Category: fellowship

Family

Annette CoffeyLeave a comment

“They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus and with his brothers.” Acts 1:14 NIV

“All the believers were together and had everything in common.” Acts 2:44 NIV

Once you become a Christian it is important to feed your soul. Read the Bible and pray. But one thing is very important. Now you are a member of a very elite and important family. You are a member of the family of God. Continually be around others who are part of this family. People who believe as you believe. Don’t try to do life on your own. You will only feel empty and alone. The world is a tough place and we need all the help we can get. There are others just like you who are lost, lonely, scared, confused, and struggling. Together you will be complete and fulfilled. When we come together as family we can lift each other up. Where two or three of you (Gods family) come together, I am there with you. Although the Lord is always with us, having other family members around us is like armor against the enemy. We are stronger together and harder for the enemy to tear down. A three strand cord of us and our father is strong and will deter our enemies. When you are alone you are weaker and the enemy can come against you easier. When you are around others you learn to love and support them. Be open and transparent, others have the same struggles you do. This is a form of bonding that draws you together. It is very hard to betray someone you have grown to love and respect, and can relate to. Someone with similar struggles and fears. With a common goal of furthering the kingdom (the family). You are on the same team fighting for the same things. You lean on each other, family takes care of their own. You grow more when you are around others who are seeking God’s will for their lives. It is important to sing praises and enjoy each other. The presence of God is so empowering. Never take it for granted.

Do you seek out other Christians to bond with?

Producing Fruit

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“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” Matthew 3:10 NIV

Once we have accepted Christ as our savior we are just beginning. We are no longer powerless and weak. The Holy Spirit has taken up residence in our hearts and will be with us always. He is there to help us and to guide us. With his help you can do anything. You should join a good church, start reading the Bible, and pray regularly. These all help us get to know the God we serve. Hebrews 12:14 says, “Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” We are no longer to live as we used to. We have been set free from the disease of sin. We now need to be like our Lord. There is no excuse because he lives in us to help us change. Do you want to go to heaven to see the Lord one day? This is a matter of life or death. You want to grow your relationship. Any relationship takes work. Spending time getting to know Christ and his characteristics. When you get to know him you will want to keep his commands. While you are keeping his commands you will grow character and you will see fruit in your life. Fruit is: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Goodness, Kindness, Gentleness, and Faithfulness. If we don’t have fruit then we really aren’t changed. We’re still dead sinners. If there is no fruit then are we really saved? So many people say they are Christians but there is no fruit in there lives. Zero. But Christian means follower of Christ. Christ taught us to love and do good or show fruit. So to be a Christian you need to love and bear fruit. No fruit, no Jesus. It’s plain and simple. So do all you can to genuinely love others. Helping them in all their needs and encouraging them to be better people. This kind of fruit keeps growing in us and then in others. It never ends. Don’t be like the Pharisees. They knew the law and even made up some of their own but did not know Christ personally. They were not followers but wanted to be followed for who they were. They did not keep many of the laws themselves. They certainly did not love the less fortunate like Jesus did. He came to serve and they were too good to serve. A real servant serves not just those they like but serves those that can’t give anything in return. That’s true service.

Do you want to have fruit in your life?

Shine The Light

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“In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NIV

What is light? The absence of darkness. God is the absence of darkness. There is no darkness in Him. In fact when the garden was new it was full of light because God walked in the garden with Adam. His presence and his glory filled that place. But since sin and death came into Adam and Eve they were banished from the garden and his light. We are all sinners and are full of darkness and the world we live in is a very dark place. Those of us who know the one who is the light have that spark of light in us. But we need to be connected to the source often to shine. Praying, reading the Bible, praising, devotionals, Christian movies, and Christian books are all good ways to be connected. Even fellowshipping with other Christians is a good source of power because their spirit connects with our spirit and edifies each of us. The more you are connected the brighter you shine. Have you ever met someone whose Spirit just draws you and something about them just glows? I have. Think about when Jesus walked on this earth. He drew people to him. They wanted to be around him. They wanted what he had to rub off on them. Jesus was with some of his disciples and “there he was transfigured before them, his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” He was full of his heavenly glory. This is what we should strive for. We will never get there till we are in heaven but we need to shine in the darkness. That is the way others will get to know our God. We need to be like him. Full of love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, temperance and Faith. These are some of Gods qualities that we need more of. He is perfect light and we need to get as close to that and that takes purpose. It won’t just happen. You really need to be deliberate. Another reason to want that light shining in your life is that it brings so much peace, strength, and joy. I know people who at one time had the joy of the Lord in their lives and they were on fire for the Lord. They had purpose and they were making a difference. They were drawing people to the love of the Lord, but the cares of this life and the daily grind wore on them. They stopped fellowshipping with other Christians who supported and lifted them up. That is important to your strength and joy. We lift each other without even knowing it. That love of God is flowing from our spirits and we can relate to each other and our challenges. These friends got very discouraged and lost that feeling of love and acceptance that being around God brings. Everyone needs that kind of love to help and encourage them. When they are around someone who is shining brightly for God it will rub off on them even if they are not seeking it.

