The Revelation of Fellowship | Pastor William McDowell

um if you're ready for the word you know what to do let's say let's go deeper let's go deeper i heard nobody in this room so hopefully y'all put that in the chat let's go deeper amen i'm calling everybody out for getting all silent on me uh but but we're gonna go deeper we're going to we're going to um read a particular path of scripture and then we're going to pray and jump right into it and you know what we do when we read the scripture we stand to honor the reading of the word of the lord is to say to him that your word is above all else it's like nothing else and it's not just a piece of literature it is the word of the lord and so we stand uh to honor the reading of the word of the lord and so let's do that together and we will start with philippians chapter 2 philippians chapter 2. um this time i'm going to start in verse 12. we we dealt last week with uh the first few verses and we're going to deal with those again this week but um we're going to start with verse 12 here in the esv it says this therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is god who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent children of god without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world holding fast to the word of life so that in the day of christ i may be proud that i did not run in vain or labor in vain let's pray together father i thank you for your word i thank you for your presence i thank you for your goodness and for your mercy i pray that over the next few moments you'd anoint me as one who has submitted to you as a servant to proclaim your truth in your word and father may the revelation of your word get in us may it be received by hearts that are open known as fertile ground may it produce fruit and a harvest and lord i pray that because of your goodness and your mercy you would save people who may be watching now or later that have yet to come into the saving knowledge of who you are i pray that you'd reveal jesus and lord i pray that you would do something significant and powerful in our community both locally and globally as we respond to the word of the lord lord i pray for your anointing as always it's my desire to make you proud and i pray that the words of my mouth and meditations of my heart will be acceptable in thy sight o lord my strength and my redeemer in jesus name amen you can be seated you can be seated again thank you for your patience but this was a good thing a good thing um i'm going to jump right in i don't have uh a pastor caleb like anecdote at the beginning if the lord helps me i might have one at the end but at the beginning i don't have it so we're just going to jump right into it what we're going to do today and and really over the next number of weeks is we are going to visit and revisit some of the same scriptures uh this week as we did last week and the reason why we're doing that is because of the the thing that the lord has given us to talk about and share in this season both fellowship and cornelia are obviously the same word but fellowship in koinonia it's not a concept it's a revelation i want to say it again it is not a concept it is a revelation if we receive it as a concept it'll just be something that we hear for the next few weeks and then we move on but this is not just a concept it's a revelation which means it is something that needs to be built in us and so as a result what we're going to do over and over and over is we're going to revisit some of the same passages in order to give us some definitions or some language around this that reflects the revelation that the lord gives us um we right now as we just began last week talking about fellowship koinonia also um unity we're still in the definition phase we're still in the the definition stages so a lot of what i say today is really kind of unpacking some definitions for us uh and allowing us to to give an overarching view where we're not yet granular in this although um there is a granular nature to all of this particularly in how we walk it out and how we live this out in our daily lives but we're praying that the holy spirit will help us receive this as revelation in our hearts and not just a conceptual thing um last week we we read acts chapter 2 if you remember and i posed the question when reading acts chapter 2 uh particularly talking about the community of believers and the first church i posed the question what if this is not just a descriptor of the first church but what if this is exactly how it's supposed to be among believers and imposing that question we begin to read this and so i want to read once again acts chapter 2 verse 42 acts chapter 2 verse 42 because i want us to to hear it again they're going to be several things that we hear again to allow the holy spirit to work it in us um yes we we preach it on sundays we we we talk about it as part of our devotion and prayer calls 10 times a week monday through friday at 7 a.m and 9 p.m eastern time and we're layering this but this is not just something that we say a couple of times and believe that we're going to get it this is something that the holy spirit has to work in us so as we begin to read this i know that that several of you may be familiar with acts chapter two obviously it's a uh often read passage of scripture but allow the lord to begin to do some things in our heart the question again is what if this is exactly how it is supposed to be among the believers acts chapter 2 verse 42 reads this way all the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship and and and to sharing in meals including the lord's supper and to prayer a deep sense of awe came over them all and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders and all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had they sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need they worshiped together at the temple each day met in homes for the lord's supper and shared their meals with great joy and generosity all while all the while praising god and enjoying the good will of all the people and each day the lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved again we we defined this last week um all the believers who are we talking about the believers that that that verse 41 we started with verse 42 but the believers that verse 41 talks about the 3 000 that believed and were added to the church so we're not just talking about a small group we're talking about 3 000 believers and because they were devoted to these things the bible also says it didn't stay at 3 000 because the lord added to them daily and so this was a growing fellowship that was taking place this is um what is considered to be the first church community as a by way of review um we said again last week we'll say it again this week they were devoted to four things devoted to four things the apostles teaching fellowship breaking bread and prayer they were devoted to four things the apostles teaching that which they were talking about and teaching about jesus fellowship which is koinonia breaking bread and prayer they were devoted to fellowship we define devotion or in this particular case as a steadfast and single-minded fidelity or faithfulness to a certain course of action in other words when we're talking about devotion in this matter it's this is what mattered to them more than anything else what mattered to them more than anything else these four things talking about jesus or the apostles teaching fellowship which is koinonia the breaking of bread and sharing of meals are also the lord's table which is the expression of fellowship and prayer now we spent some time uh in a definition phase um we want to to spend some time specifically on this word fellowship while they were devoted to four things what we are doing at this moment is we're spending time specifically on these four things fellowship in the greek the word koinonia fellowship in the greek the word koinoni which some of you have heard before even if you weren't a part of last week although if you are part of this community this fellowship either worldwide or locally i encourage you if you did not hear last week to go back in here last week as well fellowship the greek word koinonia a word that is specifically if you remember this unique to the church in that the word koinonia itself was not used at all by jesus it was the establishment of the church that triggered the establishment of the word you all remember that it was the establishment of the church that triggered the establishment of the word in other words the word needed the people the word needed a people empowered by the spirit the word itself that the depth of koinonia the depth of fellowship needed a people to express it a people who were expressly empowered by the spirit to carry it out and so we know then that the word itself uh is not used uh in the earshot of people for a specific reason because it was not until acts two that there could be true koinonia on earth between people after eating that that is a key phrase that we did not add last week but there could not be true koinonia on the earth between people after eden the only place where koinonia existed was in heaven are you with me family the only place where true koinonia existed was in heaven and so it was not that koinonia didn't exist before the church it's that koinonia wasn't spoken because people couldn't do it koinonia existed in heaven