cbarnold Posted May 8, 2010 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 2 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/08/2010 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/29/1988 Share Posted May 8, 2010 I have a question. I have been a faithful Christian for about 2 years, attending the same church most of that time. I don't feel like I can relate to most of the people there, but I love them deeply as my church family. However, I'm in deep need of a friend that shares my views spiritually. I want someone to praise God when He answers prayers and discuss scripture. I've prayed about it and found Christians my age that I had gone to school with but we didn't really click like I'd hoped we would. ...I'm not sure what to do here. Should I act on my feelings? I have trouble telling my feelings and God's will apart from each other sometimes. I want so much to do God's will, but find it hard being so busy with a 2 yr old and work. I get so confused. Thanks for any help you may offer. God bless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck McCloskey Posted May 8, 2010 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 2 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/08/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted May 8, 2010 Ovedya, What you said is truely inspired and inspiring. As a baby Christian I have many questions and would love to have a mentor with a similar understanding to what I've read in this posting. Any you can do to assist would be greatly appriciated. Also, I am interested in learning Greek and Hebrew (don't know if I have time but I will take baby steps). Much esteem for my brother in the Lord. Bod bless you. Chuck McCloskey What is Fellowship? By Ovedya Verses: "God is faithful, through whom you were called into the felloship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9) "That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3) "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin." (1 John 1:7) "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (1 Cor. 13:14) "And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42) "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 1:10) ~~~~~~~~~~ Fellowship is basically two things: First it is the receiving of fellowship from the throne of Grace, through the Son (1 Cor. 1:9). It is the fellowship of the Father and the Son, by the Spirit, to the believer. Second, fellowship is the mutual fellowship of the Body of Christ, between the members of the Body, in that same flowing of fellowship from the throne of Grace (1 John 1:3; 7; 2 Cor. 13:14; cf Acts 2:42; cf. 1 Cor. 10:16). So the flowing out of fellowship goes out from the throne of Grace, into the believers, and from the believers out to one another. The word in the Greek means "joint participation, common participation." It is actually the issuing of the eternal life from the throne of Grace and it is the flow of eternal life within all the believers. It can be illustrated by the flowing out of the river of water of life from the throne in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1). All regenerated believers participate in the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. This flow is carried out by the Holy Spirit in our regenerated spirit. Therefore, it is called "The fellowship of the Holy Spirit" (2 Cor. 13:14), and the fellowship of our spirit (Phil. 2:1). It is in this flow of fellowship that we, the believers participate in all that the Father, Son, and Spirit are and have done for us. Fellowship is not simply a discussion among Christians. It is not simply a "meeting of minds" or a debate over topics. One need not be a Christian at all to discuss topics or debate over issues. Anyone can do that. To have genuine fellowship with the Body of Christ a believer must first be in the fellowship of the Triune God. He must first "walk in the light" of fellowship (1 John 1:7). Without the light of fellowship of the Triune God, it is impossible to have fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ. Cutting off the fellowship from the throne also cuts off the fellowship from the Body; just as cutting off the circulation to your hand deprives your fingers of the precious blood, so does the believer who cuts off the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. To have an attitude of fellowship one must first be open to the light of fellowship from the throne. Second, he must also be open to the fellowship of the members of the Body of Christ. Again, this is like the flow of blood in your body. All the members of your physical body must receive the flow of blood as well as send the flow of blood to the other members. In the Body of Christ this requires sacrifice. It requires the cutting of of self and the flesh. It requires that every member be open to the fellowship, regardless if that fellowship is a faithful word for building up, or it is a corrective word that sometimes wounds our pride. (More to come as the Lord inspires me.) Ovedya Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fez Posted May 8, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 683 Topics Per Day: 0.12 Content Count: 11,128 Content Per Day: 1.99 Reputation: 1,352 Days Won: 54 Joined: 02/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/07/1952 Share Posted May 8, 2010 Ovedya, What you said is truely inspired and inspiring. As a baby Christian I have many questions and would love to have a mentor with a similar understanding to what I've read in this posting. Any you can do to assist would be greatly appriciated. Also, I am interested in learning Greek and Hebrew (don't know if I have time but I will take baby steps). Much esteem for my brother in the Lord. Bod bless you. Chuck McCloskey What is Fellowship? By Ovedya Verses: "God is faithful, through whom you were called into the felloship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9) "That which we have seen and heard we report also to you that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ." (1 John 1:3) "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin." (1 John 