Christian Fellowship (Part 2)

(Read Christian Fellowship, Part 1 First)

Christian Fellowship - Where Can I Connect?
Where can you find Christian fellowship? You may be surprised to discover that God has placed Christians almost everywhere. They are where you work, where you go to school, where you shop-even in your own neighborhood. If you desire to meet other Christians where you live, and if your church does not offer small group opportunities-pray! God knows the desires of your heart. After all, He gave them to you! He is just waiting for you to ask His direction. Then comes the next important step on your part-you must listen for His answer. Be bold enough to ask when you think you may have met another believer. One way or another, your inquiry is likely to result in an opportunity to share your faith.

The Internet has become a whole new world for connecting with people of almost any interest. While it is not the best place for the kind of face-to-face fellowship we all need, it can offer opportunities to at least hook up with some like-minded believers. And if you are here, reading this page, you have figured out how to use the Internet to make connections.

Christian Fellowship - Why Do I Need It?
Christian fellowship is essential for our growth. Rick Warren says, "The entire Bible is the story of God building a family who will love Him, honor Him, and reign with Him forever."

As a child, you needed your family to help you grow. You needed a mother to nurture you, a dad to show you how to ride your bike without falling down. As a believer, you need mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters in Christ, to teach you how to love as God loves. Those family members may be older Christians who can teach you what it means to be a Christian, or they may be newcomers to the faith, who need a guiding hand from you. Or they may simply be your peers, sailors in the same boat, figuring out life together.

What does the Bible say about Christian fellowship? Of the early church, Luke says:

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer (Acts 2:42).

From the very beginning, Christians knew they needed each other for survival. In this often upside down world, so do you!

Christian Fellowship - Completing Your Faith
As a member of God's family, you are called into Christian fellowship:

God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful (1 Corinthians 1:9).

That's an amazing truth! As a believer in Christ, you now can have fellowship with Jesus Christ Himself! What's more, Paul tells us that as Christians we have the mind of Christ!

"For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16).

Have you ever noticed the abundance of "how to" books out there in the stores, and the numbers of talk shows on TV? None of us can survive on our own. We all need and crave the advice of others. As a Christian you need the fellowship of other believers to complete your own understanding. For a healthy Christian life, you need to grow in knowledge and understanding of Christ through time spent alone with God, through ministering to the needs of other Christians, through sharing the faith God has given you with others and through spending time in Christian fellowship. Then you will be magnifying God in all your ways!

Christian Fellowship - A Communion of Grace
As far as Christian fellowship, we leave you with these words from our brother, the Apostle Paul:

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all (2 Corinthians 13:14).

Grow More Now!