Podcast
[0:00] Hallelujah. We thank God you've tuned into this message by David Entry at Caris Church. No hand can help you with the fulfillment of your destiny, but the Word of God. May God's hand align you further into your destiny through this Word.
[0:15] Church life. Really, church life is the fellowship, the life of fellowship. Okay, but what does that mean? When we say Christian fellowship, we do not mean fellowship in the sense of any fellowship at all.
[0:28] Christian fellowship is significantly different from any fellowship. Okay, so a fellowship is not an ordinary fellowship.
[0:38] You find out that a Christian fellowship is eternal in its scope. It's the only human organization that does not reduce by death.
[0:58] When someone dies from the Christian fellowship, it doesn't reduce us. Once you are in, you are in. Even in death, you are in.
[1:09] So our fellowship goes beyond life. And second thing you have to understand about Christian fellowship is that the Christian fellowship is a fellowship from God that, as I was explaining last week, everything, every purpose of God, this is a very strong point.
[1:30] I said it. I said it last week, and I'm saying it again. Every purpose of God in time is born out of fellowship. What does that mean?
[1:41] So anything God purposes to do on earth, he plans to do, he intends to do, doesn't come because he's just doing it. It stems out from fellowship. But when he came to creating man, he said, let us.
[1:54] That's the language of fellowship. When he had to block man from eating the fruit, or going to the tree of life after they have eaten the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
[2:09] When he came to God blocking man from that, Genesis 3.22, he said, let us. He said, they have become like us.
[2:19] God is talking about they are like us. God is on us, yes, because that's a language of fellowship. And then Genesis chapter 11, verse 6 and 7, when they decided to build the Tower of Babel, it said that, let us go down.
[2:38] God said, verse 7, it spoke about, let us go down. Why us? God is about to make, that was when we have languages and races and different, different languages stem out from the races, stem out from the different communities.
[2:54] God said, let us divide them. Let us. It's a major decision. God always made every major decision in time and his purpose from fellowship.
[3:05] The Bible says that the Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the earth, before the earth was formed, they have already had a meeting and decided that Jesus would come and die. So in Isaiah chapter 6, verse 8, it says that who will go.
[3:18] Isaiah had his voice eavesdropping what was going on in heaven. And he had a conversation in God. And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, who shall I send and who will go for us?
[3:32] Is there an I speaking or an I speaking? Who shall I send and who will go for us? So Isaiah heard it, you know, so everything in God, purpose of God is born out of fellowship.
[3:45] So then that implies to stand, that stands to imply that God does not joke with fellowship. God does not joke with fellowship. That's why he said, Genesis chapter 2, he says that it's not good for man to be alone.
[4:03] It's just not good for man to be alone. Praise the Lord. So it's important to appreciate the fact that God values and places premium on fellowship.
[4:21] So it's important to understand that everything God, the decisions God makes and purposes of God in time and on earth are born out of fellowship.
[4:35] John chapter 1, verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
[4:46] So the Word, there was the Word, and it looks like in the beginning there was the Word, and the Word that there was, was with God.
[4:58] So being with God seems like the Word is not actually God, because it's with God. So it's not God. God, if it was God, it says the Word, the Word was, you would have said, in the beginning, God was the Word, or the Word, the Word, the Word was there, and then it begins to talk about what the Word did.
[5:17] And then the Word created everything, and the Word, but it says in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was, oh, okay. So now God, the Word was with God, so you can have God and something being with Him.
[5:30] So whatever is with God stands to imply that it's not God. If it's with God, then it's not God. Does that make sense? So it said the Word was with God, but it said it was God.
[5:45] So God is the Word, and God can be His God, and at the same time, a Word that was, that's the mystery of godliness. And it says that the Word was, but that word with, the original Greek is pros, pros.
[6:04] Pros is a terminology of fellowship. It's like face-to-face. You can't separate the two. You can't, it's so like, it's, you know, your iPhone or some of your phones can take a picture, and then the picture can divide you into about two.
[6:19] You know, a mirror. You know, yeah. The right word for Samish twins is twins in fellowship.
[6:33] They share the same blood. They share the same DNA. If you inject one, it gets to the other. So, because it's the same. It's the same person, same DNA.
[6:44] So, when we say the Word was with God, it's like Samish twins, they were together. But who is who is the same? You know, whose blood is which blood?
[6:55] When you extract blood, you can't tell who is it. It's both of them. Even though they are also individuals, they are together. When we talk about fellowship, the actual Greek word translated fellowship is actually Samish twins, like just the Samish twins.
[7:11] It's the koinonia. Now, in the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All right? So, the pros, pros is like face-to-face. This is very important.
