Playing Your Part: Embracing Fellowship, Discipleship, and Ministry in the local church.
The early church, as described in Acts 2:41-42, 46-47, provides a clear model for how believers should engage in church life just as much where you are now as they were then. It highlights essential aspects of a true church such as fellowship, discipleship, evangelism, and ministry. I have talked before about they each ‘devoted themselves’ (nobody but you can devote you) to the Word, Worship and One Another, they shared their Wealth and saw Wonders that made the world say ‘WOW!”
As members of the body of Christ today, we cannot settle for less and must pray for and deliberately participate in these areas to ensure a thriving and unified church community.
The Power of Fellowship
Fellowship is the heartbeat of the church.
Acts 2:42 emphasises that the early believers “continued steadfastly” in fellowship. This means they stuck at it, there were no church shoppers or hoppers – they were intentional and consistent in connecting with one another.
As 1 John 1:3-4 reminds us, our joy is made full when we are in fellowship with both God and each other.
Fellowship is not just about gathering in the same room where others are; it’s about building strong and meaningful connections. This happens through small groups, ministry teams, and being part of the team for church events that reach out to the world. Engaging in fellowship builds believers and strengthens the church, it enriches our spiritual walk. If you’ve been part of a church for a few months and haven’t formed at least a few deep relationships, you have to consider whether you are truly participating in fellowship.
Promoting Harmony and Unity
For any kind of fellowship to be effective, we must embrace and promote harmony and unity as a matter of priority. There is a slight difference between harmony and unity, although they both work to achieve the same goal. Harmony is the consistent, orderly arrangements of different parts, unity is bringing the different parts together to work as one.
So promoting harmony and unity does not mean we all have to be exactly the same. In fact, harmony by definition means we have to be different. Singers will tell you that for four people to sing in harmony, they all have to sing different parts. Unity is not the same as uniformity. I don’t have to be exactly like you for us to work together as one.
A church will only thrive when harmony and unity are prioritised. Romans 14:19 commands us to “aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.”
Q: Ask yourself whether your words and actions are promoting harmony and unity, or disharmony and disunity.
This does not happen automatically which is why Ephesians 4:3 encourages us to “make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.” Promoting peace and understanding within the church is crucial for maintaining a strong and healthy community.
The Call to Discipleship
In Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands us to “go and make disciples,” not just a crowd, converts or churchgoers. He then emphasises that discipleship happens through teaching his Word and acting in obedience to it.
We have seen in recent posts that Jesus always distinguished between the multitudes and His disciples. In Luke 8:10, He stated, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.” This distinction shows that discipleship involves deep commitment and learning.
To determine if you are a disciple, ask yourself:
– Have I submitted to regular bible study, sitting under biblical teaching?
– Does my life reflect the character of Jesus?
Luke 6:40 reminds us that “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.” True discipleship requires training, growth, and commitment where the aim is always not to knowmore, but to be more like Christ.
Evangelism: Sharing the Good News
The church in the west has done a terrible job of preaching that evangelism is not an optional extra, but a direct command from Jesus for every Christ follower. Mark 16:15 states, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” The word “Go” signifies action and initiative and the only way we will reach everyone, is when everyone is sent.
Romans 10:14 says: “How can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them?” The church has done an even worse job of equipping every believer for this task (something we aim to address practically at this year’s LAUNCH in June!). Each believer has the incredible privilege tp spread the gospel that saved us, why would we just sit hearing more sermons rather than be part of ensuring that those who have never heard of Jesus receive the opportunity to know Him?
The Ministry of Every Believer
Our recent SHAPE series at Ivy demonstrated that ministry is not the preserve or reserved for pastors and church leaders. Ephesians 4:16 says it’s only “as each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” The church body functions best when every member is actively engaged in ministry, and when we walk together like that people look up and see the Head, which is Christ.
Ministry is not about leadership titles; it’s not about you or me, it’s about serving others.
The Bible uses the phrase “one another” 58 times, including actions like:
– Loving one another
– Caring for one another
– Encouraging one another
– Praying for one another
– Sharing with one another
We have a ministry in the church as part of God’s mission to the world so a healthy church is one where every believer asks, “Am I doing my part? Am I involved in the ‘one another’ dynamic of church life?”
Finally…
Church is not a place we go to; it’s a family we belong to.
Let’s embrace our roles and positively impact the body of Christ.
Being part of a church means more than just attending services.
Don’t settle for less than active participation in harmonious fellowship, a commitment to radical discipleship, engagement in bold evangelism, and involvement in ministry that matters.
When we all play our part, we contribute to a thriving, unified, and impactful church.
As you prayerfully reflect now, ask yourself:
– Am I committed to fellowship and unity?
– Am I actively growing as a disciple?
– Am I sharing the gospel with others?
– Am I ministering to those around me?