Support Your Local Church

The next vital sign in our vital spiritual health study concerns devotion to the fellowship.

Acts 2:42 reads, They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (NIV)

Now what was Luke referring to when he stated that the ancient church was devoted to the fellowship? Did he mean that the ancient church was dedicated to hanging out with each after worship service? Perhaps he was speaking of their commitment to the larger body of Christ?
While these things certainly have value I’m convinced that Luke was referring to the realty that the individual believers that made up the church were devoted to the local congregation as an expression of their devotion to the larger body of Christ. Being a active part of a local expression of God’s church is crucial to the spiritual health of believers. This may surprise many American believers who sadly have bought into the cultural idols of rugged individualism and absolute independence. Yet, one cannot honestly read through Scripture and especially the New Testament without coming to the conviction of the importance of the local fellowship. Since that’s the case how do we demonstrate our devotion to the fellowship?

We begin by being devoted to unity of the local church.

Pursuing this unity is one of the ways we acknowledge that the church is the manifestation of God’s wisdom and the vehicle through which He gets glory in Jesus Christ. (see Eph. 3)

An important part of our growth in holiness is the attachment we have with the other believers in our local fellowship. Such holiness will cultivate and enhance the unity already within the church. What aspects of holiness does the apostle Paul call the church to demonstrate in our pursuit of unity?
In Ephesians 4 he lists a number of characteristics that contribute toward personal holiness and foster local church unity. He begins with humility which is the quality of looking out for the needs and interest of others. Along with humility is the need for gentleness which is the quality of speaking and acting with tenderness, grace and consideration. Acting gently restrains us from dealing harshly or reacting in various shades of anger. The next quality important in the local church is patience which is the characteristic of being slow to become angry, not being easily offended and being willing to lovingly wait until the Lord changes a person or situation. Forbearance or toleration is closely linked with patience in that it moves us to consistently demonstrate unconditional, persistent love in the face of the faults, sins and shortcomings of others. Finally Paul calls for us to actively pursue and preserve the local unity of the fellowship. This entails going out of our way to press toward peaceful resolutions of conflict and hurts, and doing all we can through the Spirit to remain united in worship, ministry and fellowship with those who are apart of our local church. In a very real sense separating the saints from one another should be as difficult as pulling a tick off your skin.

We can only demonstrate these qualities in connection with a local fellowship of God’s people. (you can’t look out for the interest of others if you’ve cut yourself off from being connected to a church) This presumes that all of God’s people are connected to a local fellowship. It also presumes that this fellowship isn’t filled with sinless perfect people.
These qualities are necessary if we are to maintain unity and peace which propels us to walk in God’s will regarding how He gets glory from His people. This is not a mandate to be in fellowship with a sinful dysfunctional church nor is it a call to remain in a church that is preaching and promoting false, heretical and damaging teaching.
We cultivate and display these qualities through the power of the Spirit and reflection on how Jesus has demonstrated them to us.
One of the ways the ancient church displayed their unity and devotion to each other was through an offering the Genitle believers raised for their Jewish brothers and sister. Acts 11:27-30 (ESV)
Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Following our commitment to the unity of the church is our devotion to ministry of the local church.

Becoming active in ministry of any type begins by being connected with a local fellowship where we receive the regular instruction of God’s word. We commit ourselves to learning the Scriptures not only for personal fulfillment, but also to become equipped to do ministry. Our training is to do the ongoing work of witness and mission. This can either be mission directly to the church or mission to those who don’t know the Lord.
For example the first deacons demonstrated both uses of this word. They first served the body by seeing to it that the needs of the local church were cared for adequately. (e.g. Acts 6) However, God also used them outside the body by witnessing the gospel to unbelievers. The early deacons accomplished this through doing good works, and declaring the gospel. Acts 6:8-10 (ESV)
And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.

It is for the overall good and health of the body of Christ that all of His people participate in training for and doing ministry of some kind. It’s also important to remember that any ministry must be done in connection with a local church whose mission is to make active followers of Jesus Christ from all people.

A third way we demonstrate our devotion to the local fellowship is through Biblical conflict resolution

Biblical conflict resolution is grounded in the truth that we are new creations in Christ with new godly natures who can live, react and respond in new godly ways instead of old, unprofitable and ungodly ways. (Eph. 4:20-24)
The first steps toward resolving conflict is to acknowledge that someone or something has offended or hurt us. Perhaps the person who hurt us did so intentionally or without knowing it. Either way we’re wounded and even angry. The godly response however that leads to our growth is to admit our hurt and anger while refusing to fall into the trap of expressing that hurt or anger in ungodly ways which may satisfy our old human nature but do damage to the Body of Christ, aid the work of Satan and grieve the Holy Spirit. (Eph. 4:25-28)

What are we to do when someone in the local church does or says something that hurts another believer and could potentially damage the unity of Christ’s body? A good place to begin is with what we say and how we say it. (Eph. 4:29)
Following Christ’s teaching and example we refuse to engage in abusive, offensive, and ungodly speech which is only designed to break down and tear down our brothers and sisters. Instead we use our words and our tone as tools to help others grow in spiritual health and grace in Jesus Christ while focusing on the offense at hand. Our devotion to the local fellowship moves us to refuse to maintain grudges and live in bitterness and animosity toward God’s people. We do so recognizing that this causes great distress and sadness to the Spirit who fills the church for the sake of our unity in Christ. For the sake of the work and witness of Christ our savior we adopt and carry an attitude of kindness and forgiveness toward our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Rather than treating each other with malice, suspicion and indifference we relate to one another in an atmosphere of grace, caring and compassion. Thus when we are offended and sinned against we are quick to offer forgiveness.
To forgive is to give up one’s right to see the offending party punished. Forgiving is a decision to work toward the restoration of a broken relationship. Choosing to forgive is to act after the manner of our Lord Jesus who forgave us, though it cost Him His life so that we could enjoy an eternal relationship with Him.

Questions for reflection:

Have you made a commitment to join a local fellowship and despite its faults strive to pursue its peace and unity?
If not, what is keeping your from attaching yourself to a church?
Are you active in ministry within your church? If not, are their ways you can become active or initiate a needed ministry within your church?
Is the ministry you’re involved in connected with the local church? If not is there a way you can connect those your ministry serves to a local church?
How have you responded when someone within the church hurt or offended you?
Have you accepted that a large part of your growth in holiness must take place within a local church setting?
Do you realize that participating in communion is an expression of your commitment to the local church as well as a proclamation of your conviction of the death of Christ for your sin?

To Him Who Loves Us…
Pastor Lance