where did koinonia exist in heaven cornelia existed in heaven between the trinity there was perfect koinonia in the trinity there are several scriptures that illustrate this we see it in the genesis account of creation we see it in colossians chapter 3 we see it in philippians and the book of john brings it out in several places now in john chapter 17 the prayer of jesus to the father for his disciples and all future believers reveals both the fellowship that already existed in the godhead and also the desire in the heart of god for it to exist among future believers jesus prayed this in john chapter 17 a lengthy prayer so we're just going to draw out a few of the passages here um he praises in john chapter 17 verse 21. he says i pray that they will all be one just as you and i are one as you are in me he is talking about the perfect coinaglia as you are in me father and i am in you and may they be in us so that the world will believe that you sent me jesus is praying that people future believers those not only his disciples but also future believers would enter into the koinonia that already exist and may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me i have given them the glory you gave me so that they may be one as we are one i am in them and you are in me may they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me let me show you a couple of passages of scripture real quick that begin to illustrate this the son loves the father um as we see in john chapter 14 verse 31 a rapid fire but i will do what the father requires of me so that the world will know that i love the father come let's be going we saw we see that the father loves the son in john chapter 17 and that they're one we see in john chapter 14 uh that the son loves the father and then we see with the holy spirit in john chapter 15 verse 26 he says but when the helper comes who i shall send to you from the father the spirit of truth who proceeds from the father he will testify of me in john chapter 16 verse 13 it says however when he the spirit of truth has come he will guide you into all truth for he will not speak on his own authority but whatever he hears he will speak and he will tell you the things to come in other words he does not speak by himself or on his own he speaks with us through us and for us there is this this unity that exists in the godhead that was demonstrated on the earth now let's keep going for just a moment um what jesus was doing what jesus was doing uh in the in on the earth is he was demonstrating what koinonia is to look like but he didn't tell them they had to do it because he knew that they couldn't do it without him empowering to do empowering them to do so so what he was doing was he was demonstrating what it looks like let me let me show you this for example in john chapter and john chapter 13 verse 34 and 35 what jesus was doing was demonstrating to the disciples the kind of love that exists in koinonia which is sacrificial love and so this is what he says so now i am giving you a new commandment love each other just as i have loved you you should love each other for your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples i know it may seem like i'm going fast but i'm not i'm gonna layer a point over and over and over for the rest of this time you're going to be fine jesus is modeling sacrificial love for them and then he's also giving them a precursor of the coming expectation of heaven for all believers the expectation of heaven for all believers is that we love one another the way that christ has loved us this love will be the proof that you belong to me the proof that you belong to jesus is the fact that you love others the way jesus loves you can i say it again the proof that you belong to jesus is the fact that you will love others the way that jesus has loved us sacrificially the proof now now i recognize that we could stay here for the rest of the time because the proof is not your tongues the proof is not your ability to prophesy the proof is not the gifts the proof is not any of those things the proof certainly isn't your money or your stuff or your blessing or anything like that the proof that you belong to jesus will be found in the way that you love others he gave them this precursor the world will know that you are my disciples because you on the earth are going to model something for the world you're going to model this sacrificial love by the way that you love one another now acts chapter 2 begins to enact what true fellowship or koinonia would be because it would have to be the holy spirit that empowers it acts chapter 2 verse 1 through 4 acts chapter 2 verse 1 through 4. the bible says this when the day of pentecost arrived they were all together in one place and suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind and it filled the entire house where they were sitting and divided tongues as a fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them and they were all filled with the holy spirit and began to speak in other tongues and the spirit gave them utterance this was the moment this was the moment in history when the holy spirit who had been promised by the lord when the holy spirit entered into the earth when the holy spirit was not what not just entered into the earth but entered into the hearts of believers now at this moment this is what empowers koinonia prior to that that couldn't happen so let's go back now to last week and define a definition because i'm going to give you several definitions to layer today but let's go back to what we talked about last week to help us define terminology here what is fellowship fellowship or what i continue to say i i don't speak greek but i'm using the greek word for us coinonia fellowship which is partnering sharing or communion which is common sharing and as we talked about last week the deeper meaning is common ownership do y'all remember that common ownership common ownership is what koinonia or fellowship is common ownership of what the common possession of the holy spirit this is vitally important for us to understand in this moment why it's because i don't have a peace and you have a peace i don't have a larger peace than you and you have a smaller peace we have the same thing we have the same holy spirit in fact um parents let me help you understand your children when they are saved they don't have a junior holy spirit they have the holy spirit which means that at times god will use them even unbeknownst to them to speak and to speak to you and to prophesy no one receives a baby holy spirit or a junior holy spirit or a tenth of the holy spirit or three-fourths of the holy spirit therefore no one can walk around pridefully saying i got more than you i have what you have you have what i have it is the same that the differences that we see have not to do with the holy spirit but of the yieldedness of the vessel to him so we we have common ownership and that means then for believers it's not voluntary association if you remember last week we made this statement it's not that we get to choose it's not just a voluntary association fellowship is not a voluntary association fellowship is brought together by the common ownership of the holy spirit which we have right to and access to because of the cross of calvary so it is a common possession as a result of the inheritance we have the same thing in us no matter what our external differences are that's what makes what we are seeing in our day and age as it relates to the separation of things so tragic why because no matter what our differences are we have the same thing it does not matter and i said this last week if you are white or black or asian or hispanic or rich or poor or educated or undereducated it does not matter we have the same thing it doesn't take a college degree to have the holy spirit it doesn't take a high school diploma to have the holy spirit you don't have to be a ceo to have the holy spirit you can be a janitor and have the holy spirit it does not matter you can drive a bus or you can drive a bentley it does not matter we have the same holy spirit when we believe so the first definition that we dealt with and this is important because language is important language is important this is one of these moments here where the spirit of god wants to give us a revelation he wants to give us language so that almost we would uh not just add to what we've known but almost forget what we've known to allow this to become new language for us so the first piece of language for this community the first piece of language for those who consider themselves to be a part of deeper fellowship church locally and globally as we begin to look at the word fellowship it is important that it is revealed to us by the spirit that the first way he wants us to look at this is not just fellowship in our mind because our mind allows us to decide who we want to fellowship with we decide then that we want to fellowship with those who we like we decide we want to fellowship with those who are like us we decide we want to fellowship with those who have common interests no no no it's not common interest it's common ownership so the first definition that we're talking about the first piece of language that the spirit of god wants to install in us and instill in us is that when we are talking about fellowship when we see fellowship in the scripture when we see koinonia in the scripture we are talking about common