes, for the good of others, and for the greater glory of God.

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Read more >  The Ecclesia in the churchsystem

For the Dutch version go to  / Nederlandse versie: Maken van een kerk

Dat wij allemaal samen kunnen werken in het verwezenlijken van een ware kerkgemeenschap kan u vinden in  Opbouw van een ecclesia en verbonden kosten & uitgebreider in de Engelse versie The Ecclesia in the churchsystem

An ecclesia in your neighborhood

Sometimes you hear people complaining that they do not have a church nearby.
But then you could wonder why they do not bring the church in their village. God is everywhere and you can reach Him at any place all over the world. He is not limited to a certain building.
So those who would like to have an ecclesia nearby could start to create that place in their home town.

The Brothers in Christ prefer to use the term ecclesia (ekklesia in the Greek) meaning ‘gathering’ and historically refers to any gathering in any context, secular or otherwise. The word implies people not buildings or programs. All of God’s people make up the church. We are the church together. ‘Church’ is people. That is the view the earliest Christians had of themselves.‘Church’ is loaded with so many connotations. We wish we didn’t have to use it! One easily thinks of buildings with pointy roofs, stained glass windows, pews, pulpits, shrines and statues, priests and pastors. People think of it as ‘where you go’ and ‘what you do’. This is a far cry from the view the earliest Christians had of themselves.

The basic unit of the church in the first three centuries was the ‘household’ or ‘oikos’ (Gr). Oikos refers to the ‘household’ rather than just the building. Households in New Testament times included wider family, slaves, servants, clients and in fact one’s ‘sphere of influence’. We as brothers and sisters in Christ should feel bounded together and should not feel that there are any differences between us in rank, colour, age. Everybody in the community should have the same value. Our binding element should be Christ Jesus, who died for us all. As his followers we should be like being his brother or sister and should share the love with others as he showed his love for all those around him.  Jesus went into different houses and showed in them how people could come to his Father. In one upper room he also showed the apostles how they should continue his work and have a meal together with other believers. Around the table he asked them to do in remembrance of him a breaking of the bread and a sharing of the cup of the New Covenant. Jesus did not do that in the temple, but in a hired room in a normal house. We also can either hire a room, use an open or public space or better still, use a living or other room in some ones house. Jesus was reared in a home in a family and as a family man he loved also the atmosphere and fulfilled his ministry often in homes. The house was, as today, the place where the basic unit of society lives – the family. Note the many times we read of Jesus eating with His disciples and with others – in homes.
Disciples were sent out on a door-to-door mission and Jesus also told them to continue their way in case they were not welcome at a certain place. After Pentecost, Christians met in houses. In Romans 16:3-5 and in several other places in the New Testament, reference is made to the church that meets in a home. Work and ministry in homes was part of Paul’s mission journeys.


Start with two or three friends - have a meal together, and share your vision.  Plan to encourage one another, share you lives, pray together to seek God's way forward to be and to do what He wants for you as a gathering and for the community around you.  It's as simple as that!

In our small community it is important to be open to new comers. But we always do have to be aware that we all come from many different experiences in our Christian journey. the ecclesia does not have to have many people, it is more important that those who are present are people who want to share the Good News and want to serve God. However small it is important that they are willing to encourage one another, share life, pray together, read the Bible together, and enjoy God and one another.

You could ask if there has to be a strict order of the gathering. Except that there should be a welcoming moment, an opening, a centre part  with lots of time to be taken for the Word of God with Bible reading and exhortation, the Breaking of the Bread and then a closure, there should be no strict format you have to follow or for everyone to agree on minor matters of doctrine for this to happen. It just can be inspiring to have every time a different service. Also we should avoid any regular uttering of preformed repeating texts. You do not have to be afraid to create prayers or moments of meditation on the spur of the moment, or to be afraid that the texts would not be brought fluently enough when it is not a set text. Members of the community should be sympathetic to anybody who dares to open his or her mouth. Understanding has to go out to all those who bring something into the service. Spoken or sang anything is welcome. A worship service has to be one of action and everybody in the ecclesia should be part of that action. All, young or old can contribute.

The experience of the Risen Lord was an ever-present vibrant reality within the individual and amongst the followers of Christ as they encouraged, blessed, taught and enabled one another, and as they joyously spread the Good News of the Gospel from household to household. Today is should not be different. We all should spread the word and that beautiful message of the Good News the New Covenant and the coming of the Kingdom of God.
By coming together in one place or other we can give each other a moment of blessed time.  for us it can create an opportunity to built one another from the teaching we received from the time we could have free to read in the Bible. We should be aware that not everybody has the same chances to spend the same amount on reading the Word of God. Also not everybody has the same gifts to read and understand easily. So we all should help each other to see the light. We should give each other the possibility to bring forward some questions on all sorts of matters. All the questions brought forward can then be answered in the light of Gods Word. By bringing forwards different interpretations every body can see  and hear how others think and understand certain phrases in the Bible. Everybody can also share the experience of the ways of God in each person. Very grassroots and alive. Teaching and admonishing one another all can look at and share prophecy, tongues and other gifts.

