Growing Together Growing in Fellowship Good Morning St Luke’s Let’s pray. Lord Jesus, I ask you this morning to be present in this place and interpret my words so they will give your message to everyone in person, including me, as we need. AMEN We continue our series called Growing Together Today’s topic is ‘Growing in Fellowship’, part of the ‘Growing in’ bit of our church’s plan for growth, which I think of as ‘the Toblerone Conspiracy’. It follows from Holly’s theme of last week, which was ‘Being Committed to one another’. It’s all about Jesus’ second summary Commandment “Love one another as you love yourself”

What is Fellowship? Members of a company, guild or corporation What is fellowship and how does it fit in with what we want our fellowship to be? Dictionary says : 1 Members of a company, guild, or corporation. Sounds a bit technical for us? I’m a Fellow of the Institute of Materials but I’m sure that’s not for many people so move on… 2 A friendly relationship. Well, we certainly want to have that in the church so we’ll take that – but surely there’s more 3 A community of similar interests and tastes. Yes, I think we are all believing, or at least seeking to believe in Jesus Christ and have a desire to see His Gospel proclaimed and lived out in the wider world, so we’ll have that as well 4 A communion, as in a church. Wow, we’re singled out as a special group by the dictionary no less! Why would the dictionary make a special point the church? Why us? Can we tease out something of Jesus’ way of developing this special fellowship in his followers so we can do something similar? Is that fellowship what we would call discipleship? Chapter 2 and some of chapter 3 of Mark’s Gospel tells how Jesus was going around healing people and, as you would, gathering a large crowd of curious onlookers, followers and general hangers-on. Some of these folk were acknowledged as his disciples (3:9). Others were definitely NOT! Jesus was to be involved with all society (including those that Basil Fawlty would call riff-raff). He had been in trouble already for that with the Pharisees (2:13-17). What’s worse was that Jesus had specifically called one, Levi, the tax collector (2:14), to follow him in his ministry. He basically wanted to teach about bringing the Kingdom of Heaven, here on earth, as well as in Heaven itself. Out of this collection, Jesus looked for a special group of disciples, that we now call Apostles to join in his mission of bringing the Kingdom of God to earth. Choosing the right team is an important job for anyone in leadership: pick for future potential, not past history. Jesus knew the heart of each of these men so had an advantage over today’s leaders. So what was the result? I had the privilege of choosing the Management team in the steelworks Members of a company, guild or corporation A friendly relationship A community of similar interests or tastes A communion: as in a church

The Chosen Twelve Peter – fisherman, impulsive and quick-tempered. James – fisherman, brother of John, fiery temperament John – fisherman, brother of James, fiery temperament Andrew – fisherman, brother of Peter Bartholomew or Nathanael – a prince of Geshur James, the Younger – brother of Jude and of Matthew Judas Iscariot – ultra nationalist Jew Thaddeus or Judas – another ultra nationalist Matthew or Levi – tax collector for the Romans Philip – fisherman, easy-going personality Simon the Zealot – zealous, extremist, Jew, hated Rome Thomas – a pessimistic man, a doubter It has been said that not a single one of these men would be chosen by any selection committee today. Nevertheless, after Jesus had finished with them, they succeeded in turning the world upside down! However Jesus had first to turn them upside down. Today, there is a world population of Christians exceeding 2.5 billion with an annual net growth rate of 3.8 million (Wikipedia) so they must have had some success!! How did he do it? How did they do it? So let’s pause a minute and ask Why should we want to become a fellowship of disciples of Christ? If we are Christians, isn’t that enough? Well, no it isn’t. One of my favourite authors, Dallas Willard, puts it like this: Matthew 28:19-20 quotes Jesus as saying “….go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (that’s making them Christians) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you (that’s making them disciples). This last command of Jesus is usually called the Great Commission. For us to be complete Christians we have to be disciples and to help to teach others to be disciples. If that doesn’t happen, it gives rise to what Willard calls his book – The Great Omission. It’s almost as though we would be Vampire Christians, taking a little bit of Jesus’ blood to ensure our salvation, but not bothering about anyone else. I don’t know about you, but I have no desire to be a Vampire Christian. So, if we want to be disciples, if we want to have that true fellowship in Christ, how do we go about it? Back to how did Jesus do it?