ownership ownership of what the same holy spirit common ownership that is what i will call definition number one i'm calling it definition number one because i have a few definitions for you on how we will begin to unpack or define what this is definition number one koinonia for us and this is drawn from scripture but i'm i'm highlighting certain pieces of language yes it is shared yes it is communion and all of these things but there there are there are aspects of it that are definitions and there are aspects of it that are expressions definition for us definition number one common ownership koinonia fellowship common ownership this is important for us to get this as language without fellowship there is no evidence or proof of the revelation of common ownership can i say it again without fellowship there is no evidence or proof of the revelation of common ownership if you are willing to break fellowship or to leave fellowship or to avoid fellowship you and i have no proof that we have the revelation of common ownership if we're able to look at another believer and say i don't want to be with you we do not have a revelation of fellowship without fellowship there is no evidence or proof of the revelation of common ownership it means that i don't see jesus when i see you it means that i don't see or value or honor the holy spirit in you if i'm willing to walk away from you i'm walking away from jesus without fellowship there is no evidence or proof of the revelation of common ownership now we can't get into this today but the the reality of it is the revelation of common ownership will also lead us to have some difficult conversations about who exactly is a brother but not today let's get into some further definitions definition number two i gave you definition number one definition number one is fellowship quantity is common ownership definition number two i said to you earlier when we first started the quantity is not a concept this is definition number two koinonia is a revelation that demands continuous action until it becomes a new way of living koinonia is a revelation that demands continuous action until it becomes a new way of living can i say it again i hope that you're writing this down because it cannot become a revelation until it gets in you but it can't get in you until you see it again and again koinonia is a revelation that demands continuous action until it becomes a new way of living you cannot do koinonia without action it is not a concept it is a revelation can i say it again it is not a concept it is a revelation i want to say it again it is not a concept or an idea it is a revelation koinonia is a revelation that demands continuous action until it becomes a new way of living what is i keep saying it's not a concept what is a concept a concept is something conceived in the mind of man or an abstract idea that's not what coinani is it is a revelation what is a revelation it is to make what was hidden or secret known or specifically made known by divine inspiration revelation by definition revelation is something that was revealed by god to humans that which was previously known as a mystery so a revelation is not just the uncovering of a thing a revelation is a secret or a mystery revealed by god to man that is what a revelation is a revelation is something that is revealed by god to man so koinonia is not a concept it is a revelation something revealed by god to man a mystery that was until it was revealed by god to man so definition two again cornelia is a revelation that demands continuous action until it becomes a new way of living it is not necessarily intuitive to man koinonia happens by submission so when the scripture that we read in acts chapter 2 says that they were devoted to fellowship it means that they were devoted to expressing a revelation that demanded continuous actions until it became a new way of living the bible says we said uh the the the first church was devoted to four things the apostles teaching to fellowship to the breaking bread and the lord's supper and to prayer to the apostles teaching to fellowship to breaking bread and to prayer those are the four things they were devoted to we're specifically zeroing in in this moment to fellowship which means that if they were devoted to fellowship or they were devoted to koinonia what is actually saying based on definition number two yes they were devoted to the revelation of the understanding of common ownership but they were also devoted to expressing a revelation that demanded continuous actions until it became a new way of living that's what they were devoted to every single day how can i express this revelation when they got up in the morning they were devoted to how can i express this revelation in community how can i express this revelation in community i'm devoted to expressing this revelation and now that i have this revelation it demands continuous action until it becomes second nature to me a new way of living definition number three definition number three we're just layering our understanding of the word itself definition number three koinonia is the outward expression of an inward revelation that is akin to definition number two we're just bringing it out a little bit more it is the outward expression of an inward revelation koinonia fellowship is the outward expression of an inward revelation without the end with revelation you and i will not do it we will bump into it but we won't live it we'll do it occasionally among the people we like but we won't live it so koinonia definition number three is the outward expression of an inward revelation an inward revelation of what an inward revelation of the mystery of unity quinoneer is the outward expression of the inward revelation of the mystery of unity can i say it again koinonia is the outward expression of the inward revelation of the mystery of unity let me help us some time back we did quite a bit of teaching in ephesians chapter one two three in the beginning of chapter four um for the sake of review we'll we'll do some of that again over the next few weeks because it's important for us to embrace this as a revelation the inward revelation of the mystery of unity according to scripture i said this last week unity is what already is unity is what already is disunity then is a result of not endeavoring to pursue unity or in other words it is revealing areas of our life or our community that have given in to spiritual warfare unity is impossible without christ unity works when believers actually attempt to live like christ with each other in community or more specifically allow christ to empower you to live like him unity happens or unity is expressed when believers specifically allow christ to empower them to live like him it is the expression koinonia is the expression of the unity that already is koinonia is the expression of the unit unity that already is which is why we said that it is the outward expression of an n-word revelation the outward expression of an inward revelation if you do not have this inward revelation you will not express it we see this play out in ephesians chapter one two and three i'm going to focus on a few verses in chapter two because chapter two gives us this this reality of what happened on the cross and that is that two groups became one those who were chosen in him and then those who were considered to be outsiders who are now expressing their chosenness by faith in christ now two groups become one there were two groups on the earth jews and non-jews known as gentiles those who were the the favored ones by god the the chosen to carry the the or steward uh the the seed of abraham which is christ those who were chosen amongst all people in the furnace of affliction in order to reveal the messiah and all of those who would come into the saving knowledge of the messiah by grace through faith gentiles sinners outsiders among the chosen what now happens at the cross is that the cross now brings the two into one one new group is what the bible calls them a new group uh this this this is what peter now calls the chosen generation or the chosen race of people those who have placed their faith in christ stay with me we've been given a specific calling to model something in the earth now if we go back to the days of the ephesians that we go back and we look at the scripture this is what we will see paul is given the assignment of being an apostle to the gentiles and in his letter to the ephesians he outlines not only his call but reveals what he calls the mystery and and and just to kind of focus in on it uh in a quick way instead of going through an entire teaching of ephesians one two three and four let's just bring out a couple of verses in ephesians chapter 2 verse 14 this is what paul writes he says for christ himself has brought peace to us now he's talking about the jews and the gentiles he's talking about how the jews were once close and the gentiles are once far then the gentiles were outsiders but now they've been brought close but if you understand history the two groups could not stand each other so what now paul is saying is christ himself has brought peace to us he united jews and gentiles into one people when in his own body on the cross on the cross on the cross he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us he did this by ending the system of the law with his commandments and regulations he made peace between jews and gentiles