We should not be afraid that every worshipping service is different. What happens arises from the experience of God that each member has. Growth happens as the encouraging and enabling one to another takes us further on the journey as individuals and as a group. In the ecclesia we should enable and encourage the gifts of one another for the building of the Body. And this is easier to do in a smaller community, so it may not bother us that we are such a few.

Consecration of the priests

The Bedside
Watchman

CONSECRATION OF THE PRIESTS

-- Exodus 29

THUS the analogy of the Mosaic parable
to the realities in Christ is complete.
The process of drawing men from alienation to glorification
is clearly discernible in all its appointments.
Humility of mind -- circumcision of heart --
enters the Christ-gateway, on receiving the gospel;
offers the Christ-sacrifice, in being baptised into the death of Christ; washes in the Christ-laver
in coming under the purifying power of his commandments:
enters the preliminary "holy" place of the divine Tabernacle,
in becoming a member of the body of Christ;
to radiate the candlestick light of the truth,
and offer the incense-sacrifice of praise continually,
and eat of the bread of Israel's hope,
and wait for the manifestation of the glory of God in the great
day of atonement,
when all things reconciled will be gathered together in the
"holiest" under one head -- even Christ:
and the true tabernacle of God will be with men,
and there shall be no more curse and no more pain
and no more death.

Robert Roberts, The Law of Moses, pages 153-154

2016 linkupdate

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The Church, Body of Christ and remnant Israel synonymous

For a long time there has been an improper distinction between Israel and the church. In an article by John Gay, posted by Elle is stated that this error has occurred for two reasons: (1) People have rightly seen the biblical distinction between Jew and Gentile, but they mistakenly thought that Israel was equal to Jew and that the Church is equal to Gentile (non-Jew). Both Israel and the church include both Jews and Gentiles, and the distinction between Jew and Gentile is not equivalent to a distinction between Israel and the church.

(2) When they talk about the distinction between the church and Israel, people have failed to make the necessary distinction between national Israel and the remnant of Israel. Remnant Israel is a spiritual body, national Israel is not.

Gentile believers are grafted into remnant Israel, the Messiah is the sacred root. The pagan believers have taken the place of the Jews who have not believed, but non-Jews as a whole have not replaced the Jews as a whole. Only a part of Israel has become hardened (Romans 11:25). And God is able to return Jews in the remnant Israel / the church if they believe (Romans 11:23).

The correct understanding of Israel and the Church is not a replacement theology or separation theology. The Church has not replaced national Israel. National Israel was never a spiritual body of people, but only a nation of rescued and redeemed, not like other nations. God has a future program of prophecy to be fulfilled for that nation. Neither has the Church replaced the remnant of Israel. Paul considered himself a part of the remnant Israel (Romans 11:1-5), part of Christ (Romans 9:3), and part of the Church (Ephesians 5:29-30). This shows that the Church, the Body of Christ and remnant Israel are synonymous.

Therefore the Church is not independent or separate from remnant Israel. The Church is remnant Israel. By faith in Christ, pagan believers are no longer excluded from citizenship in Israel, nor from the covenants of promise (Ephesians 2:12). They are grafted into the Church, an olive tree natural to Jewish people, but unnatural for gentiles. It is for this reason that Paul exhorts his gentile readers not to be arrogant about their membership in the church (Rom. 11:20).

Read more > A Different Perspective on the Church and Israel

In Dutch / In het Nederlands > Lichaam van Christus en overblijfsel Israël synoniem

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A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2

A Living Faith

Our Manner of Life

Prev. A Living Faith #9 Our Manner of Life

 

Having explored in some measure a broad overview of some of the attributes of character that disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ must develop if they are to truly be his disciples, it is time to draw our thoughts towards a conclusion. Jesus in his prayer as recorded in John 17 has this to say:

“This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3 

This sums up the crux of the matter. The whole purpose of life is not to have existence for the sake of living, but rather that the created order of things fulfils the purpose of its creation. The purpose of Yahweh was not that we should have life merely to exist, but that we, as created beings, give Him pleasure by reflecting His Divine Glory. Yahweh has graciously extended His love toward you and me; He has invited us to be part of His great divine family. Because of our response by accepting baptism and becoming ‘in Christ’ we have been adopted into that divine household. Adoption has brought many joys, many privileges, many hopes, but also an immense responsibility. 

The wise man wrote:

“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come... .. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:1, 13-14

Now is the time of opportunity. Now is the time to seek Yahweh. Now is the time to keep His commandments. The commandments govern and guide all aspects of daily life and continuing the line of thought about personalising those commandments some areas to examine could be:

•         My place in the Body of Christ and my Ecclesia.

•         My private and public worship.

•         My relationships with my brethren and sisters. What is true fellowship?

•         My relationships within my work and with other people in general.