Can you be that shining light in someone’s life?

Fellowship

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“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” 1John 7-8 NIV

It is very important to have fellowship with others. Some of the best relationships I have are with other Christians. I believe we can be real with each other and gain so much from each other. But the best thing we can do for any relationship is spend time with our Heavenly Father. I know that my relationship with God has grown so much in the last six years. I love to spend time with him. I can spend time lounging in bed in the mornings and just talking about everyone and everything that is important to me. I know I can spend over an hour because my mind wanders. That isn’t always bad. Sometimes I will think of things I need to do that particular morning, but sometimes God will give me something to write about or something I need to do. (A divine assignment ) I can have a physical problem that I’m worrying about and he will give me a great idea of something to try. Or something I can do for someone. I love these times. Everyone must think I’m lazy but curled up in bed with my best friend is the best part of my day. Then when I do get up I’m sharp and ready to go. I can hit the floor running, or rolling for me. Like this morning I saw several things I needed to do right off. Spending that quality time with God makes me a better person. The love God has for me is bubbling up inside of me and I know he has that same love for everyone else. That makes me want to have that same kind of love. Just because I read my Bible and the knowledge of Gods love is inside me, I didn’t really know it until my relationship grew. Now I see and feel his love because we are so close. Just like any relationship it takes time of talking about important issues. It is so easy to do the polite chit chat and not really know someone. But to me, everyone has the potential to be a new great friend. Even though I know I may never see them again I want them to know I care about them and wish them well. Even a couple well chosen words can say so much. It is hard for me to talk to some people because I don’t speak very loud or distinctly. But I try real hard to use gestures and emotions to help my words. My smile is a big thing I always want to give away. The more time I spend with God, the more I will be like him. I know myself, I still make judgments of others. Someone can do or say something and I assume. That is sin and I confess that one a lot. I do not know the shoes they’ve walked in and I want to be understanding but I need God’s help. We all do.

What can you do or who can you talk to today?

They will know us by our love

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Yesterday was a big day for me. Every year our church does a wonderful Christmas pageant. They have been doing this for forty years. Each year almost a thousand people get involved volunteering and spending months preparing for this big event which goes for two weeks.
So many people, thousands get to see the true meaning of Christmas around the world acted out in song and dance. Also with the help of animals such as large camels in the final scene to flying angels.
Yesterday was dedicated the special needs day and we all got to attend for free. With Sunday class, church, a big pizza party with presents, to the Christmas pageant to top it off, it is a jam packed day of fun. Last night I got in bed exhausted and fell fast asleep. Totally forgot my blog til I woke this morning.
The first thing on my heart this morning was what the guest speaker we had at church yesterday was talking about. It really stuck with me. He said do you believe in Jesus?, or do you Believe Jesus?
Even the demons believe in Jesus but in the end they do no do what God asks. And in the very end a place is prepared for them and it’s not heaven. People can believe there is a God. One who made this wonderful world we live in with unique plants, animals, and different people of every race, and color.
What do you believe in? A God? What God? What do you really believe?
“But someone will say, “you have faith, I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. James 2:18. NIV
They will know we are Christians by our love and good deeds. If Christ really lives in us we will have his love. If that love truly is in us we cannot help but live it in our actions. The more we come together in fellowship the more that love grows and matures. We rub off on each other.
That love we have for each other helps us when times get hard. When trials come it helps to have people who love you and really care for you. That extra hug and kind word can make so much difference.
That’s why people who believe but never attend church or develop strong Christian bonds have such a hard time doing life and dealing with all that comes their way.
They are on their own, even if God is always with us and never leaves it helps to have others who love like him around.