by creating and himself one new people from the two groups together as one body christ reconciled both groups to god by means of his death on the cross and our hostility towards each other was put to death he did this family on the cross let's keep going he brought this good news of peace to you gentiles who are far from him and peace to the jews who were near now all of us can come to the father through the same holy spirit common ownership because of what christ has done for us so now you gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners you are citizens along with god's holy people you are members of god's family powerful path of the scripture all of this happened on the cross there's a reason why i'm telling you that and highlighting that to you you'll get it in just a moment all of this happened on the cross we tend to look at the cross in terms of individualism this is a problem for believers because we tend to look at the cross in terms of individualism my sins my faults the blood shed for me we even sing song we we we say things like he's my personal savior and i i don't want to like you know uh throw shade on songs or anything i'm not trying to do that what all i'm saying is that there there comes a moment where we say things like he did it just for me and and stuff like that and it's not that he wouldn't have done it for you because he would leave the 99 and go after the one that's not the issue the problem is when you live in a society that is built on independence and individualism you begin to co-op that language and that thought process into the kingdom and you begin to look at the cross in terms of individualism but the cross is communal cross is not just about you it's not just about you yes he forgave you of your sin yes he washed you in his blood yes he makes you whiter than snow but when he does that not only are you reconciled back to god but the cross reconciles you to everyone else who has been reconciled back to god meaning that the cross is not limited to individual blessing the power of the cross is found and what it makes all individuals who believe in christ a family the power of the cross is found in what it makes all individuals you come to him as you are you are saved as an individual and on the other side of the cross you join a family you do not remain an individual the cross is communal and the devil hates it this is why paul writes in ephesians chapter 3 verse 1 he says this when i think of all this i paul a prisoner of christ jesus for the benefit of you gentiles assuming by the way that you know that god gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you gentiles as i briefly wrote earlier god himself revealed his mysterious plan to me remember it was a mystery revealed as you read what i've written you will understand my insight into this plan regarding christ god did not reveal it to previous generations but now by his spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets remember it's a revelation koinonia don't don't we're still talking about it is an outward expression of inward revelation of a mystery what is the in revelation the mystery of unity this is what paul is talking about and this is god's plan both gentiles and jews who believe in good news share equally in the riches inherited by god's children both are part of the same body and both enjoy the promise of blessing because they belong to christ jesus by god's grace and mighty power i have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this good news though i am the least deserving of all god's people he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in christ i was chosen to explain to everyone here's that word again this mysterious plan that god the creator of all things had kept secret from the beginning how do we know it was a secret because people who were now supposed to be family or who are now family made one in christ and new people couldn't stand each other and want to keep each other out of the promises they did not know god's plan they did not know that they were literally kept to be the record keepers of god's faithfulness so the other people could get in on it this is the mystery what is the mystery the mystery of unity and and what was god's purpose in all of this verse 10 tells us god's purpose in all this was to use here it is the church to display his wisdom and its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in heavenly places this was his eternal plan which he carried out through christ jesus our lord now family i need you to hear me on this i need you to hear me on all of it but i need you to hear me on this coinania is how we prove that we are not of this world when we don't act like the world that's how we prove we're not of it when we don't act like the world that's how we prove that we're not of it when we are committed to unity and its expression what is the expression of unity coin in here what is the expression of unity fellowship what is the expression of unity koinonia and fellowship it is the expression the outward expression of the inward revelation when we have the revelation we express it outwardly when we are committed to unity and its expression we are a demonstration of the power of god but hear me we are a demonstration of the power of god not just to the kingdoms of this world but we are also a demonstration to the kingdoms of darkness ephesians chapter 3 verse 10 tells us this god's purpose and all this was to use the church to display his wisdom and its rich variety to whom to all the unseen rulers and authorities in heavenly places hear me family unity between believers is a reminder to the devil of his defeat at the cross i need you to hear it i need you to hear it again unity between believers reminds the devil reminds every demonic force reminds every principality reminds every unseen ruler in dark places that they are defeated when we express koinonia what we are also doing is we are reminding the devil that he lost i understand that the way that we want to remind him is by screaming in tongues and a microphone but he's laughing at some of y'all for doing that you want to remind him of his defeat hang out with people this thing right here the expression of the revelation that we know that this is not just about us but there's an expression then that we have common ownership that there is a revelation that we've received that affects the way that we live it leads us to continuous action that changes the way that we live it is the expression of an inward revelation it's the external expression that we now know that he didn't just do it for me he did it for my brother he did it for my sister he did it for different races he did it for different ethnos he did it for different social classes he did it for all of us we have a common ownership we have the same thing and every time we express it we're reminding hell of the victory that we received in the cross and how hell was defeated that day hallelujah this is what we are called to express so let me give you a fourth definition definition number four koinonia is an expression of the power of the cross crinonia is an expression of the power of the cross it expresses the power of the cross to the unbelieving world and to demonic powers and is the demonstration that we are of another kingdom this is important because in the days ahead you're going to be challenged and tempted with the idea of disfellowship and disunity and your heart is going to be challenged time and time again which is why it cannot be a concept it must be a revelation it must be a revelation that leads to continuous action that causes us to live differently quinanea definition number four as i gave y'all said again is an expression of the power of the cross this common ownership this revelation this outward expression of an inward revelation this revelation that leads us to continuous action that changes the way that we live is an expression of the power of the cross when believers live and coined near god makes the devil watch if there was ever a reminder of the loss of power of the devil it is when believers express unity the devil can't do a thing about it he makes him watch thou prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies this is what we are called to express and we must according to ephesians chapter 4 walk worthy of that call we must walk worthy of that call paul begins to outline what happens and then he says walk worthy of the call and this is how you do it i'ma spend my next few moments on how now when i spend my next few moments on how let me just tell you now this is in the future granular today topical because i need you to understand the overall overarching revelation in ephesians chapter 4 verse 1 bible says this therefore i a prisoner for serving the lord beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling what is the calling it is expressing the inward revelation of the mystery of unity what is your calling expressing the inward revelation of the mystery of unity how do we express it through koinonia our understanding our revelation of unity so he says i beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling for you have been called by god i recognize that a lot of times when we see this verse we we appropriate our individual callings this context is saying the calling of expressing unity it's not just walking worthy of your individual call it is the collective call that we have to express