On Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 28, NASA launched its unmanned rocket Antares that was tasked with bringing supplies to the International Space Station. Six seconds after take-off, Antares suffered a “catastrophic anomaly” and exploded.
One early newscast suggested that the rocket was veering off course and that scientists on the ground destroyed it. But that report was inaccurate.
NASA doesn’t know what happened, and it may take six months to a year to find out. But when I heard that report, my mind jumped to churches that I’m aware are struggling with conflict and internal strife.
And I thought, that’s what happens when churches take their eyes off the Lord and take their focus off the mission Jesus gave them. They open themselves up to problems that could cause the church to crash and burn.
The church’s fellowship is a gift that must be enriched and protected. Fellowship is more than chit-chatting over coffee before the Bible study starts, or a quick greeting at welcome time in the worship service. New Testament fellowship is deeper.
Fellowship is the sharing of life based on our common experience with Jesus and our common desire to live for Jesus. The first church experienced the sharing of life together: “Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need.” (Acts 2:44-45).
They went over and above in their generosity to show care and concern. They were deeply committed to God and to each other. They enjoyed each other’s company, and were unified.
God expects us to take good care of His gift of fellowship. What can we do to enrich our church’s fellowship?
First, be present. Your presence means a lot. Be faithful to attend your Bible study and worship each week.
Second, participate. Move from attending to belonging, and from spectator to participant. Find your place of service and make your church stronger by getting involved.
Third, pray. Undergird your church and your ministers with prayer.
Fourth, promote your church. Talk up the good things that are happening. Brag on your church. Invite others to attend.
Fifth, protect this precious fellowship. How? By not enabling destructive gossip. Listening to gossip is just as bad as passing it along. By not complaining or contributing to dissension, and confronting those who “sow seeds of discord.” Don’t tolerate reckless speech. Instead encourage one another and build each other up (I Thessalonians 5:11).
What sweetens the fellowship? When we love each other, help each other, pray for each other, encourage each other, support each other, and forgive each other.
Chuck Swindoll wrote about a young woman named Linda who was traveling alone up the rugged highway from Alberta to the Yukon. Linda didn’t know that you don’t travel to Whitehorse alone in a run down Honda Civic, so she set off where only four-wheel drive vehicles normally go. The first evening she found a room in the mountains near a summit and asked for a 5 a.m. wake-up call so she could get an early start.
Five a.m. came and she found the mountains covered in fog. So she decided to go to breakfast. Two truck drivers invited her to sit with them, and since the place was empty except for the three of them, she felt obliged. “Where are you headed?”
“Whitehorse.”
“What are you driving?”
“Honda civic.”
“No way. This pass is dangerous in weather like this.
“Well, I’m going to try.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to hug you.”
Linda drew back. “I don’t think so.”
“Not like that!” the truckers chuckled. “We’ll put one truck in front of you and one in the rear. We’ll get you through the mountains.”
All that foggy morning, Linda followed the two red lights in front of her and knew the other truck was right behind her and they made their way up the mountain.
What a picture of fellowship! We need that kind of hug. Fellow believers who know the way leading safely ahead of us, and other concerned believers encouraging us along, so we can find our way.
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[Dr. David L. Chancey is pastor, McDonough Road Baptist Church, Fayetteville, Georgia. The church family gathers at 352 McDonough Road and invites you to join them this Sunday for Bible study at 9:45 a.m. and worship at 10:55 a.m. Visit them on the web at www.mcdonoughroad.org and “like” them on Facebook.]
