34. Divine Fellowship

Sermon 34

Our present lesson is on divine fellowship. Are we in fellowship with God? Just as long as it mall is in fellowship with God, it is not hard for him to he in fellowship with his brethren. But the question is, What is fellowship. and how ran T tell when I am in fellowship with God?

................In the business world fellowship means partnership. Then to be in fellowship with God means to be a partner with God. Or as Paul explains it we are labourers together with God (1 Corinthians 3:9). In partnership there must be an understanding of the things in which we are partners, working to accomplish. It is understood that each partner goes into a business and puts into said business according to his ability or desire. In sharing profits or losses each partner shares according to his investment.

Noticing the two wheels in our diagram, we all know what a fellow is in a wheel. We put the spokes in the hub of the wheel, and at the end of each spoke the fellow is placed. On the outside of the fellow is the tire. So when each spoke is located in the fellow at a certain distance from each other, each spoke is expected to bear, or hold up the load as the wheel turns over. Then each spoke becomes a brace for every other spoke in the wheel. Knock out one spoke and it will throw greater work, or burden on the spoke beside it.

The wheel on the right represents a church of Christ In which all spokes are partners, each bearing its part of the load, each held in place by the fellow, so all have fellowship, or fellow-connection with all other spokes.

But notice the wheel on the left. You can see the fellows are all out of shape, the spokes are bent, broken, or twisted, some leaning up to be supported by others.

If you go into a wagon factory to buy a wagon, and the salesman rolls out two wagons, one with wheels like the one on the right in the diagram, and one with wheels like the one on the left, no man would buy a wagon with wheels like the one on the left, unless he wanted to haul his mother-in-law in it.

But I am sad to say that the wheel on the left represents more churches where I go than the one on the right.

In fellowship, or partnership, ten men go into business. In said business these men put in from $100 to $1000 each. The success of this business depends not only upon the good management of the manager, but upon every individual member Of the firm. The man who puts $1000 in is expected to contribute ten times as much for the running expense of the firm, as the man who puts in $100. So will he receive ten times as much profit. In said firm each man is responsible for the conduct of the other men in the firm as long as the fellowship of the firm continues. If nine members of the firm are honest, truthful men, but one is dishonest and untruthful, the good men will be held responsible for all misconduct of the mean man as long as they retain him.

...............So it is in the church of God. Not only has God established His church as a cooperative institution for all to have fellowship in all good works, each doing his part, but He has also left the eldership with the deacons as their helpers, to carry on this work. To this board of directors God says, "Withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly." Then he tells us that the grace of God that brings salvation go all tells us we must deny ourselves of worldly just and live soberly, righteously, and Godly in this present world. Having this standard to work by, any church doing their duty can easily tell if a man is walking disorderly. When he is found walking disorderly that church that will not withdraw fellowship from him is living in open rebellion against God. No man who desires to he true to God, can live in such a church and not protest against unscriptural conduct among the members.

...............Seeing, then we are to have fellowship one with another and walk in the light as Cod is in the light, it may now be well to ask, How am I to act that I may know I am doing THE will of Him who called me. I learn first, that I must be a fellow-servant. I read that the man with the vineyard called his servants to go in and work. No one was invited to go in to rest. or to go in to be entertained. It is the Lord's vineyard. I am the Lord's servant. The call comes to me to do what my hands find to do. Many servants make a mistake when they insist on doing some particular work they are unable to do. Paul in 12th chapter of Romans says that we have many members, but do not all have the same office. Some men today insist that they are leaders, and will not work if they can not lead and manage the church, when, neither by nature nor education, they have a single qualification to fit them for that office. Others are holding responsible positions in the secular affairs of life and taking a back seat in the church, when God has called them to be teachers and preachers among men. So it should be the duty of the eldership of any and all churches when a boy or girl becomes a member of a local congregation to put them to work and see what they are best suited for and help them to develop their talent.

.......To have fellowship with God, we are called into citizenship in His kingdom. Jesus said His kingdom was not of this world. The principles of this kingdom are to teach us how to live in this world and to enable us to-enjoy the blessings of the future home in the eternal state of the kingdom. As a citizen of said kingdom I should not align myself with the works of Satan to cause me to forget my great regard for my citizenship in the kingdom of God. As a citizen I have pledged myself to do all things to pull my citizenship to that line of love and work that will bring peace and honor to all the citizens with whom I have fellowship in the Lord.