koinonia i beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling there are things that you can do in your life that are beneath the work of this calling so he says what i want you to do i beg you i urge you to live in a way that actually points to the fact that this is your calling how how always be humble and gentle how do we live a life worthy of the calling of expressing the mystery of unity we are always humble and gentle he goes on and says be patient with each other make allowance for each other's faults because of your love in other words decide ahead of time that you aren't perfect decide ahead of time that people are actually going to mess up and you've already made allowance for that you didn't cancel them the first time they messed up make allowance for each other's faults because of your love make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit binding yourselves together with peace we can spend an entire teaching on that verse alone make every effort to keep yourselves united not to become united unity is not something we are ascribing to it's something that already is so he says make every effort to keep it which is also to imply that there are things that you can do or ways you can live and which you could lose it the implication of keeping is the fact that you could lose so he says make every effort to keep it which means that there will be things that come up in your heart there will be things that come up in your life that will say to you i don't want to do this there are things that will come up in your heart they are they are planted by the enemy who cannot stand you modeling this revelation so he will plant in your heart and plant in your mind through the vehicle of your flesh or any area of your life that remains unsubmitted to the cross to plant things in you to cause you to lose the unity that already is i wish the church capital c would understand the revelation of unity and its expression in koinonia because if it would it certainly wouldn't act the way it's been acting so he says make every effort to keep yourselves united in the spirit finding yourselves together with peace he goes on to talk about this what this unity looks like for there is one body and one spirit just as you've been called to one glorious hope for the future there is one lord one faith one baptism one god and father all who is over all in all and living through all he's one you wear one so ephesians says walk worthy of this calling you've been called to model something what have you been called to model unity how do you express it fellowship koinonia that is the expression and the admonition of paul in ephesians chapter four is to walk worthy of it let me give you definition number five it's the last definition i'm giving you today definition number five we're still defining one word definition number five quinoneer is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with and towards each other i know that's a long definition let me give it to you again quinoneer it's all of these things by the way this is our language cornelia is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community i'll say that part again holy coin and here is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with and towards each other koinonia is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with and towards each other let me say it again koinonia is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with and towards each other over the next coming weeks we'll come back to these things i'm defining koinonia for us and in more full expression so that it becomes a revelation and not a concept that we don't just think it's something that we can do by by hearing preaching it is something that the holy spirit empowers us to do i can't convince you into koinonia it must be a revelation that finds an expression preaching might change your behaviors for a couple of weeks it is the holy spirit that must empower you so koinonia the expression of the mystery or the inward revelation of the mystery of unity is also the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with with and towards each other this is why i said that the the word needed a people but that people couldn't express it into the holy spirit was in them because it was the holy spirit's empowering that allowed people to actually live koinonia we need the holy spirit without the holy spirit koinonia is impossible do y'all have that definition yeah y'all i wanna i wanna say it one more time for those of you who who didn't get to writing it down you were hoping that you could just remember it you're not going to you probably don't remember definition number two koinonia is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with and towards each other now look at this in romans chapter 12. we're going to land on on point number five but let's look at this for a moment because it's very important for those of us who are believers romans chapter 12 verse 3. romans chapter 12 verse 3 reads this way because of the privilege and authority god has given me i give each of you this warning this is how you think like live like and love like christ towards each other right don't think you are better than you really are this is how we begin to live this thing how do we live this thing how do we allow the holy spirit to empower us to live we begin to look at the scriptures and how we are to live don't think you are better than you really are be honest in your evaluation of yourselves measuring yourselves by the faith god has given us just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function so it is with christ's body we are many parts of one body and we all belong to each other jump down to verse nine don't just pretend to love others really love them hate what is wrong hold tightly to what is good love each other with genuine affection and take delight in honoring each other now again whole messages i'm at a topical level right now i'm not at a granular level i'm at a topical level because i want you to see the overarching large picture of koinonia before we get granular as the esb says it in verse 3 for by the grace given to me i say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think but think but to think with sober judgment each according to the measure of faith god has a sign the measure of faith we hear this quite a bit but in this particular context we ask the question is there some gauge that will enable a person to estimate his or her position with respect to spiritual gifts paul answers this question by pointing to the measure of faith understanding measure in this particular passage of scripture in a sense uh is a standard it takes the faith to mean that one's faith should provide a basis for the true estimation of himself since it reveals that he along with other believers is dependent on the saving mercy of god in christ in other words the measure of faith should produce in you humility when you use the measure of faith what you're actually doing is you are saying because i needed his mercy because i needed his grace because i needed his kindness because i needed his patience because i needed his forgiveness this is how i judge everybody else it produces in me a humility this is why um it goes on in verse 5 4 and 5 to basically offset the danger of individual thinking individualism which is popular in our nation and in western culture is antithetical to community you've heard me make this statement before let me make it to you again our nation is founded on the declaration of independence but let me help you in the kingdom independence is in maturity the way that we are formed dependence is bad independence is good that's the way that society works the kingdom and the paradoxical nature of the kingdom is this interdependence dependence on god is maturity independence is immaturity interdependence is highest maturity interdependence is a shared need for god and one another this is the thing that our nation thinks is the worst if you need somebody else you are bad and this is why we cannot co-opt the ideologies of western civilization and put them into the kingdom because this ideology keeps people from being separate this ideology is what causes people not to give to those who are in need this ideology is what causes you to look down on someone who still needs to be saved this ideology is what causes you to look down on people who still need to mature in the faith because you don't see them as having the same holy spirit and so therefore you set up a hierarchy and so what paul says to the romans is don't think higher of yourself than you ought to the way that you ought to see yourself is to use the measure of faith that has been given to you and if you would use the measure of faith that's been given to you in light of the cross it would humble you real quick it would almost be the best if we could all walk around i know most of you all be embarrassed with the list of sins you've been forgiven because if you walked around with the list of sins with which you'd been forgiven i'm sure you'd be humble your pride is a result of forgetting you're his grace why then do people not want to walk in community it's not because they want to be on their own is that they think they're better than we are made for fellowship it is not good for men to be alone we are made for fellowship so then why is it that people won't could it be that the enemy has sown the seeds of