The Importance of Fellowship
Maintaining loving fellowship with others is crucial for our spiritual growth and for overcoming Satan's schemes.
Zac Poonen emphasizes the critical role of fellowship among believers, highlighting that true unity requires self-denial and daily commitment to the cross. He warns against Satan's tactics to create division within the church, which hinders the manifestation of God's glory and limits the power of prayer. Poonen illustrates that just as Christ's physical body functions best when all parts work together, so too does the church thrive in unity. He stresses that breaking fellowship not only affects the community but also deprives individuals of God's blessings that come through one another. Ultimately, a united church can effectively combat Satan's influence and fulfill God's purpose.
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It's when we try to live together in loving fellowship with others that we'll find how much we need to deny ourselves and take up the cross every day, if we want to maintain fellowship.
Satan is always busy driving wedges between God's children. If we are mature we'll always be alert to prevent those wedges from being driven in between us and others. There is great loss when fellowship is broken in Christ's Body - both to God as well as to us.
There is tremendous power in unity in the church. Satan can be overcome only by a united church. Jesus said "If even two believers are totally one in their spirits, completely united, they can ask the Father for anything and their request will be granted - because I am present in power, wherever any two or three such united souls are gathered together by the Holy Spirit. And such a fellowship of believers can bind Satanic forces in the heavenlies and on earth and thus restrain Satan's power. They can also release people from Satan's bondage through their prayers " (Matt. 18:18-20 - free paraphrase).
That's why Satan brings division between believers and that's why he forms cliques and groups in a church. He wants to preserve his own kingdom from being attacked by a united church. We must be alert to Satan's schemes and not be ignorant of them.
Just think what limitation there would have been in Christ's physical body if his limbs had been unable to work together. He would not then have been able to manifest the glory of God to this world as He did. This is the limitation that Christ faces today as Head of His spiritual Body, the church, when believers are divided.
We lose too. If you cut yourself off from even one of God's children, you deprive yourself of something of God's riches that could have come to you only through that other child of God. We can know the love of Christ only along "with all the saints" (Eph. 3:17-19).
(For a further in-depth study of the importance of Christian fellowship, you could read my book entitled, ONE BODY IN CHRIST.)
Sermon Outline
- I. The Importance of Fellowship
- A. Satan's opposition to fellowship
- B. The power of unity in the church
- C. The consequences of broken fellowship
- II. The Limitations of Division
- A. Christ's physical body as a model
- B. The limitation of Christ as Head of His spiritual Body
- III. The Benefits of Fellowship
- A. Access to God's riches
- B. Knowledge of the love of Christ
- IV. Overcoming Satan's Schemes
- A. Being alert to Satan's plans
- B. Not being ignorant of Satan's schemes
Key Quotes
“If even two believers are totally one in their spirits, completely united, they can ask the Father for anything and their request will be granted - because I am present in power, wherever any two or three such united souls are gathered together by the Holy Spirit.” — Zac Poonen
“There is great loss when fellowship is broken in Christ's Body - both to God as well as to us.” — Zac Poonen
“Just think what limitation there would have been in Christ's physical body if his limbs had been unable to work together.” — Zac Poonen
Application Points
- We must be alert to Satan's schemes and not be ignorant of them.
- Fellowship with other believers is essential for our spiritual growth and for knowing the love of Christ.
- A united church is the key to overcoming Satan's power and releasing people from his bondage.