[7:22] That with there is what conos the fellowship. You can't separate them. They are so together, face-to-face. The actual Greek means that they are face-to-face with one another.
[7:35] That's why it said the Word was with God, and the Word was God. It didn't even wait for the next verse to say the Word was God. It said one verse beginning was the Word. The Word was with God.
[7:48] So, God has always had fellowship. When you talk about a triune God, it's a God of fellowship. And now, when we got born again, he said, our fellowship is with God.
[8:02] As I explained the other time, we have been incorporated into God's fellowship. So, it's not your fellowship.
[8:14] It's not my fellowship. That's why he said he has called us into the fellowship of his Son. Fellowship, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 9. God, who has called, by whom, he is faithful, by whom, we have been called into the fellowship of his Son.
[8:30] So, that fellowship of his Son is that pros, pros, pros upon. Pros upon, Genesis, Revelation, John 1, 1. The beginning was the Word. The Word was with. That with. See, that Word, that was with God.
[8:43] That Word that was having the fellowship with God. That fellowship is what we have been called into. It's a fellowship of his Son. They had this fellowship.
[8:54] God had this fellowship with himself. That makes him and us. And out of that, within that fellowship, we have also been called into it. So, when you are born again, you have been called.
[9:06] He called us. He invited us. He allowed us to share. In John, chapter 1, verse 18, it says that no one has seen God at any time, but the only begotten of the Father.
[9:16] He who is from the bosom, that same word, bosom, bosom. He's so deep with God, you can't even separate the two. He's from the bosom. They have this deep, deep fellowship that makes them so much one, that it's difficult to separate.
[9:34] I am my Father. I am one. When you become born again, you have been invited into this fellowship. That should make any Christian say hallelujah.
[9:45] Hallelujah. That which we have heard, that which we have seen, our hands have handled, that we have declared to you, verse 3, that you will have fellowship with us.
[9:58] The reason why we are sharing and we are preaching and we are going on is so that somebody will end up in fellowship.
[10:08] Somebody will end up in fellowship. And this, it said it clear, so you will have fellowship with us. And it said, just so you don't get it confused, our fellowship is with the Father and the Son.
[10:22] So this thing that is ongoing in heaven, we have been incorporated into it. And now we who have incorporated into it are preaching to you so that you can come and have fellowship with us.
[10:33] And as you are coming, we just want you to know, this fellowship is not just horizontal. It has a strong vertical. It's actually vertical in nature. Its original nature is vertical. Even though it looks horizontal in every sense of the word, its nature is vertical so that there is only one fellowship God admits or God accepts of God.
[10:57] It's called the fellowship of the apostles. It's the same fellowship we are all in. And so it's important. Having understood that, I want to go on to talk about what makes a person part of this fellowship.
[11:13] In other words, the foundation of this fellowship and then the nature, the nature, the foundation of our fellowship, the nature of our fellowship, or you can call the basis of our fellowship, the foundation of our fellowship.
[11:29] In this text we just read, in Acts chapter 2 verse 41, it says that, and those who believed or who received the word gladly, I actually like this a lot.
[11:43] We are all going to read it out loud. That's what I mean. All right, let's go. And that day about 3,000 souls were added to them.
[11:55] About 3,000 souls were added. Who did the addition? That day about 3,000 souls were added to them. These guys who came to preach the word, so someone who had fellowship with them because their fellowship is with their father, about 3,000 souls were added to them.
[12:14] And in verse 47, Bible says that they had favor, 47, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added. See who has been doing the adding?
[12:26] The Lord added to the church. Daily, those who were being saved. Now, the foundation, the basis of being added to the church is salvation.
[12:41] So what qualifies anybody to be part of this church? This church life, which is called fellowship life. What qualifies anyone to be part of it is the new birth.
[12:56] It's not your personal reformation. What is the basis of being part of this fellowship that man does not start or man did not start? It's salvation. You must be in the Lord.
[13:08] The Lord added. The Lord, and sometimes you say, you see that they were, they were, they turned to the Lord. Acts chapter 11, verse 21. They turned to the Lord. So that's what makes you a great number.
[13:21] Turned to the Lord. Verse 24. They were added to the Lord. So really, when people become part of this, not just an organization they have become part of. They have actually become part of the Lord.
[13:32] No, no, this is very important. They turned to the Lord and they are added to the Lord. Chapter 5, Acts chapter 5, verse 14.
[13:43] They turned to the Lord. They are added to the Lord. Believers were increasingly added, where? To the Lord. It's the same. It means to the church. Added. The Lord asked to the church.
[13:53] They were added to the Lord. They were added to the church. They gladly received the word. It's the same phrase. So they were added. This is very important to understand that when people come in, most of you, since you said yes to Jesus, what happened is that, first of all, that yes didn't start from you.