disunity including pride that you've forgotten his grace this is why the esv says it to us this way it says we are to outdo one another in showing honor we should be rushing to outdo one another to show honor he says love one another with brotherly affection and outdo one another showing honor this is how we should live if we are also going to be devoted to fellowship we must be willing to do the work of displaying the expression of our unity which is also actively choking out the seeds of disunity nobody said that it was going to be easy but it will be worth it we have to be willing to do the work which is why when we read in philippians chapter 2 last week we began to read these things when paul begins to write is there any encouragement from belonging to christ the the way that he's writing this the implication of all of these questions is there is or this is what should be happening for those of you who are in christ so he's not asking the question is there what he's saying is you know that there is is there any encouragement from belonging to christ philippians chapter 2 verse 1 any comfort from his love any fellowship together in the spirit are your hearts tender and compassionate then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other loving one another and working together with one mind and purpose again uh paul's writing this to the philippians just like he did to the romans don't be selfish don't try to impress others be humble thinking of yourselves as bad thinking of others as better than yourselves don't look out for only your own interests but take an interest in others too you must have the same attitude that christ jesus had or as most of you know it let this mind be in you that was also in christ jesus though he was god he did not think of equality with god as something to cling to instead he gave up his divine privileges he took the humble position as a slave he was born as a human being when he appeared in human form he humbled himself in obedience to god and died at criminal's death on the cross therefore god elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names that at the name of jesus every knee should bow in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and every tongue declare that jesus christ is lord to the glory of god the father i recognize we read these verses last week there are some things that should exist in a community of fellowship which is the expression of unity we find them in this path of scripture i'ma do it quickly here encouragement comfort fellowship with the spirit tender hearts or compassion or empathy selflessness humility and deference thinking of others before yourself these things exist in a community of koinonia how do you know you are in a community of koinonia because you've choked out the seeds of this unity and these are the things that exist these are the things that exist this is the expression of our unity it's found in philippians chapter two encouragement comfort fellowship with the spirit tender hearts and compassion otherwise known as empathy selflessness humility and deference which is thinking of others before yourself these are the things that exist in a community that expresses koinonia what are we expressing the inward revelation of the mystery of unity koinonia is the expression the outward expression of inward revelation it is what is empowered by the holy spirit to allow people to live like think like love like christ and community now i recognize that we are watched all over the world but let me let me talk to america real quick because in in in a community of believers who are expressing this empowered by the holy spirit we should be seeing encouragement comfort fellowship with the spirit empathy selflessness humility indeference now let me go back to one particular thing for this week in america because as i'm talking about these things i'm not blind or deaf to the reality and the emotions of what people feel when this nation reveals itself there is an aspect of unity that is becoming a glaring weakness in the body in this nation paul writes to the philippians and he asks a question implying that they understand already that all these things already are he says is there any encouragement from belonging to christ yes any comfort from his love yes any fellowship together in the spirit yes and then this phrase in verse 1 are your hearts tender and compassionate which is to say that if you are in christ you have empathy hear me empathy must exist in order for fellowship to be true there is no true fellowship without it there is no corner near without it so let me define tender heart and compassionate let me define empathy this definition you're gonna know it's true and you're gonna recognize how it's missing empathy is vicariously experiencing the thoughts feelings and experiences of another without having explicitly experienced the thoughts feelings and experiences of another can i say it again empathy is vicariously experiencing putting yourself in the same position empathy is vicariously experiencing the thoughts feelings and experiences of another without having explicitly experienced the thoughts feelings and experiences of another i think it too i feel it too i experience it too even though i've never thought it felt it or experienced it because you do i do that is empathy without which there is no koinonia we are masquerading around talking about unity while leaving out empathy it is impossible you are a sham and a liar if you do so you say well why are you stopping here you're giving us all these definitions about koinonia and and now you you've jumped on the back of this well the scripture tells us in hebrews chapter 4 verse 15 that we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize or empathize with our weaknesses but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are yet without sin which means it vicariously he experienced the same thoughts the same feelings and the same experiences but did not treat them the same way he stepped into our pain he stepped into our experiences he stepped into our thoughts he was tempted at every point as we are yet without sin that's why we can trust him because he didn't just come from on high and look down and say okay i'ma fix things instead we have someone we have a god who identifies with us and allows us to identify with him we like to teach about fellowship in the sufferings of christ but refused to fellowship in the sufferings of each other how is it that we can talk about being united with christ and his sufferings but don't want to be united with each other in our own corner near can only exist when believers allow the character and the nature of christ should be displayed to one with to one another without christ's true fellowship is impossible willful submission to the cross of christ produces a life led by christ remember i said in definition number five koinonia is the holy spirit empowering people to live like christ with each other in community so that they think like live like and love like christ with and towards each other and so to that end we opened with this scripture david you can come play we opened with this scripture in philippians chapter 2 verse 12 therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is god who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may be blameless and innocent children of god without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation among whom you shine as lights in the world holding fast to the word of life so that in the day of christ i may be proud that i did not run in vain or labor in vain i told you that i had to jump right in and i know we're a little bit later because we did some things in the middle but it was absolutely worth it but i told you i didn't have a story for you right at the beginning and with the help of the lord i might have one for you at the end i have a not just i my wife and i have a two-year-old son named judah he's full of life and energy and is a bundle of life and energy he loves to laugh he loves to make people laugh he loves to be silly he's amazing and the lord has a significant word over his life that we cling to he's also highly attuned to his emotions he's pastor caleb gave the example earlier in the service about how one of his sons wanted macaroni and cheese and didn't want anything else and was willing to throw a tantrum for it judah as well is very in touch with his emotions and is willing to do whatever to get what he wants and i'm so grateful that god makes two and three-year-olds cute because it births an extra grace in parents because if anybody 12 or 13 was doing that we would lose our minds but because they're two and three there's extra grace and patience that god gives us when they express their emotions and their defiance there are some funny things about him we were teaching him to use manners yes ma'am no ma'am no thank you that type of thing and he really took that to heart so sometimes when we tell him to do things instead of just saying no he says no thank you stuff that he's supposed to do things like pick that toy up no thank you he's politely defiant and i would find myself at times laughing i'm not i'm not supposed to laugh you're supposed to be you know stirring and help train them up the right way and i would find myself sometimes he'd do that and i would just find it funny and of course because he saw that i found it funny he kept doing it and then as i stopped