Church Fellowship a Bible study course for adults

1. Church Fellowship a Bible study course for adults By Professor John F. Brug PowerPoint: Angi Kinsley, Pastor Mark A. Cordes New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church Shoreview, Minnesota

2. Scriptural Principles:Romans 16:1-19 Lesson Three

3. Goals • Examine church fellowship as expressed in Romans 16:1-19. • Look closely at the meaning of Romans 16:17. • Better understand church fellowship principles. • Grow in desire to practice them.

4. Opening Prayer Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for making us members of your body, the church. Thank you for bonding us in fellowship with all who share our faith and confess your name in truth. Make us like your Apostle Paul, greeting fellow Christians with joy. Increase our desire to protect this blessed fellowship. Amen.

5. Review • Two pillars of church fellowship practice: • Truth • Love. • Love gives and guards the truth.

6. Truth +++ AND +++ Love • Apply these two principles : • Many false teachers = many challenges • Christians love God’s truth too much to compromise it. • Truth in love exposes error. • Love gives no confusing signals about true / not.

7. Review working together for the truth (3 John 8) • Scriptural church fellowship is very positive. • God joins us in visible fellowship to grow in truth and love. • Some see preservation of unity as negative; salvation at stake.

8. Church Fellowship in Rome • Read: Romans 16:1-16 Recurring word? • “Greet” – almost every verse. • Spirit throughout congregation. • “Holy kiss” (v.16) handshake, hug • Unity: greetings from all churches of Christ.

9. Church Fellowship in Rome “in Christ” “in the Lord” • How do these emphasize the close bond of fellowship Paul enjoyed with his readers?

10. Church Fellowship in Rome • List ways of working together for the truth: • Phoebe - “great help” (vv.1f) • Priscilla and Aquila “risked their lives” for the truth, opened their home (v. 6) • Other examples: verses 7, 9, and 12

11. Church Fellowship in Rome • Words of commendation working together for the truth: • All Gentile churches grateful to ___ and ___ (vv. 3f) • “Outstanding” __ , __ (v. 7) • Apelles “__ and __ in __” (v10) • Commending hard work praises God’s grace for fellowship.

12. Church Fellowship in Rome Special words of Paul’s deep affection for fellow believers : • “sister” • “dear friend” • “whom I love” • “a mother to me, too” • Christian joy in fellowship of faith is sometimes greater than with our own family.

13. Protect the Fellowship Read: Romans 16:17-19 • Sharp contrast to “greet” in previous verses: • “Watch out for…” • “Keep away from…”

14. Protect the Fellowship • “Watch out for…avoid” whom?

15. “Watch out for…avoid…” • Romans 16:17 • general statement applies to all false teachers persisting in error despite admonition.

16. Protect the Fellowship • Examples in Scripture of people who were causing divisions: • Judaizers in Galatia demanded circumcision to be saved. • At Corinth some denied resurrection of the dead. • (1 Corinthians 15:12)

17. Protect the Fellowship • Examples in Corinth of causing people to fall into sin: • Dividing congregation into factions (1 Corinthians 1:10-12) • Incest (1 Corinthians 5:1) • Lawsuits against fellow believers (1 Corinthians 6:1)

18. What kind of errorists?

19. What kind of errorists? dicostasiav…poiountav = “causing divisions”  continuous, habitual • Not accidental • Not naïve, uninformed • Persistent in spite of warnings • Period of warning to bring back • Paul patiently instructed.

20. Agree / Disagree • We must know exactly what situation in Rome caused Paul to issue this warning before we can apply it to ourselves? • No limit in text to specific false teachers in Rome. • General principle – universal application.

21. Evaluate • “The teaching you have learned” is only about saving faith in Christ. It does not include such doctrines as Baptism, Lord’s Supper, inspiration of Scripture, etc.

22. “Ok, the tire, but not the truck!” • Broad phrase includes all false teaching or immorality. • Comprehensive: everything learned from apostles

23. Protect the Fellowship • Whom does the world blame for dividing the church? • Who is the real cause of division in the church?

24. Which is true?

25. Which is true? • We can identify false prophets by determining who is serving their own appetites and using smooth talk and flattery.

26. Which is true? • Anyone who departs from the apostle’s teaching is serving his own appetite and using smooth talk and flattery.

27. Should Christians judge others? • Explain the principles: • Matthew 7:1-5 • Matthew 7:15f,21-23 • Acts 17:11 • Jesus forbids…. • Jesus commands…. • Bereans teach….

28. Summary • Christian Fellowship in a common confession of faith is a great blessing of God.

29. Summary • Sharing the truth, working together for it – congregation at Rome is a wonderful example of close church fellowship.

30. Summary • To continue in unity of the truth and working together for the truth, Christians must separate from all who persist in teaching error.

31. Closing Prayer Thank you, Lord, for your Word of truth which nurtures my faith for eternal life. Help me work with my fellow believers on behalf of your truth. Help us teach it to one another and to all who don’t know it. May obedience to you always lead me to separate myself from those who teach error. Amen.

32. During the week • Read Church Fellowship, pages 33-50. • Try to find some passage(s) in the Bible that divide(s) church fellowship into levels or parts.

33. add___Credits • Slides 4, 7, 8, 37 – Logo in round window at New Life Ev. Lutheran Church, Shoreview, MN (trademarked, use by permission only) • Slide 6 – Worship at New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church, Shoreview, MN • Slide 11 – Martin Luther statue, source unknown • Slide 14 – picture received by email, source unknown • Slide 19 – WELS Stewardship 2001 (?) • Slide 22 – picture received by email, source unknown • Slide 27 – “The Sower” (p. 28, NTNET, used by permission) • Slide 28 – WELS clipart • Slide 29 – picture received by email, source unknown • Slide 32 – picture received by email, source unknown • Slide 34 – Martin Luther: Man of God (Schroeder, NPH – out of print) • Slide 35 – Pastor Mark Cordes (9/30/90 – 1st Worship at New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church, Shoreview, MN)