Core Essentials of Our One Faith (for fellowshipping with others)?

[Neighbor]

Hi,

Going a little bit adrift for a moment, I have over the many decades now experienced very different approaches to fellowship and to calling on individuals to come to Jesus. Whether it be a formal altar call with heads bowed while someone on an organ plays and a pastor coaxes people to raise a hand and to come forward, or whether it is a  little concluding talk and prayer  while people sit in place and are invited to commune with God and/or come up afterward and talk if there is a need or interest there is no commune  no fellowship without the Holy Spirit.

And then there is the academic concluding prayer and word by word through the Bible teaching "class' is over approach, with everyone racing out to the parking lot save but two or three for  their Sunday Brunch times.

Each approach can become mechanical, and when that happens there is no communing, no fellowship. I do believe the Holy Spirit must do the leading in each scenario.

To that end it is vital, in my own opinion, for there  to be prayer for the Holy Spirit to be moving about the congregation while it is gathered together in praise and worship of Jesus. When the Spirit moves and the presence is felt that is when there is communion, real fellowship; Not pal ship, not a club with common interests, but real closeness together under Jesus arms. 

Fellowship is Christ driven, through the Holy Spirit, or it is not Christian fellowship at all! Instead  it is just fraternal  association. Might as well be a gathering in good times at the Elks lodge bar with a charitable goal tacked on to justify the drinks being consumed.

If it is not Christ centered and led of the Holy Spirit it is not Christian fellowship.

[Neighbor]

The core essential? The Holy Spirit's presence.

[Vine Abider]

22 minutes ago, Neighbor said:

When the Spirit moves and the presence is felt that is when there is communion, real fellowship; Not pal ship, not a club with common interests, but real closeness together under Jesus arms. Fellowship is Christ driven, through the Holy Spirit, or it is not Christian fellowship at all!

AMEN!

[Tristen]

10 hours ago, Neighbor said:

I have no idea why you presume to be the judge of another if you do. That would have nothing to do with fellowship.

It's possible that you have misunderstood my position.

In this thread, I have been asked what requirements I place on fellowship. My answer is that I do not place any requirements on fellowship. I do not fully understand thinking that way (or maybe I misunderstood the question).

 

10 hours ago, Neighbor said:

Isn't hard and it isn't limiting at all. Fellowship has nothing to do with cliques nor clubs nor memberships. It does have it's core at Christ.

In a previous response I attempted to make the following point:

The term "fellowship" is not limited to a Christian context. However, even if it was (for the sake of argument), I would still not understand placing requirements on fellowship.

 

[RealReligionofPeace]

Nicene Creed

Apostles Creed

Athanasian Creed

There is no orthodox Christian who denies these creeds. These creeds divide the true believers from the heretics and pagans.

 

[Mr. M]

6 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

I see being in Christ as being the essential prerequisite for fellowship.  That's because we were all made one body in Him and all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Cor 12:12-14)  So His life in us is the essential ingredient for fellowship - that's it!

And the Anointing in us will certainly let us know if the basis (being born again) for this fellowship in the one Spirit is there. (and the OP was meant as making fellowship with fellow members of His body a simpler and easier concept, not more complex . . .)

"That you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3

cc @Tristen @Marathoner

The only prerequisite to fellowship is within ourselves,

that we be without favoritism.

James 2:1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?

On the other hand, having established fellowship, a person who over time proves themselves consistently divisive (a heretic) and only attends meetings to argue and debate over non-essentials must be removed.

Titus 3:9 But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and striving about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.

[enoob57]

Fellowship for me is properly speaking the truth that God has put forth in His Word... spending time in conversation of this world and it's ways is not productive ...

why do people spend their time in
conversing about something God
has told us that He is going to burn
it all up and remove all memory of     
                                                                

[Tristen]

15 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

To me, the purpose of this thread was to show that we generally should approach other Christians with much less "qualifying standards" for fellowship, rather that having a longer list

The very concept of a "list" is something that has never occurred to me. But I get what you are trying to do.

 

15 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

If conversation veers off into the nonessentials, which things generally promote disagreement and division, we can (and should) always come back to focus on our wonderful Savior Himself and His work in us!

If we are mature (i.e. secure in our own faith), "disagreement" would not be permitted to degenerate into "division".

[Neighbor]

8 hours ago, enoob57 said:

why do people spend their time in
conversing about something God
has told us that He is going to burn
it all up and remove all memory of 

It may be that  it is not removal of all  memory of, instead it is a complete overcoming of them. https://www.gotquestions.org/remember-Heaven.html

[Neighbor]

10 hours ago, Tristen said:

The term "fellowship" is not limited to a Christian context.

Hi, and therein is the difference in the understanding(s) of fellowship as discussed on a Christian Forum. For  fellowship is limited to a Christian context. It is a commonality in the love of Christ which brings Christians together  and under guidance through the Holy Spirit.

It is not a general fraternal relationship nor a community club assembly.