laughing and said no don't say no thank you pick up the toy he began to do this new thing as of late this new thing that judah does is he says i can't but he doesn't say i can't do things like it's not like i say pick up the sofa and he says i can't well he literally can't do that right that's not what he he says i can't do it it's it's actually outright rebellion he says i can't the things that are directives from us so we'll say judah sit down in your chair and he says i can't judah eat your food he says i can't judah put that down i can't what judah is actually saying to us is i don't want to he's saying i can and it may sound cute if y'all came over our house and you saw him do it you'd be like oh funny but he's actually being defiant because what he's saying is i don't want to but instead of saying i don't want to he just says i can't i can't and this week i'm looking at the scripture and what the holy spirit has invited us into and at the same time i'm looking at the events in our nation and i'm looking at the silence of the church i'm looking at those who who are supposed to be modeling the mystery of unity silently avoiding all things that might deal in truth and i'm saying to the lord why is it that you have directed us to talk about this because if i'm being honest if i'm being really transparent and honest there are times when i look at some of these people and i say you're asking me to do cornumeria and i can't you're asking me to love like you and i'm looking at these people who give a tacit acknowledgement and no empathy whatsoever to the plight of their brother and their sister and i say i can't and really it is a it is a it's a internal adult temper tantrum to say i don't want to this wrestling match with god and me like judah and maybe some of you you're hearing this and maybe externally you're taking notes but internally you're rolling your eyes because you've decided there are certain people that you've already canceled there's certain places in your heart that you will not go there there are certain things that you will not open up to and so you don't want koinonia as a revelation you are happy for it to stay a concept because to you you're saying i can't it was at this moment of internal wrestling where i recognize where the lord is taking us by his spirit where he is leading us by his spirit and he's saying don't you dare turn away from this message that i've given you now because i am absolutely inviting you to live this and i'm absolutely inviting you to live it now and i'm absolutely inviting you to live it in this culture and i'm absolutely inviting you to live it in this time and i'm absolutely inviting you to live it in the face of what you see don't say i can't because you don't want to because the holy spirit drew me to this passage and he wouldn't allow it to leave me all week long and i recognize it as i'm teaching on koinonia and unity in the midst of a demonic attack against the church for disunity as i'm teaching on all of this i recognize the context in which i'm teaching it but that doesn't make it less true i watched some of the co-laborers in the faith this week on social media express their frustration with the state of the world and the church are they wrong no they're frustrated but is there a clear word the answer is yes but we may not like it but that doesn't make it less true and it doesn't mean that we don't have to live it because we don't like it for some of you you've longed for this and so you're willing to do it but i also want you to know that there are going to be some moments where you are going to have to express koinonia with some people that are going to make you want to say i can't and it is for you and for me but i end on this scripture today even though i preached to you for a long long time in philippians chapter 2 verse 12 in the new living or actually in the esv philippians chapter 2 verse 12. therefore my beloved as you have always obeyed so now not only as in my presence but much more in my absence work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is god who works in you both to will and to work for his good pleasure many of you may have heard people quote work out your own salvation with fear and trembling and we tend to throw that quote around when people don't want to judge others or they find somebody doing something they say well hey you work out your own soul salvation well that's not talking about gaining or earning right standing with god that's not what this passage is saying that's how many use it out of context this passage must be seen within the context in which it was written the context of the way this passage was written was working out christ-like community and avoiding disunity it is in this context that paul writes work out your own salvation with fear and trembling it is not talking about individuals nor works in order to receive salvation let's break it down stay with me quickly i'm landing the plane for real like you can see the ground and everything let's give us a fresh look at the meaning of this phrase i studied it for a long long time to help us understand it better i stared at it for a long long time i spent hours so that i could give it to you in seconds to work out means to carry the work of salvation through its completion he's not just talking about individually even though we all have an individual responsibility when he says work out what he is saying is carry the work of salvation through its completion now your own in this passage is written in the plural which means he's talking to the community not to the individual when he says work out your own he's talking to everybody so this is what the phrase means i took hours of your study hours of your own reading and i'll give it to you in seconds the phrase means this live out the commitment live out the meaning of your commitment to christ and each other how in the overall context by restoring unity through serving one another do this with fear and trembling meaning with humility or the humility that christ showed us and submission in the presence of god and others so here it is when the scripture says work out your own salvation soul salvation with fear and trembling what it's actually saying is this work out your own salvation with fear and trembling means live out the meaning of your commitment to christ in each other by restoring unity through serving one another with humility and submission in the presence of god and others it is a corporate word and how does that happen i want you to see this because this is how the new living brings it out this my proof for you philippians chapter 2 verse 12 in the new living says it's dear friends you have always followed my instructions when i was with you and now that i am away it is even more important work hard to show the results of your salvation obeying god with deep reverence and fear when we live koinonia in community we are showing the results of our salvation we are showing the results of our salvation and you say but i can't pastor did you see what happened this week all week long with police brutality again here it is again here we are again i can't do it anymore well guess what for those of you who say i can't verse 13 is for you for god is working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him koinonia is god working in you giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him god i can't god says i know i can't he says i know yield to me it is me working in you that gives you the desire and the power to do what pleases him how does coin in the air work when god works in us giving us the desire when you don't have it and the power to do what pleases him when we do this we shine the light in this world again once again proving that we represent another kingdom and we are not under the power of darkness i'm just going to stop because i've been going for a while i'm just going to stop god wants to give us a revelation of koinonia and the reason why i went ahead and went further down the road of empathy and everything else is because i recognize as your pastor if you live in another nation you may not be aware of the circumstances of our nation that lead people who are believers to find it very difficult to walk out this scripture and i want you to know that god wants to give us a revelation of koinonia because he expects us to walk it out it has an expression it is a revelation it has an expression but for many of you you may be saying but i can't and i want you to know in philippians chapter 2 verse 13 chew on it it is god who gives you both the desire and the power to do what pleases him pastor caleb's going to come we're going to pray let's continue to layer the revelation of koinonia we thank the lord for his word we thank the lord for his word and i know that that this is for all of us i don't think anyone who is listening to this no matter how long you've been saved or walking with the lord you hear this and say you know i have a good handle on this uh you know i feel like i've mastered it i feel all of us are looking at this and as the holy spirit is speaking to us we can all attest and say lord help me i need your power working in me to live how you've called me to live to love how you've called me to love to live to think to love like christ in community with one another we thank the lord for his word and family you just need to know that if we are if we will be devoted to true koinonia if we will