1. Fellowship 11 th January 2015

2. Acts 2 v 44-46

3. V 44: The believers were together and had everything in common What does this mean for us today?

4. V 45: The “haves” gave to the “have-nots” What does this mean for us today?

5. V 46: How were they able to meet together every day? Breaking bread could simply mean sharing a meal together

6. V 47: The Lord added to their number daily They were blessed by God

7. Hallmarks of Fellowship = Caring and Sharing

8. Acts 4 v 32-35

9. V 32: The believers were one in heart and mind Was this a type of “communism”? They expected Jesus to return soon

10. V 33: What was the source of their love? The Apostles’ testimony and God’s grace

11. V 34: Grace from God should flow into grace to others Matthew 10:8 says “Freely you have received; freely give”.

12. V 35: Re-distribution through the apostles and later “the Seven” How could we do likewise today?

13. Hallmark of Fellowship = Giving to those in need

14. Ephesians 4 v 7-16

15. V 7: We receive the amount of grace that Christ has decided to give us It will be exactly as much as we need

16. V 8-10: Jesus has triumphed over death and evil He has the authority to give us gifts These gifts are for serving the church

17. V 11&12: Christ has appointed roles for people in the church Not for their own good or prestige To build the body through works of service

18. V 13: What to aim for Unity in the faith Knowledge of the Son of God Maturity = fullness of Christ

19. V 14: What to avoid Immaturity Following wrong teaching Being deceived by schemers

20. V 15: Method of growth = Speaking the truth in love We often find this hard

21. V 16: The picture is of a body gradually being built up It is like the dry bones in the valley that Ezekiel was shown Each part must do its work - that’s all of us!

22. Main Lesson: We all have an active role to play in building up the Fellowship When we come to church, do we think “How can I build today?"