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Fellowship
Among Saints
Fellowship
During World War II, the
enemy conducted experiments to find the most effective type of punishment for
eliciting information from prisoners. They found that solitary confinement was
the most effective. After a few days of solitary confinement, most men would
tell all.
That is why we need
fellowship—without it we too become easy prey for temptation and abandonment of
our values. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Fellowship
After many months of
waiting, a Russian girl finally obtained a visa to visit her relatives in
Canada for three months. She arrived in
Communication
In 1963, Adlai E. Stevenson
spoke to the students at
Communication
There is a story about a
man who wanted to train his mule. The first thing he did was to pick up a big
stick and hit the mule a resounding wallop between the ears. As the mule
staggered about, someone said to the owner, “What is the matter? Why did you do
that?” And the man said, “In order to teach a mule, you must first get his
attention.”
That may not be true of
mules, but there is a good deal of truth in it when dealing with humans. For
any communication to be effective, interest must first be awakened. ── Michael
P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Clarity
in Communication
If Jesus came to certain
theological schools today and asked the professors, “And you, who do you think
I am?” what do you think they might reply?
Some might answer, “You are
the eschatological manifestation of the kerygma in which we recognize the
ultimate significance of our interpersonal relations.”
And Jesus would probably
say, “What?” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Clarity
in Communication
”The difference between the
right word and the almost-right word is the difference between lightning and
the lightning bug.” – Mark Twain
Clarity
in Communication
A stranger was walking down
a residential street and noticed a man struggling with a washing machine at the
doorway of his house. When the newcomer volunteered to help, the homeowner was
overjoyed, and the two men together began to work and struggle with the bulky
appliance. After several minutes of fruitless effort the two stopped and just
stared at each other in frustration. They looked as if they were on the verge
of total exhaustion.
Finally, when they had
caught their breath, the first man said to the homeowner: “We’ll never get this
washing machine in there!” To which the homeowner replied: “In? I’m trying to
move it out of here!” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations
for Biblical Preaching》
Lack
of Communication
The story is told of two
businessmen, an American and a Frenchman, who met on a transatlantic voyage. As
the American was seated for lunch with the Frenchman, the later raised his wine
glass and said, “Bon appetit.” To which the smiling American replied,
“Johnson.” Since neither spoke the other’s language, no other words were
exchanged during the meal. After the same thing happened at dinner, an
observant waiter later explained to the American that the Frenchman was saying,
“Hope you enjoy your meal.”
The next day the American
sought out the Frenchman to correct his error. After finding him at lunch, at
the first opportunity the American raised his glass and said, “Bon appetit.”—to
which the Frenchman replied, “Johnson.” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Lack
of Communication
A department-store clerk
was demonstrating the efficiency of a window-cleaning device by smearing
margarine of glass and cleaning it off again. Quite impressed, one potential
customer asked, “How much margarine do I have to use?” ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
People need people. Laurie
was about three when one night she requested my aid in getting undressed. I was
downstairs and she was upstairs, and ... well. "You know how to undress
yourself," I reminded. "Yes," she explained, 'but sometimes
people need people anyway, even if they do know how to do things by themselves."
William C. Schultz, Bits
and Pieces, December 1990.
I want the whole Christ
for my Savior, the whole Bible for my book, the whole Church for my fellowship,
and the whole world for my mission field.
John Wesley.
In the fall of the year,
Linda, a young woman, was traveling alone up the rutted and rugged highway from
Alberta to the Yukon. Linda didn't know you don't travel to Whitehorse alone in
a rundown Honda Civic, so she set off where only four-wheel drives normally
venture. The first evening she found a room in the mountains near a summit and
asked for a 5 A.M. wakeup call so she could get an early start. She couldn't
understand why the clerk looked surprised at that request, but as she awoke to
early- morning fog shrouding the mountain tops, she understood. Not wanting to
look foolish, she got up and went to breakfast. Two truckers invited Linda to
join them, and since the place was so small, she felt obliged. "Where are
you headed?" one of the truckers asked. 'Whitehorse'
"In that little
Civic? No way! This pass is dangerous in weather like this." "Well,
I'm determined to try," was Linda's gutsy, if not very informed, response.
"Then I guess we're just going to have to hug you," the trucker
suggested. Linda drew back. "There's no way I'm going to let you touch
me!"
"Not like THAT!"
the truckers chuckled. "We'll put one truck in front of you and one in the
rear. In that way, we'll get you through the mountains." All that foggy
morning Linda followed the two red dots in front of her and had the reassurance
of a big escort behind as they made their way safely through the mountains.
Caught in the fog in our dangerous passage through life, we need to be
"hugged." With fellow Christians who know the way and can lead safely
ahead of us, and with others behind, gently encouraging us along, we, too, can
pass safely.
Don Graham.
What is meant by
fellowship in this verse? Gossip? Cups of tea? Tours? No. What is being
referred to is something of a quite different order and on a quite different
level. "They met constantly to hear the apostles teach, and to share the
common life, and break bread and to pray. A sense of awe was everywhere. All
whose faith had drawn them together held everything in common. With one mind
they kept up their daily attendance at the temple, and, breaking bread in
private houses, shared their meals with unaffected joy as they praised
God" (Acts 2:42-47, New English Bible). That is fellowship as the new
Testament understands it, and there is clearly a world of difference between that
and mere social activities.
The Greek word for
fellowship comes from a root meaning common or shared. So fellowship means
common participation in something either by giving what you have to the other
person or receiving what he or she has. Give and take is the essence of
fellowship, and give and take must be the way of fellowship in the common life
of the body of Christ.
Christian fellowship is
two-dimensional, and it has to be vertical before it can be horizontal. We must
know the reality of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ
before we can know the reality of fellowship with each other in our common
relationship to God (1 John 1:3). The person who is not in fellowship with the
Father and the Son is no Christian at all, and so cannot share with Christians
the realities of their fellowship.
Your Father Loves You by James
Packer, Harold Shaw Publishers, 1986.
Fellowship in the N.T.
basically means sharing and self-sacrifice with other believers. As N.T.
scholar J.R. McRay has noted, "Fellowship in the early church was not
based on uniformity of thought and practice, except where limits of immorality
or rejection of the confession of Christ were involved."
Christianity Today, March 18,
1988
Nowhere in the N.T. do any
of the Greek words translated "fellowship" imply fun times. Rather,
they talk of, for example, "The fellowship of the ministering to the
saints" (II Corinthians 8:4) as sacrificial service and financial aid.
(See for example, I Timothy 6:18). Elsewhere, Paul was thankful for the
Philippian believers' "fellowship in the gospel" (Philippians 1:5),
for he knew that "inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defense and
confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers (same word as fellowship) of
my grace" (Philippians 1:7). This sort of fellowship may even bring
persecution. We are to emulate Christ's humility and self-sacrificial love
(Philippians 2:5-8) through the "fellowship of the Spirit" (Phil
2:1). In some way known only partially to us, we have the privilege of knowing
"the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His
death" (Philippians 3:10), and even the communion (i.e. fellowship) of the
blood...and body of Christ" (I Corinthians 10:16).
J.D. Morris.