1:7) "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (1 Cor. 13:14) "And they continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers." (Acts 2:42) "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the fellowship of the body of Christ?" (1 Cor. 1:10) ~~~~~~~~~~ Fellowship is basically two things: First it is the receiving of fellowship from the throne of Grace, through the Son (1 Cor. 1:9). It is the fellowship of the Father and the Son, by the Spirit, to the believer. Second, fellowship is the mutual fellowship of the Body of Christ, between the members of the Body, in that same flowing of fellowship from the throne of Grace (1 John 1:3; 7; 2 Cor. 13:14; cf Acts 2:42; cf. 1 Cor. 10:16). So the flowing out of fellowship goes out from the throne of Grace, into the believers, and from the believers out to one another. The word in the Greek means "joint participation, common participation." It is actually the issuing of the eternal life from the throne of Grace and it is the flow of eternal life within all the believers. It can be illustrated by the flowing out of the river of water of life from the throne in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1). All regenerated believers participate in the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. This flow is carried out by the Holy Spirit in our regenerated spirit. Therefore, it is called "The fellowship of the Holy Spirit" (2 Cor. 13:14), and the fellowship of our spirit (Phil. 2:1). It is in this flow of fellowship that we, the believers participate in all that the Father, Son, and Spirit are and have done for us. Fellowship is not simply a discussion among Christians. It is not simply a "meeting of minds" or a debate over topics. One need not be a Christian at all to discuss topics or debate over issues. Anyone can do that. To have genuine fellowship with the Body of Christ a believer must first be in the fellowship of the Triune God. He must first "walk in the light" of fellowship (1 John 1:7). Without the light of fellowship of the Triune God, it is impossible to have fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ. Cutting off the fellowship from the throne also cuts off the fellowship from the Body; just as cutting off the circulation to your hand deprives your fingers of the precious blood, so does the believer who cuts off the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. To have an attitude of fellowship one must first be open to the light of fellowship from the throne. Second, he must also be open to the fellowship of the members of the Body of Christ. Again, this is like the flow of blood in your body. All the members of your physical body must receive the flow of blood as well as send the flow of blood to the other members. In the Body of Christ this requires sacrifice. It requires the cutting of of self and the flesh. It requires that every member be open to the fellowship, regardless if that fellowship is a faithful word for building up, or it is a corrective word that sometimes wounds our pride. (More to come as the Lord inspires me.) Ovedya Amen, never have I had it explained better Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck McCloskey Posted May 8, 2010 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 2 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/08/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted May 8, 2010 Hello I found this interesting. To have fellowship which is in the Spirit, one must be in the Spirit. I sometimes have the privilege of meeting "unchurched" Christians with a real relationship with Jesus, and the fellowship just flows....like when 2 or more flames join together, there is a whole lot of heat! But I confess much of my institutional church background has been very dry in fellowship terms. I love Jesus and I want to talk about Him. Hard to find others who feel the same. Thanks! Love, EphesiansGal I understand exactly what you are saying I often am not interested in the worldly or political discussions and would love to just talk about the gospel and other biblical truths. Nevertheless, I also believe that I must be patient and listen to others. It's not always easy. Thanks for your imput and God bless. Chuck McCloskey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbarnold Posted May 11, 2010 Group: Members Followers: 1 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 2 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 05/08/2010 Status: Offline Birthday: 04/29/1988 Share Posted May 11, 2010 Hello I found this interesting. To have fellowship which is in the Spirit, one must be in the Spirit. I sometimes have the privilege of meeting "unchurched" Christians with a real relationship with Jesus, and the fellowship just flows....like when 2 or more flames join together, there is a whole lot of heat! But I confess much of my institutional church background has been very dry in fellowship terms. I love Jesus and I want to talk about Him. Hard to find others who feel the same. Thanks! Love, EphesiansGal I have the same trouble!!! The people at my church aren't people I click with spiritually even tho I have a deep love for them. ...I'm not sure what to do. My husband doesn't want to leave this church bc he has deep roots to the people there. I, however, have only known them a few years. There's no one my age or in my life situation there and I feel kinda alone there sometimes. My work has a lot of Christians there but few will talk to me about Jesus. I think Christians have been beaten down into a defensive state, which leaves them terrified to speak the name of Jesus for fear of persecution!! I, like many other faithful Christians, really want to speak about Him and just enjoy His awesomeness wherever I am, including at work. This is tough. I guess that's why God gave us the internet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Posted May 20, 2010 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 27 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 493 Content Per Day: 0.10 Reputation: 53 Days Won: 1 Joined: 05/14/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted May 20, 