be devoted to true fellowship this will change everything it will change everything about our community it will change everything about the world than the region that we live in it will change everything when the world begins to see a church demonstrating true fellowship and true koinonia they will know that we are his disciples and they'll say we want him and we want him we want in on it as well we want to be a part of a community a family a fellowship like this that will love each other in this way and uh again i i'm so challenged and stirred and i pray that you are as well if you're watching and you have not yet given your life to jesus you've not yet surrendered to jesus you've not yet yielded to jesus you have not repented of your sins and and turned to the lord and believed in what jesus has done i want to invite you into a personal relationship with jesus christ to know god for yourself to not stay on the outside looking in but to come into personal relationship with god by believing in jesus christ jesus was god's son sent to the earth and he was sent for the express reason of saving the world from their sins all of us have sinned and fallen short of god's glorious standard we've all said something thought something have done something that has broken the heart and the law of god and for our sin we deserve the wages of death we deserve death not just physically but we deserve death separation from god eternally right now you are living separated from god if you are not if you have not placed your faith in jesus you feel the distance you feel the separation you feel the guilt you feel the conviction you feel the shame but that can all be erased the shame the guilt the separation the distance the lack of relationship can all be erased by placing your faith in jesus why jesus well jesus god's son submitted himself to god's plan and loved you and i so much to bring us into fellowship with god and with one another that he went to a cross submitted himself to the wrath of god the punishment of all mankind the sins of all mankind placed upon jesus and he died a horrific and torturous a tormenting death he experienced the greatest injustice he took our place he took the wages so that we could escape what we deserved jesus when he died he was buried and for three days he stayed there in the belly of the earth but he did not stay there he rose again with all power in his hand and it was to signify the new life that we can have in christ jesus that we can live eternally we can live eternally with god with unending unending unbroken fellowship with god if we will place our faith in jesus and this is what is available to you the gospel is much larger and greater than i could ever explain it has more implications and and more benefits and and and effects in your life than i could ever explain but what i need you to know is that if you have not placed your faith in jesus your sin qualifies you for the wages of sin which is death but if you'll place your faith in jesus you will receive the forgiveness of your sin the record of your sin will be erased it will be as if it will never as if it never happened your guilt and shame will be erased the condemnation that you feel the weight and the separation from god that you sense will be erased you will enter into relationship with god through jesus christ you will receive the freedom to live free from your sin right now you do things you don't even want to do you go places you don't even want to go you say things you don't even want to say but it is because right now you are a slave to sin but when you place your faith in jesus you become a slave to righteousness your servant to righteousness now you are compelled by god's spirit working on the inside of you to live a righteous life and you will receive the gift of eternal life that you will live forever but you will live forever in the presence of god unbroken relationship and fellowship with him there's so much that happens when you believe but today you need to know you're not saved you're not saved by what you do notice in in all of my my speech i never said you must fulfill a certain checklist or stop doing a certain sin no no it requires faith to believe that what jesus has done is enough just the same way we can't live out true koinonia without god's spirit working on the inside of us the truth of the matter is you can't live right without jesus you can't get right without jesus if i told you right now i need you to stop doing this and stop doing that you would respond like pastor williams two-year-old i can't because you've tried and you haven't been able to it's the indication that you need jesus and you receive jesus by not how good you perform what you can do what you do or don't wear is simply by believing that what jesus has done is enough and when you do that he saves you and gives you the power to live the life that you were always meant to live in him so that's you you haven't yet placed your faith in jesus you don't have a relationship with god i want to invite you into repentance to turn away from sin and turn to god and to believe in jesus that's you right now i want you to pray this prayer with me in faith it's not the prayer that pray saves you it's not the collection of words that saves you it is your faith that saves you you pray with me if you're ready you say oh i'm ready to receive jesus i'm ready to be forgiven in my sin i want eternal life i recognize that i am destined for eternal damnation if i do not place my faith in jesus right now if you're ready and i believe you are today is the moment it's the hour don't delay pray with me please say father in the name of jesus i come to you just as i am thank you for loving me i accept your invitation i repent of my sins and i turn to you jesus and i say i believe in you i believe that you died for my sin and i believe that you rose again so that i could have new life from this day forward my life belongs to you i will follow you jesus i surrender my life belongs to you in jesus name a man if you prayed that prayer sincerely you meant it you know the faith that was in your heart you said yes i received jesus i want to welcome you into the family of god and say what a beautiful majestic glorious day it is for you for you have believed in the son of god jesus and you have been saved you have been saved this means so much but one of the things it means not only are you forgiven of your sin receiving freedom from sin receive eternal life restoration of relationship back to god but you've re you receive the restoration and the reconciliation of those who've also been reconciled back to god through christ which means you have gained a family a fellowship you've gained community koinonia is your portion because you have believed in jesus and so because we want our family from across the world to congratulate you on you turning to jesus and away from sin and believing in him would you put this in the comments wherever you're watching on facebook or youtube just put hashtag i met jesus i met jesus you're saying boldly in front of everyone i'm not ashamed i have placed my faith in jesus i have believed in him i have joined the family of god i need him i have surrendered to him i will follow him for the rest of my life you're doing it boldly and i believe all across the world our family is congratulating you is celebrating you shane come welcome into the family welcome in to the kingdom of god we're so delighted we're so happy the scripture says that all of heaven rejoices when one sinner comes into the kingdom man i believe this there should also be a party happening on the earth we welcome you we want our moderators also to be able to communicate with you and let you know the next steps how you walk out your faith but we're so delighted we're so delighted that you've placed your faith in jesus this is what makes it all worth it family we're so thankful for you thank you for your patience today and joining wholeheartedly in the moments as we celebrated uh um the two wonderful individuals our brother and our sister kendall and kiara as they launch out into what god has for them thank you for being so extubant and vibrant in worship uh we thank the lord for the miracles and the testimonies and we thank the lord for all that he is doing in and among us we thank you for also your generosity and we continue to remind you that if you want to sow into uh revival now global church and uh our brother and sister kendall and kiara that you can give on in the missions tab and everything that you give in the next two weeks will go to launch them out and send them with an abundance let's let's give in such a way where they don't even have to think about any needs they have let's give in such a way where literally every need will be taken care of and they can just apply themselves to the word and prayer and discipling those for christ family i know you're generous and so we trust you to be that we're so thankful for these moments together and until we meet again may the lord bless you and keep you may he make his face to shine upon you may he give you favor both now and forever we thank the lord for you we are praying for you and we can't wait until we come again have an incredible day

Channel: Deeper Fellowship Church

Views: 11,725

Rating: 4.9239545 out of 5

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Id: wTVkVYVBwCk

Length: 99min 33sec (5973 seconds)

Published: Sun Apr 18 2021