Mid Way Through!

Wow I can't believe that we've all been playing softball for a little over a month now! As we draw near to the mid season break, let's take this time to remember where we all came from and to give thanks to God for everything He has created on this wonderful Fourth of July. I hope everyone has an amazing Independence Day and of course eat lot's of food and enjoy the weekend! Remember this week is rivalry week, so just as the Giants host the dreaded Dodgers... your church teams will be facing off against each other this week! Come support the friendly games and make a good time of fellowship, I know I will!

Here is this week's fellowship guide.

The Fellowship of the Believers

I. Introduction (2 minutes)

How many of you have heard, seen or even read the book “The Lord of the Rings”? A few years ago, Hollywood adapted the book into movie format…and turned the book into a 3 part trilogy movie series. The first movie is called “The Fellowship of the Ring” and that was the 14^th top grossing movie of all time. The second and third Lord of The Rings movies were also all time top movies as well…with “The Two Towers” (2^nd movie) ranked 7^th all time and “The Return of the King” #2 all time (behind Titanic in case you’re curious). One has to wonder what made “The Lord of the Rings” movies (or LOTR for short) so “compelling” that, worldwide, movie goers have spent nearly $3 billion watching the 3 movies.

II. Opening discussion (5 minutes)

At this point, let’s break up into groups of 5 people. Within the group, briefly share about these questions:

1. First of all, who has watched any of the 3 movies?

2. For those that have watched the trilogy, which of the three movies did you like the best?

3. What is it about these movies that really “compelled” you to watch the movies? Definition of “compelling”: driven or urged irresistibly to something (so in this instance, what attracted you to go watch this movie).

III. The Word (10 minutes)

Back in the days of Jesus, there was something that also had a magnetic affect on people like the LOTR movies. The story can be found in a certain section of the Bible, in Acts 2: 42-47:

⁴²They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. ⁴⁴All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. ⁴⁶Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Let’s take a moment to look at this passage more carefully. They (the first “church” where the believers gathered back then) spent time together DAILY. What did they do every day? They spent time listening to the apostles teach, then they spent time eating (breaking of bread) and spent time praying. As a result of these times spent together, God revealed many wonders and miraculous signs through the apostles…so the time spent together was not boring at all, as everyone was in AWE!!. ALL the believers were TOGETHER…and had everything in COMMON…meaning, they SHARED EVERYTHING. They sold all that they had…and shared with ANYONE (with other believers and possibly even with non-believers?). Every single day, they continue to meet in the temple courts…and they met in each other’s homes to share meals…and they ate with glad/sincere hearts…giving praise/thanks to God…and enjoying favor (to be looked upon in a friendly or positive way) from all the people. Look here for a moment…this one last point I didn’t see until a pastor shared about it recently…the very end of the bible passage…”And the Lord ADDED to their number DAILY those who were being SAVED”. Looking at the passage, the early church was just doing very ordinary things that believers today do…listen to someone teach, spend time eating with each other and praying. The only difference is that the believers of the past did those things EVERY day…and they did everything TOGETHER. Another major difference is that the believers back then shared EVERYTHING with ANYONE that was in need. The passage didn’t say anything about people holding anything back for themselves…rather, they sold everything they had…and with the proceeds from the sales, they shared it with anyone.

(If you’re leading fellowship, this next part is for you…but only if time permits: Share something from your past experiences to the entire group. Think back to a time when you encounter a Christian or a group of believers who lived in such a way that really moved you to find out more about God. Be specific in sharing WHY that person or group COMPELLED you to God.)

IV. Application (5 minutes)

Take a moment now and look at the “groups” you belong to. Some of you go to a small group, or “fellowship”, that meets once a week. Most of you attend church once a week. Each of you right now is part of a team. All the teams in this league are part of the CCU league. Think about the groups that you belong to…your small group/fellowship, your church, your team, the CCU league. Do any of these groups do anything that “compels” or draws non-Christians to the groups? When we think back to the early church in Acts, they really didn’t do anything extraordinary in terms of outreach. Rather, they did ordinary things…but what was extraordinary in the early church is that they spent time daily, did everything together, and shared everything with everyone. People outside the early church noticed the believers “Living it Loud”…and they were “compelled”, or drawn, to the church.

1. How are the groups that you belong to?
2. Are the people in your groups living with each other in such a way that would “compel” other people to want to join so that they can know more about who God is?
3. Are YOU living in a way with other believers so that your group is “attractive” to pre-Christians?

One of the most effective ways to attract people to a group is to show genuine love and care. One of the quickest way to turn people away from a group is when the members in the group are complaining and bickering over things that really don’t matter in the big picture of things.

What are you (and the groups you belong to) doing now to “LIVE IT LOUD”?

If you don’t belong to a Christian group, would you like to join one and find out how awesome it is to be in a community of people that is unlike any other community you can find around you?

Ephesians 4: 1-3

¹As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ²Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Closing prayer:

May God move His people, His church, to live as one giant compelling community. May He speak to each one of us in such a way that we can identify at least one specific thing today where we individually can change so that God’s presence here on earth, His church, can be example of God’s magnificent love. Thank you God for loving each one of us. Amen.