2010 To have genuine fellowship with the Body of Christ a believer must first be in the fellowship of the Triune God. He must first "walk in the light" of fellowship (1 John 1:7). Without the light of fellowship of the Triune God, it is impossible to have fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ. Cutting off the fellowship from the throne also cuts off the fellowship from the Body; just as cutting off the circulation to your hand deprives your fingers of the precious blood, so does the believer who cuts off the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. Hello Brothers and Sisters. Except for my hello in Worthy Welcome, this is my first reply to any topic. At God's leading, I have come here in Worthy Christian Forums looking especially for fellowship, and so this is a fitting topic to reply to. True fellowship from my brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what I have been missing all these years, what God has been withholding to me... until today, hopefully, now that I am here.... Unlike many of you, for reasons I will not yet tell you, I had done my search of God mostly alone. When I fell in love with Jesus some years ago, he did brought me to a local congregation, but the fellowship I received there was so little, and they had hurt me much.... After that my life has been in the wilderness, in isolation, preparing for my ministry, which is mostly writing for Jesus.... And now I came here with the hope that I will finally find my true siblings in Christ, those who also love Jesus deeply like I do. You don't know how I been longing to have you in my life, Brothers and Sisters! I am tired of being alone; tired of being a lone Christian standing. I know I need fellowship, but I also know that only Jesus can give to me the right people -- people who will love me as me: Lover of Jesus Christ. And so for years I have denied this need... but today I write this very first post hoping that Jesus has finally led me to the right place -- and to the right people -- fellow lovers of Christ like myself -- and that this is not going to be another time where I hope for love and friendship and not get it.... Dakilang Pag-asa ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~candice~ Posted May 20, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 5 Topic Count: 955 Topics Per Day: 0.16 Content Count: 11,318 Content Per Day: 1.89 Reputation: 448 Days Won: 33 Joined: 12/16/2007 Status: Offline Share Posted May 20, 2010 Welcome! May God bless you abundantly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fez Posted May 20, 2010 Group: Royal Member Followers: 3 Topic Count: 683 Topics Per Day: 0.12 Content Count: 11,128 Content Per Day: 1.99 Reputation: 1,352 Days Won: 54 Joined: 02/03/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 12/07/1952 Share Posted May 20, 2010 To have genuine fellowship with the Body of Christ a believer must first be in the fellowship of the Triune God. He must first "walk in the light" of fellowship (1 John 1:7). Without the light of fellowship of the Triune God, it is impossible to have fellowship with the members of the Body of Christ. Cutting off the fellowship from the throne also cuts off the fellowship from the Body; just as cutting off the circulation to your hand deprives your fingers of the precious blood, so does the believer who cuts off the flow of fellowship from the throne of Grace. Hello Brothers and Sisters. Except for my hello in Worthy Welcome, this is my first reply to any topic. At God's leading, I have come here in Worthy Christian Forums looking especially for fellowship, and so this is a fitting topic to reply to. True fellowship from my brothers and sisters in Christ. This is what I have been missing all these years, what God has been withholding to me... until today, hopefully, now that I am here.... Unlike many of you, for reasons I will not yet tell you, I had done my search of God mostly alone. When I fell in love with Jesus some years ago, he did brought me to a local congregation, but the fellowship I received there was so little, and they had hurt me much.... After that my life has been in the wilderness, in isolation, preparing for my ministry, which is mostly writing for Jesus.... And now I came here with the hope that I will finally find my true siblings in Christ, those who also love Jesus deeply like I do. You don't know how I been longing to have you in my life, Brothers and Sisters! I am tired of being alone; tired of being a lone Christian standing. I know I need fellowship, but I also know that only Jesus can give to me the right people -- people who will love me as me: Lover of Jesus Christ. And so for years I have denied this need... but today I write this very first post hoping that Jesus has finally led me to the right place -- and to the right people -- fellow lovers of Christ like myself -- and that this is not going to be another time where I hope for love and friendship and not get it.... Dakilang Pag-asa ... Mahal Dakilang, Mahal! (against the TOS I know, but it means love in Philipino mods, and I should know ) There are good people here, and you will find fellowship over time as you build friendships as I have done. It does not happen overnight (what friendship does?), but it will happen. Stay for a bit and see..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Posted May 21, 2010 Group: Advanced Member Followers: 1 Topic Count: 27 Topics Per Day: 0.01 Content Count: 493 Content Per Day: 0.10 Reputation: 53 Days Won: 1 Joined: 05/14/2010 Status: Offline Share Posted May 21, 2010 Yes, I know that it will take time and a lot of work on my part. Thanks for the welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Praiseius-Maximus Posted August 9, 2010 Group: Members Followers: 0 Topic Count: 0 Topics Per Day: 0 Content Count: 6 Content Per Day: 0.00 Reputation: 0 Days Won: 0 Joined: 06/01/2009 Status: Offline Birthday: 01/01/1975 Share Posted August 9, 2010 my favorite part of fellowship is just to hug someone and say ''I love you"" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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