Fellowship

[tsth]

From a Brother in Christ who wrote this.........posted from another board to share with you here)

Fellowship: Bricks Cemented Together or Hit Ha Brut

The OT perspective of fellowship can be defined by the Hebrew in two ways. One word used is shutafut and the other word is hit ha brut which is translated as bricks cemented together. The second word will be our focus..

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5

If one keeps reading the passage we are told about the precious corner stone our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the stone that holds us all together. The cornerstone in the bible is not the same as the cornerstone that you and I think of today. In fact, it was much different in its design and purpose. The following is an illustration of what exactly we should picture in our minds to understand the cornerstone's function and role.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/tst...eous/arch-1.jpg

(Suzanne: sorry, I don't know how to get the illustration posted here? But, it is an illustration of stones placed together to form a doorway/archway. Their placement is what forms the arch. If they are fit together properly the arch will stand and hold together.)

If you notice the center stone in the arch which is better known today as a keystone you can see that this stone keeps all of the other stones together. It is at the center of everything and holds everything together. Jesus is at the center of everything and holds us together as He is building a spiritual house for Himself. The church is the temple of God remember? As a body and each of us individually we are the house of God.

This stone is a heavy stone and puts a lot of pressure on all the other stones. They didn't have cement or steel reinforced cement in those days to keep the stones together but rather they relied on the weight and intense pressure that came from stacking the stones upon another as well as the weight of the cornerstone in the center to hold each stone together. This pressure makes the stones rub against each other causing friction between one stone and another. It is this friction and rubbing that enables the stones to fit well with each other and among each other in their proper place.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17

When you rub iron together or stones together there is friction. This friction causes sparks to fly. In order to make a sharp tool or a weapon there must be friction and so the sparks will fly. When there is fellowship our God is building a spiritual house, like Peter tells us above, and so there is friction. Sparks fly. In order for God to have a sharp tool or a stone that fits with all the others he's going to have to cut the stone with a tool but he has to have the tool. The tool must be sharpened, there must be friction, and as the sparks begin to fly sometimes they start a fire.

This is the test of real fellowship. If Jesus is really building something we will see friction. The question we all should be asking ourselves is DOES THE FRICTION CAUSE US TO STICK TOGETHER. Remember, the cause for this friction is so that the stones will stick together closely and support each other as the builder is building.

Yes, fellowship should have love and all the mushy things like that but that is not the whole biblical counsel on fellowship. Take marriage for example. Anyone who is married will tell you that there has been or there is friction in the marriage. Right? If there is friction in the marriage then is that friction drawing the husband and wife closer together?

If someone really loves you they will tell you what you need to hear and not what you want to hear. This is painful and difficult to receive and should be done in a loving way but it is extremely difficult to do such in every circumstance. This concept is much deeper than I have time to go over so forgive me.

Better is open rebuke, than love that is concealed.

Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. Proverbs 27:5-6

I have already stated that the friction I have encountered here has caused me to be closer to many of you here. Even though I may not have openly told some of you many of you have communicated with me and among yourselves via PM or openly on the board. Many of you have told each other things that the other needed to hear that has wounded one or another in love though not always expressed in a loving way there is a motive of love for the other behind it. You are better off with someone who will openly rebuke and wound you then an enemy who smothers you with love deceitfully because of hidden motives.

A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. Proverbs 27:7

You ever go out to restaurant and have a really good meal. One that just fills you up completely. You're really satisfied with the meal and have no room left for another bite. Then, they bring the dessert menu to offer you something sweet and it becomes loathsome to you. On the other hand if you are famished and haven't eaten anything even garbage will taste good to you. But it's still garbage and will hurt you and poison you.

It's the same concept with doctrine. You can become so full of yourself in your position to receive anything sweet from a brother on one end of the spectrum and on the other so famished that you'll eat garbage just to get by which results in (v.5-6) becoming something you experience all too often. There are churches and teachers out there who make bitter things sweet. It might look like food, taste like food, and have somewhat the same effect as food but it's chemically processed poison. You will die from eating something with no nutritional value. You are just tricking your brain into believing you are feeding your body.

He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who cares for his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18

Many of the Jewish Rabbi's have believed and taught, midrashically, that the fig tree is a figure of the tree of life. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. We have in Hebrew a concept or principal of midrash that is called the mashal and the nimshal. The mashal is something from everyday life which can easily be understood and in this case it is tending to the fig tree and eating of its fruit. The nimshal is the spiritual meaning behind it which in this case is he who cares for his master will be honored. I am not saying that Jesus is the fig tree but what I am trying to draw is the connection between tending to the fig tree (reading and studying the Word prayerfully) which expresses how much you care for your Master. Anyway, theres much more there and I know you are all capable of meditating on this to further expound and see where I am going with it.

Like a bird that wanders from her nest, so is a man who wanders from his home. Proverbs 27:8

We should all watch out for people who show up for bible studies or fellowship for a while and then just suddenly disappear or wander away. Who does the wolf go after? The sheep who has gone astray from the flock. He who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom. Proverbs 18:1 This is why the birds wander from their nest!!

Oil and perfume make the heart glad, so a man's counsel is sweet to his friend. Proverbs 27:9

One of the reason we are allowed to have trials (just look at the prayer section of the board) is so that we can receive counsel from a friend. The wise counsel of a good friend is oil and perfume to the believer. No wonder I stink... sheeeesh.