Promises about Jesus’ teachings John 8:31 ….Jesus said “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free John 14:23 “….If anyone loves me, He will obey my teaching. My father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching”. John 14:25 “….but the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you Firstly, he taught his disciples with words. He took them up mountainsides and taught them (Chapters 5,6 and 7 of Matthew’s Gospel are packed with his guidance of how the Kingdom of Heaven is different from earthly standards. He wants us to experience that difference. I envisage our fellowship to be learning about, and living in, that Kingdom. Jesus made promises along those lines. Who in our church doesn’t want to be free? Who in our church doesn’t want to have our heavenly father come to live with them? In understanding, and living in, the Kingdom of Heaven, our fellowship will be as the dictionary says ‘A Communion’ of friends, of common beliefs and of love.- That’s what we’re aiming for – how do we go about it? So how do we get this teaching part of our growth as Jesus is no longer physically with us? As Jesus promises, when he is gone, the Holy Spirit will help us through via our earthly resources. Our primary instruction manual is The Bible, of course! There is no substitute for Personal reading every day. Growth Groups and MAT groups help us to understand our instruction manual (along with Spring Harvest, Keswick, New Wine and many other teaching events that we can visit, either together or alone). So apart from talks, sermons and the Bible, how did Jesus, and how should we, develop fellowship?

Jesus shows the way in Mark’s Gospel 1:29-31 Jesus heals Simon’s mother-in-law 1:32-34 Jesus heals crowds in Capernaum 2:1-12 Jesus heals a paralysed man (roof) 3:1-6 Jesus heals a shrivelled hand (Sabbath) However Jesus never just spoke about what to do, he amply demonstrated it in his own life and his work with his disciples. Good examples being the healings he demonstrated in the first three chapters of this Gospel. There’s a personal, ‘family’ healing of Simon’s mother-in-law, followed by healing of sick people in the huge crowd who had followed him. Then came the ‘through the roof’ healing of the paralysed man, showing that Jesus appreciates persistence and last recorded healing before the calling of the Apostles, the healing on the Sabbath of the man with the shrivelled hand. Specific examples of showing the Kingdom of God in operation that his disciples had to learn to do eventually

Jesus gets them involved But not only did Jesus talk about what to do and demonstrate what to do; he also trained his disciples in how to do it, on the job. Our second reading is a good example, where he sent the 12 on a mission of evangelism where they had to work together with a minimal amount of supplies and earn their keep as they went on the journey (6:7 - 13). It’s a bit like Bear Grylls’ Island!. He gave them authority, told them what to do, how to do it and what to do if it didn’t work. He told them to go in pairs then they could support and help one another. Basically they were not only preaching the Kingdom of God, but were living in it! Another example of Jesus growing his disciples together was the feeding of the 5000. Not only did they have to find the food but also had to distribute it amongst the people. As a food purchasing or collection exercise in the wilderness it was impossible. As a catering exercise it was hopeless. As an exercise in trusting Jesus it was the ultimate. They trusted, success was assured, and they even had enough left to take back to the local food bank! The third example is where the disciples couldn’t cast out the evil spirit from the boy and they were arguing with the boy’s father. After lots of questions, Jesus healed the boy for the disciples and then when they asked him why they couldn’t do it he explained that this kind of demon can only be cast out by prayer He was there alongside them throughout their training, as he says in the Great Commission “surely, I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. These occasions were tremendously bonding for the disciples, enabled them to learn, not only from Jesus, but from what they were doing and to learn about each other as a team. Through what they were doing they were growing in fellowship all the time.   6:7-12 The twelve are sent out, with nothing but the clothes they stand up in to teach people to repent 6:30-44 Large crowds once again follow Jesus into the wilderness and he asks the 12 to feed them. 9:14-29 Jesus disciples couldn’t cast out the evil Spirit from the boy, but Jesus did it and explained it to them

So what? How should WE do discipleship We have Bible, Sermon, Seminar, Alpha Course and other ways of learning about the KoH We have our Growth Group and MAT group to develop that learning further We have MAT Groups, Street Pastors, Coffee Pot, Café Breeze where we work together to serve We have one another to talk with and discuss our problems as we tackle life together We have the ability to continually pray for guidance and advice as Jesus is waiting at the end of the prayer line to hear from us Learning the principles of the KoH comes from the Bible, sermons, Growth Groups and MAT Groups etc. Showing us how to do these things are the experienced members of MAT Groups, Street Pastors, Coffee Pot and Café Breeze, who will show us how its done in their particular jobs. Having found out ‘how’, its now up to us make ourselves available to do these things ourselves, first under the wing of someone experienced and then, later, on our own. Our fellowship members are always there to help and Jesus is always there at the end of the prayer line ready to take our call! In all these things our fellowship will be growing in depth and, possibly, numbers too. As a church, we’ll be better equipped to serve the world and we’ll probably bring a smile to the face of Jesus as we do. Let’s finish in Prayer: Father God, Jesus told us we could have the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and that this would be the most fulfilling life we could live. Help us we pray, to develop our fellowship within Whitfield Parish to the point where we are true disciples and can bring a small part of the Kingdom of Heaven to Glossop.

Can our fellowship help God to bring His Kingdom to Whitfield Parish? Thought for the week Can our fellowship help God to bring His Kingdom to Whitfield Parish?