257 Kendall Street
Burlington, WI 53105
(262) 763-3021
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We have purchased land on Highways A & W and are planning to build soon! Drive by and take a look at our future home!
"Fellowship is heaven, and lack of fellowship is hell; fellowship is life, and lack of fellowship is death; and the deeds that ye do upon the earth, it is for fellowship's sake that ye do them." William Morris
October 11 th, 2009
This afternoon we’re having a Grace Church fellowship activity, a Photo, Fall, Farm, Family, Fun, Frenzy. Sometimes I think that folk figure that we come up with these things because we have all of this surplus time and have nothing better to do. Or, that there must be folk in the church who just don’t have enough to do and need the church to provide some entertainment options for them. Nothing could be further from the truth! We have though found through the years that Sunday afternoon is the best time for most folk. Very few of us have to work on Sunday and thus, it is the one day that most Christians today really have time for a get-together and time to chill. Unfortunately, if we follow our typical pattern at Grace, only about 50% or less of the church family will be there.
Why is that? It’s this simple – most of us really don’t believe that community and fellowship is really all that important. Because when we believe something is important, we do it! But we’ve been fed all of our lives this lie that we can make it all on our own and that we don’t need anyone else...that we can tough it out. Besides, we have lots of other things to do besides silly "fellowship." So instead of making fellowship the priority that Scripture makes it, we’re deceived into individualism and self-absorption. We have bought into the lies of the culture. In fact, the older we get, the less we typically fellowship. We become more and more absorbed into our own safe little private worlds, hobbies and interests.
Now I’ll be candid, for some of us driving around and taking some silly pictures is not all that enticing...but if we let ourselves, we would probably find that we actually enjoy it. More important, we’d find that we connected with other believers that we had not previously connected with. We have designed this as an opportunity for each of us to grow stronger and deeper in our relationships with other believers. It’s doubtful that deep, intimate conversations are going to happen at today’s activity BUT it will start opening doors and cracking windows. The reality that we often miss is that besides being commanded in Scripture, there are several benefits from fellowship that far too many of us overlook.
Fellowship helps us grow spiritually. It helps us start setting aside the masks so that we can have authentic relationships. Without fellowship and deepening our relationships, we wouldn’t share either our joys or burdens. Ever noticed how that most prayer requests in a group are about traveling safety or the hospital report? That’s about as transparent as most of us are willing to be. I’m not suggesting that we air all of our dirty laundry but I would venture that most of us have more going on and greater burdens than our next Doctor’s visit or vacation. The Christian life is a team sport. God has designed us to share and to be shared with. Most of us do very good at sharing and helping with others. God, though, wants us to set aside our pride and self-sufficiency and learn to accept help from others too. That way they have the opportunity to use their gifts to minister to others in the Body.
Another benefit of fellowship is accountability. Have you ever noticed how rude and mean individuals are on talk radio or blog spots? That’s because they’re anonymous. That’s also why crime is typically higher in urban areas than it is in rural areas. When people do not know each other, when there are no relationships, people are seen as things rather than image bearers of God that can be hurt and wounded.
Now this is going to shock some of you (you might even want to look for another church after this disclosure), I am not a nice person. Sadly, apart from the Cross, I’m mean to the bone. And as the youngest of five, I learned early on that while I could rarely win a fight physically, I could get some major zingers off verbally. Sarcasm, cynicism, cutting remarks were my weapons of choice. God has really worked in my life and heart but I still struggle. Knowing though how much it hurts someone that is my friend or that I care for is used by God to help me control my tongue and walk away before starting a verbal assault. As members of the Body of Christ, we are not just accountable to King Jesus but to one another as well.
One more of the many benefits – fellowship stretches us. Most of us like to hang with those just like us or who are at least a lot like us. Our friends tend to be those who have our same interests, are at our same level economically, or in a similar situation to ours when it comes to marriage and family. That’s also why many of us struggle with prejudice. We value those like ourselves but disdain or look down on those unlike us. Unfortunately, it’s not just pride, it’s also tunnel vision.
Fellowship though forces us to get out of our little, safe worlds. It forces us to interact with those unlike us...some that even frustrate us, irritate us or that we just flat out don’t like. And that’s where we become more dependent on the Spirit’s power and grow in love and patience. It’s where God helps us to see a bigger picture. God’s purpose is to make us just like His Son, to conform us to Christ. As you go through the pages of the New Testament, you’ll quickly discover that there was no one that Jesus was uncomfortable with. To be sure, there were some who were uncomfortable with Him but He was completely comfortable in any and every situation. He ministered to anyone and everyone...and He wants us to be able do the same.
So if you really, really, really don’t want to come out for the Photo, Fall, Farm, Family, Fun, Frenzy activity, at least come for the meal. And please work at getting out of your comfort zone. Please don’t settle for spiritual status quo but by His grace, keep stretching and growing!