I also notice that I am a fellow-builder. I must go to the Book of God and learn there is only one foundation that will stand the crash of worlds when the end comes. No other foundation can be laid by divine authority. Jesus says every plant which His Father has not planted shall be rooted up. Peter says, "If any man speaks let him speak as the oracles of God." Jesus says, "Upon this rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Paul says the church is built on the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Christ being the chief corner stone. He also says, no other foundation can man lay. Then, are you building in the church of Christ which was built on the rock, or are you building in some human church that has been built on the sand ?

I should also remember that nothing but a converted membership can be built on the rock. Many of my brethren have made mistakes at this point, in seeking for numbers in their meetings instead of teaching them the truth before building them in.

Not only am I known as a fellow-builder, but as a fellow-worker. If I am a worker, having fellowship with all the other workers, God has ordained that one brother should not be burdened and another eased, but that each one must give or work according to his ability. You have the ability to give, and if you have been prospered ten dollars and give as though you had been prospered five dollars you He to the Holy Ghost as Ananias and Sapphira his wife did. You are not a fellow-worker, and can not listen for the welcome, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Neither will you hear it said, "Enter, thou, into the joys of thy Lord."

I am called upon to be a fellow-soldier, and the very word soldier carries with it the idea of fighting. Remember I am not only to put on the whole armor of God for self protection, but I am to carry the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God to enable me to fight the enemy. That soldier who goes on the battle field with an unloaded gun, or one who never shoots his gun, or one who is begging all not to shoot so as to hit the enemy is a disgrace to the army. Yet I go to many places where many of my brethren claim to be soldiers, but they have not shot a gun at the enemy in ten years, and begin to plead with me as soon as I get there, and beg me to be careful not to shoot any gospel gun toward Baptists or Methodists, or "outsiders," for if I do and a gospel shot hits one, they claim it will hurt his feelings and make him mad and he won't come to church again. Many church members are more fearful of hurting the feelings of their sectarian neighbors, and regard their friendship and love far above that of God in whose army they claim to be fighting. Brother, do you belong to this class? Then can you claim you are in fellowship with God, when you refuse to teach the gospel to those who are the Lord's enemies, who are not only building on the sand, but are spending their time and talent in cultivating the human plants, or human churches that Christ states shall be rooted up?

................We are represented as fellow-pilgrims, having no continuing city here, only passengers from time to eternity. Then the question that concerns us is, what kind of record will we leave? Some men's sins and good works go before to judgment, others follow after. Napoleon Bonaparte lived, served his day and died. He left a record behind him of overthrowing nations, subduing empires, making more widows and orphans than any other man who ever ruled Europe up till his time No one can say the world was benefitted by his life. The effects of his life have built no schools, erected no orphans' homes, have not fed nor clothed the widows nor helped boys nor girls out of troubles

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism lived and died almost contemporary with Bonaparte, and when he died his influence was felt in the hearts of 87,000 Methodists. Wesley has been dead for more than one hundred years, and while the world has almost forgotten that such a man as Bonaparte ever lived; yet Wesley is living in the hearts of 10,000,000 men and women today. Schools, orphans' homes, supporting the widows and the aged, as a result of Wesley's work can be found in most all civilized nations on earth. Then, as a pilgrim which record would you desire to leave behind.

Finally, all soldiers, at times, must throw out guards, or watchmen, to note the coming of the enemy. Then, remember we are all fellow-watchmen on the walls of Zion, watching for the enemy that we may give the alarm when we see him coming.

If a man will hear the word of God as taught by Paul (Romans 10:17) and will believe that Jesus is the Christ, as taught by John, (John 20:30-31) and will forsake his sins. as taught by Christ (Luke 13:5) confess the Savior (Matthew 10:32) and be baptized for the remission of sins as taught by Peter (Acts 2:38) then he comes into fellowship with God, and in coming into fellowship with Him he comes into fellowship with all God's children.

......Then he lives the life of work, love, and sacrifice while in this life with the promise of a home in the city of God.