November, 1988 EDR FELLOWSHIP FELLOWSHIP = sharing, communion, association THE NT DEMANDS some necessities before we are in fellowship with God and with Christians Obey Gospel
1. Hear (Matthew 7:24-27)
2. Believe (Hebrews 11:6) “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
3. Repent (Acts 17:30) “And the times of this ignorance God winked at, but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent”
4. Confess Christ (Matthew 10:32) “Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.”
5. Be Baptized (immersed) (Mark 16:16) “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (1 Peter 3:21) “The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Walk in the Light (1 John 1:7-9)
1. Daily (Luke 9:23) “And he said unto them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.”
2. Walk in God’s way, NOT darkness (1 John 1:6) “If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth.” How Do We Know Who to Fellowship? Those that abide in Christ’s doctrine (2 John 9-11) By their Fruits (Matthew 7:15-16) “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. (Romans 16:17) “…mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned, and avoid them.” By judging righteous judgment (John 7:24) “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Whoever DOES God’s will is HIS family (Matthew 12:46-50) Contemporary Problem of Fellowship Accepting ALL who profess faith in Christ (such as aligning with 1st Christian church) Compromise to achieve “unity”
1. Relinquish some value or truth in order to have “unity”
C. UPPERCASE Fellowship
1. All who believe 7 “ones” in Ephesians 4 (Body, spirit, hope, Lord, faith, baptism, God)
D. Lowercase Fellowship
1. “One faith” in Ephesians 4 supposedly encompasses “atonement” only and NOT instrumental music, premelinialism, etc. Conclusioj Our fellowship with God is on HIS terms, not ours Only those that are in fellowship with God can fellowship one another as Christians.