•         My character and behaviour

All things are open to the sight of Him who created us, it is easy to deceive oneself but Yahweh sees all, our every thought and action is known to Him. He knows our frame, He knows our sorrows and joys, our motives are laid bare before Him. Our love may be feeble and faith frail, yet mercy triumphs over judgement (James 2:13).  If we truly love the Lord our God, if we have a living and active faith holding fast to that which so good, then with David we rejoice:

“O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.” Psalm 139:1-4

Surely with such lofty thoughts in mind our hearts are filled with awe and indeed David continues:

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it. (v6)

Thus we are brought to realise our own imperfection and limitations. It is not within man to guide his own footsteps, nor within us to foresee the path must we take. Yahweh knows what is best for each of His children; His goal is not our present comfort, but our eternal welfare. All present joys and sorrows are transitory and ephemeral, only having meaning within the context of Yahweh’s plan and purpose with His creation. 

How great a love has the Lord our God and Father bestowed upon us that we should be His children (1John 3:1). Is your love for Him such that with David the heartfelt response comes:

“Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day.” Psalm 119:97

“How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!” Psalm 139:17

Only a living and active faith will look deep inside the inner person and know the honest answer.

  Andy Peel

Next:  ‘My place in the Body of Christ and my Ecclesia’.

Fellowship

"FELLOWSHIP is an important Bible word. It is particularly prominent in the New Testament. Fellowship means sharing, partaking and having in common. The word is translated in all of those ways as the following, fully representative selection of passages will indicate:

"Then they that gladly received his word were baptized ... and they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers." (Acts 2:41-42)

"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3)

"God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:9)

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? for we being many are one bread and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." (1 Corinthians 10:16-17)

"If there is any ... participation in the Spirit ... complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind." (Philippians 2:1, R.S.V.)

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" (2 Corinthians 6:14)

"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth but if we walk in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7)

"That I may know him (Christ) and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." (Philippians 3:10, 11, R.S.V.)

"And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased ..." (Hebrews 13:16, N.I.V.)

"Command those who are rich ... to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." (1 Timothy 6:17, 18, N.I.V.)

"Our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation." (2 Corinthians 1:7)

"I (Peter) ... am ... a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed ..." (1 Peter 5:1)

"He has granted to us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4, R.S.V.)

"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14, R.V.)

From the foregoing it will be seen that fellowship has many elements. Some parts seem to be the foundation for the others. Let us set out these different parts under the headings of foundations and life:

Foundations

The apostles and their teaching
The promises of God
The forgiveness of sins and the blood of Jesus Christ

Life

The Body of Believers
The Breaking of Bread (Communion)
The Unity of believers in love, purpose and mind
The life of the individual believer in association with Christ
Living close to the Father and the Son

In addition to these two parts, there is the promise of ultimately sharing the divine nature by being blessed with immortality.

Fellowship becomes a very practical and living thing when based on these principles. It embraces all that it means to be a disciple
Discipleship is fellowship.

Let us suppose that someone outside this fellowship came alone and asked how he might share it. What would the answer be? We could at once assure him that such fellowship is possible for anyone, because the way has been made known for us in the Bible.
We could say also that it is not a mysterious process by which we wait for God to impart something to us from heaven. Some people have burdened themselves with this latter notion, and have waited for God to act directly upon them. This is not the process described in any of the verses we have quoted. Fellowship is made possible through the Word of God.

To be specific, the way to fellowship is through the apostles' doctrine or teaching. This teaching is the challenge to our existing fellowship outside Christ. When we learn of the great and precious promises of God made certain by the sacrifice of Christ, the moment of choice comes along sooner or later. Am I to remain walking in darkness in fellowship with the world? Am I to stay in the fellowship of death? Or, shall I step into the light in response to the call of the Gospel, and come to the new fellowship in Christ?
Fellowship comes by enlightenment and belief, by repentance and baptism, and by commitment to the new way of life. In this way the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin and we enter into the fellowship of God and His Son. We share the apostles' doctrine and the hope which they proclaimed.

The believer's fellowship is both inclusive and exclusive. He does not choose his companions in the fellowship; they are chosen by the very process which brought him into a relationship with God. There can be no artificial barriers of sex, colour, race, class or caste. All who hold the same faith in truth and submit to its discipline by baptism share a common heritage. They are members of the commonwealth of Israel and have a common hope.
The Lord makes believers one in him:

"There can be neither Jew nor Greek, there can be neither bond nor free, there can be no male and female: for ye all are one man in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28, R.V.)

"There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Ephesians 4:4-6)

From these declarations, it follows that there should be one united Christian community throughout the world. Throughout history this unity has suffered from the ravages of false doctrine and the human lust for power over one's fellow men. This evil was already at work or threatened in New Testament times:

"And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers ... and all that believed were together, and had all things common ... and they, continuing daily with one accord ... did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God." (Acts 2:42-47)

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgement. For it hath been declared unto me ... that there are contentions among you." (1 Corinthians 1:10-11)

"But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?" (1 Corinthians 15:12, N.I.V.)

"Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character. 'Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God ­ I say this to your shame." (1 Corinthians 15:33-34, N.I.V.)

"For I (Paul) know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them." (Acts 20:29-30)

"I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; which is not another gospel: only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ." (Galatians 1:6-7, R.V.)

"For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ ..." (Philippians 3:18)

"They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." (1 John 2:19)"

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Brother Harry Tennant
Fellowship
The Christadelphians - What they Believe and Preach