1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. 5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! (Philippians 2:1 – 8, New International Version)
Theme: The Local Church
Context:
Thank you very much for your comments yesterday! Today, we continue our focus on the Discipline of Fellowship. In yesterday’s context, we saw that the word fellowship often relates to having things in common in Christ. One of the important things we should strive to hold in common is the mindset of Christ.
Bible Passage:
Today’s passage is Philippians 2:1 – 8 (presented above). In the passage, the Apostle Paul conveys some key essentials for fellowship. Clearly, Jesus is the perfect model of the traits required for effective fellowship.
Question:
Based on the passage, what are some of the essential traits you would expect to see in your local church if the members are committed to fellowship?
March 25, 2022 at 5:21 am
You’d expect the members to exude Christlikeness. They’d be happy, joyful, welcoming, encouraging, selfless, non-judgmental, sincere, generous, and more. They’d be the type of people you want to be around because you know their attitude will lift you up. They’d make going to church an experience that you look forward to. Visitors and/or unbelievers who are guests would feel so at home, they’d want to come back and be a part of the “fellowship”.
How the people of the church make you feel, especially on the first visit, can leave a lasting impression.
I do hope Ayanna finds a church home where the fellowship makes her heart happy.
March 25, 2022 at 6:31 pm
Thanks Joseth! Very kind …
March 26, 2022 at 5:47 am
🙂
March 25, 2022 at 7:35 am
Being humble, selfless, prayerful, willing to serve others, obedient to God’s word and putting Christ as the center of life. Believing that Jesus died on the cross for us, sacrificing His life to redeem us would always be the foundation of our faith enabling us to reach out to others, accepting people as they are and not being judgmental. In order to have fellowship with others at church, we must first trust God that He would empower us with His Holy Spirit to be able to share with others our faith. Knowing our identity is in Christ and having the same mindset with other believers would give us confidence in the Lord and not only in ourselves as we relate to others. Welcoming believers and non believers in church should come naturally in us and that our goal would always be to glorify and please God through our actions and deeds. Finally being sincere and knowing how to keep prayer requests confidential or limited to such group during bible study is also very important in maintaining good fellowship at church.
March 25, 2022 at 9:25 am
V 2 talks about being like minded. Churches need to have an open mind that allows for changes in the “this is the way we’ve always done it” attitude. Our world is changing and what may have worked or been acceptable years back may not be very applicable today, but not being open to changes and differences leaves many seeking elsewhere. V2 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit Rather, in humility value others above yourselves.. 2 Timothy 3:2 People will be lovers of themselves, many people have an “I/Me complex” where there’s always something to prove..How can we exhibit these traits and say we’re committed to fellowship..
March 25, 2022 at 7:48 pm
Wow that’s really counter-culture (and counterintuitive) right there. I’ve read these verses a few times over time and it always blows my mind. Who can achieve these high standards? It must be achievable (at some level) for Christ to model it for us is what I have come to think as a Christian.
An essential trait is more grace in the church. Compassion and loving kindness towards one another. I think this can best be achieved through small groups. People tend to have a mask on in the main service but reveal more of themselves in smaller informal settings. After all we are only human. Christ is perfect but we are not.