Do not forsake your own friend or your father's friend, and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity; Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother far away. Proverbs 27:10

Who are your friends and your Father's friends? Christians. Do not go to your unsaved brother or cousin when your calamity comes. They will disappoint you and let you down. But what will you do if you forsake your friend or the friend of your Father? Better is Christian neighbor who is near than a blood relative who is far away is what the scripture says so do not forsake one another.

There is so much more in this chapter but this grave yard shift is taking a toll on my eye lids. I will leave you with one last nugget.

The crucible is for silver and the furnace for gold, and each is tested by the praise accorded him. Proverbs 27:21

Fire refines silver, it refines gold, you put each in the fire to see how good it is, correct? Want to find out what is inside one of your brothers? Give him praise and watch how he handles it. Does his ego get inflated? Is the leaven puffing up? Does he believe his own hype and put himself on a peddle stool?

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; Psalm 127:1

Let me make myself very clear. God is not the auther of confusion. However, He is the cause of our friction with one another as He is building a spiritual house for Himself as He pleases. Sparks will fly!! He needs a sharp tool to cut the stones so that they will fit in their proper place. Do not be afraid of friction since it is the chief cornerstone, Jesus Christ, who holds us together. He is the precious stone and the source of life for all of us the living stones. Is there false doctrine among us? Certainly. So what shall we do about it!!!?!?!??!?!

2 Kings Chapter 4 please...

When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land as the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, he said to his servant, "Put on the large pot and boil stew for the sons of the prophets."

Then one went out into the field to gather herbs, and found a wild vine and gathered from it his lap full of wild gourds, and came and sliced them into the pot of stew, for they did not know what they were.

So they poured it out for the men to eat. And as they were eating of the stew, they cried out and said, "O man of God, there is death in the pot." And they were unable to eat.

But he said, "Now bring meal." He threw it into the pot and said, "Pour it out for the people that they may eat." Then there was no harm in the pot. 2 Kings 4:38-41

Man of God there is death in the pot!! There is false doctrine on the board! We didn't know it! We gathered the vines and the gourds and put them in the stew and now we can't eat!!

How do you handle false doctrine? You throw right doctrine into the pot of stew. RIGHT DOCTRINE NEUTRALIZES FALSE DOCTRINE.

There will always be a son of the prophets lurking around the board who will spot death in the stew. As they begin to eat of the stew they will taste the poison and pour meal into the pot.

If you are participating in a thread with false doctrine being defended or argued about you simply throw right doctrine into the stew and it will neutralize the effects of the poison in the stew. People who have right doctrine won't be effected by the false doctrine. There are more than enough Elisha's here to bring meal and put it into the pot of stew. Then the little children can eat the stew and not get sick...

Let me offer one last harsh bit of advice. If you are viewing a thread that has been argued over and over and you are sick of seeing all the back and forth rebuttals and the drama that comes with it. STAY OUT OF IT. Mind your own business and don't disrupt the friction. God is sharpening tools and rubbing stones together to put them in their proper place in His house. Pray for them and don't interject your emotions since it only causes chaos and confusion on the battle field.

Yes, there is a war out there to be fought but God is sharpening His tools and you are interfering with the work of God among His living stones. There is no nice way to say this so forgive me if it is offensive but it must be said in plain language. Emotions have no place on the battlefield and will get you and your platoon killed. You are all intelligent people and should think with your heads and not with your emotions.

(Personally, I agree with this post. Do you?)

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Guest]

[Guest angel a]

Thank you for this post.

i must confess that i have gone to soooo many different churches searching for the"perfect" church. i have come to realize that i have great need to be in the Body and that i am to grow with the others around in the body. i now understand that i have been resisting the LORD. i tremble at the realization, but i trust that HE has brought me to this place to see my sin and make confession.

i ask that you all will pray for me and my family, that we will be obedient to where GOD is directing us to, that we will see the finished work that the LORD has begun. Bless you all, angela

[David L]

Hi Suzanne,

There is a picture of a little tree, right next to a mail envelope, in the editing section before you post that allows you to insert images.

___

angela,

there is no such thing as a 'perfect' church. i love my disfunctional confused congregation. God has raised me up among my brethren there to pour meal into the stew. do I face opposition? of course, that is how I know I belong there.. I am being fitted into the body there in the congregation.

[patricia1]

Hi Suzanne,

There is a picture of a little tree, right next to a mail envelope, in the editing section before you post that allows you to insert images.

___

angela,

there is no such thing as a 'perfect' church. i love my disfunctional confused congregation. God has raised me up among my brethren there to pour meal into the stew. do I face opposition? of course, that is how I know I belong there.. I am being fitted into the body there in the congregation.

I wonder if my pastor is on that other board.. It is excellent and gives understanding in such a way that we could not understand when reading the english without studying the root words. I actually saw Something on television about some designs that still stand today because of that keystone.... Now I have a greater understanding....The iron sharpening Iron ...I use to run when the sparks get too hot not anymore. I thought just to keep peace but ended going around the mulberry bush again. patricia

[Matthitjah]

Sister Suzanne,

The links now fixed.

Bless you dear sister.

Peace,

Dave

[tsth]

Thanks brother. I'm just wondering though, is it just that you can't post an actual image on a post on WB's? I was trying to get the image to show on the post.

In His Love,

Suzanne