Strengthening Our Family(Church ) Fellowship Through the Communion Service.
1.0 BACKGROUND
1.1 Fellowship Started at Creation:
1.1 Fellowship Started at Creation:
1.1.1 Man-to-man Relationship:
When God created man, He saw that,"it was not good for the man to live alone". (Genesis 2:18.)
In other words man needed fellowship with fellow man. So He gave him a life partner-Eve.
When God created man, He saw that,"it was not good for the man to live alone". (Genesis 2:18.)
In other words man needed fellowship with fellow man. So He gave him a life partner-Eve.
1.1.2 God-to-Man Fellowship: The Bible tells us that God Himself had fellowship with man. (Genesis 3:8ff). So man became a social being, having both "vertical" relationship ( with God) and "horizontal" relationship (with fellow man).
God expected man to continue that fellowship with Him and his fellow man.
God expected man to continue that fellowship with Him and his fellow man.
1.2 The Fall of Man:
When man fell he became morally corrupt and spiritually dead. The fellowship between man and man cut off and the godly character in him dwindled. Hatred, envy, murder, jealousy, etc filled man. These characters were depicted in Cain in (Gen. 4.)
When man fell he became morally corrupt and spiritually dead. The fellowship between man and man cut off and the godly character in him dwindled. Hatred, envy, murder, jealousy, etc filled man. These characters were depicted in Cain in (Gen. 4.)
1.3 The Tower of Babel.
Man's relationship with fellow man seems to have weakened the more after the Babel incident. God brought division among them because they were pursuing a wrong agenda. This supposedly brought about worldwide issues like tribalism, racism, etc. (Gen 11: 1-9)
Man's relationship with fellow man seems to have weakened the more after the Babel incident. God brought division among them because they were pursuing a wrong agenda. This supposedly brought about worldwide issues like tribalism, racism, etc. (Gen 11: 1-9)
1.3 Restoration:
God, through His beloved son Jesus Christ, brings us all together as one family by faith.
Eph. 2:14-18
God, through His beloved son Jesus Christ, brings us all together as one family by faith.
Eph. 2:14-18
2.0 Definition of Terms
2.1 Family: All the people descending from one ancestor (Oxford Advance Learner's Encyclopedia)
2.2 Church: from the Greek word "ekklessia" meaning a) "Called out"--- (Acts 7:38)
b) Gathering-assembly of believers.
b) Gathering-assembly of believers.
2.3 Communion: from the word "commune"-- to talk intimately, live together, feel close to somebody;sharing properties and responsibility. (Oxford Advance Learner's Encyclopedia)
2.4 Fellowship: means companionship or a relation in which parties hold something in common; familiar interaction.
Rev Joshua Yirenkyi-Smart simply explains fellowship as "fellows in one ship".
Rev Joshua Yirenkyi-Smart simply explains fellowship as "fellows in one ship".
2.5 The Link Between these Variables:
The church is a family and God embedded that in the Pass Over (which is a shadow of the Lord's Supper) when He told the Israelites to eat the meal in family units (Ex. 12:3-4). In the Communion service, our bond with God is strengthened whilst our bond with fellow believers is strengthened too. i.e horizontal and vertical fellowship.
The church is a family and God embedded that in the Pass Over (which is a shadow of the Lord's Supper) when He told the Israelites to eat the meal in family units (Ex. 12:3-4). In the Communion service, our bond with God is strengthened whilst our bond with fellow believers is strengthened too. i.e horizontal and vertical fellowship.
2.4.1 Believers have fellowship with:
a) God the Father (1 John 1:3)
b) God the Son(John 1:3)
c) The Holy Spirit(2 Cor. 13: 14)
d) Fellow believers(1 John 1:7)
2.4.2 Ways of our fellowship:
a) Confess our sins to one another (James 5:15 )
b) Pray for each other(James 5:6)
C) Meeting together and encouraging each other for love and good works (Heb. 10:24-25)
d) Partake in the Lord's Supper (I Cor. 11: 24)
e) Contribute to the needs of the saints. (Romans 12:13)
f) Bearing infirmities of the weak. (Romans 15:1-2)
a) God the Father (1 John 1:3)
b) God the Son(John 1:3)
c) The Holy Spirit(2 Cor. 13: 14)
d) Fellow believers(1 John 1:7)
2.4.2 Ways of our fellowship:
a) Confess our sins to one another (James 5:15 )
b) Pray for each other(James 5:6)
C) Meeting together and encouraging each other for love and good works (Heb. 10:24-25)
d) Partake in the Lord's Supper (I Cor. 11: 24)
e) Contribute to the needs of the saints. (Romans 12:13)
f) Bearing infirmities of the weak. (Romans 15:1-2)
3.0 Lessons
a) We used to be apart but now we have been called into ones. Being the body of Christ is a symbol of ones. All the parts of the body come together to make a complete human. We every body strong and active for the development of the church. (Eph. 2:11-13)
b) It is God, who, by grace, has called us unto Himself. Nobody can boast. No tribal or racial superiority. Eph. 2:14-18)
c) God is our Father, Jesus our brother, the Holy Spirit our unifier. (John 1:12-13, Eph. 2:18, Romans 8:16)
d) We are the temple of God. This depicts the various roles we have to play as individuals to build up a unified body. Like a broken brick, the little you can contribute is very crucial. (Eph. 2:20-22)
e) Literally one blood, the blood of Jesus, flows through all of us by taking the communion. We are ONE family INDEED.
a) We used to be apart but now we have been called into ones. Being the body of Christ is a symbol of ones. All the parts of the body come together to make a complete human. We every body strong and active for the development of the church. (Eph. 2:11-13)
b) It is God, who, by grace, has called us unto Himself. Nobody can boast. No tribal or racial superiority. Eph. 2:14-18)
c) God is our Father, Jesus our brother, the Holy Spirit our unifier. (John 1:12-13, Eph. 2:18, Romans 8:16)
d) We are the temple of God. This depicts the various roles we have to play as individuals to build up a unified body. Like a broken brick, the little you can contribute is very crucial. (Eph. 2:20-22)
e) Literally one blood, the blood of Jesus, flows through all of us by taking the communion. We are ONE family INDEED.
4.0 Conclusion
Ghana is a cosmopolitan country. So is the Church of God. God called us from both "noble" and "ignoble" families. He loved us not because of the languages we speak nor the tribe we came from. It is such love that God expects us to show to ourselves. The last thing a true believer should do is tribalism. We should see ourselves as a family so that we will not bring the perceptions of the world into the church. Look at your friend beside you and tell him you are my TRUE brother/sister.
Ghana is a cosmopolitan country. So is the Church of God. God called us from both "noble" and "ignoble" families. He loved us not because of the languages we speak nor the tribe we came from. It is such love that God expects us to show to ourselves. The last thing a true believer should do is tribalism. We should see ourselves as a family so that we will not bring the perceptions of the world into the church. Look at your friend beside you and tell him you are my TRUE brother/sister.
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