[14:12] It started from heaven. Oh, yes, yes, yes. It started from. If you are sitting here and you start watching a stream, a stream, don't think it started from the Vodafone or your phone.
[14:27] It's been streamed. If they cut their stream, you won't be able to watch anything again. Wherever it's been streamed from. And I'm telling you, our fellowship is being streamed from heaven. It's heaven.
[14:41] And when you become born again, 1 Corinthians 12, 13, it says that, 1 Corinthians 12, 13, we are baptized by the Spirit into the church.
[14:58] So by one Spirit where we all baptize into, baptize means immerse. The Spirit takes you and makes you part of the church or part of the Lord. That's very important.
[15:09] All right. That's very important. So when you become born again, so this is the apostles already. As soon as they have fellowship with the Lord, when you become born again, you are added, it looks like you have been added to the apostles, to the church.
[15:24] But really, it's the Lord you have been added to. You become born again, you've been added to the Lord. You've been added to the Lord. You've been added to the Lord. What do we all share in common?
[15:35] The Lord. You cannot be in church and not have the Lord or not be part of the Lord. That is where koinonia starts from.
[15:48] It is called joint partnership. That's the, it's that illustration of the Siamese twins. How can you say you are part of this fellowship but you are not part of the Lord?
[15:59] Or how can you say you are part of the Lord and you are not part of the fellowship of the Lord? In what way are you part of the Lord? So they were added to the church. Now, so the foundation or the basis of fellowship is salvation.
[16:13] Number two, the nature, the nature of our fellowship is just what I illustrated. Okay, we have fellowship. Is it the singing? Is it the dancing?
[16:25] Is it eating together? So if there's no food, there's no fellowship? What is Zali? What, what makes our fellowship fellowship? The, koinos, right?
[16:38] Koinos, that koinonia has koinos in here. So koinos is common. Common. They have something in common. We share something in common.
[16:50] Now, the scripture, foundational scripture read in Acts chapter 2 verse 44. How does the verse 44 put it? Thank you, Jesus. Now, all who believed were together and had all things in common.
[17:04] This is interesting. You find out that when people believe, it is not only the Lord we have in common. When we are believers, we have the Lord. That is the fundamental thing about a believer.
[17:17] Bible says in Ephesians chapter 4, I think it's 5 or 6, one Lord, one Lord, five, one Lord. It's not different type of Lord.
[17:28] We have one Lord in common. So, what we share in is we are all sharers of the Lord. When you look at 1 Corinthians chapter 10 verse 16, very, very profound text.
[17:44] He says that the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not that, you see, that word communion there is koinonia. So, koinonia is sometimes translated communion, sometimes translated fellowship, sometimes translated partnership, sometimes translated sharing.
[18:02] They were sharing all things. Sharing. How can you share alone? So, do you see how preposterous is it for someone to say, I'm a Christian but I don't belong to any, it's just busy.
[18:20] I heard someone one day said, young people are leaving the church, they are just turning to Jesus. I'll preposterous. People are leaving the church and just going to Christ.
[18:32] They're just, you see, you are very ignorant. I want you as Carri's members to be so well taught about what we mean by church.
[18:44] So, you don't say, use the word church flippantly, carelessly and ignorantly. if you say the church has lost its uses, it's not doing much again, you are trying to say Jesus has failed.
[19:00] He said, I'll build my church and the gates of hell cannot prevail and you are now saying that the church has lost its uses in our times. Oh, Jesus has failed. You don't know what you are talking about.
[19:12] I took my time to read Acts chapter 8 and something struck me. I've never noticed it like that. Peter said, in fact, today I read from so many translations.
[19:25] I know I would use one or two, quite a few, about five, six, but today I read from more than about 15 translations about this particular verse 18, 19, and 20.
[19:38] Scary. Yeah. Someone saw that through the laying of hands of the apostle's hands the Holy Spirit was given. He offered them money, offered them money, and then saying, and then God said, saying, saying, give me this power also that upon who, he said the guy, upon whoever I lay my hands, so that whoever, anyone I lay my hands on will receive the Holy Spirit.
[20:05] Wow. And Peter was very upset. somebody says to me sometimes, why should Peter be happy? That guy didn't know what he was saying. He's just ignorant, so educate the person.
[20:16] Peter said, your money perish with you. That's a serious thing, you know? He didn't say your money perish, you yourself. Some translations said your money will perish and you just like your money. Yeah.
[20:29] Perish. Why? Because you thought the gift of God could be purchased with money. Pastor, can I sow seed into your life so that your grace can be blessed with you?
[20:41] Don't confuse that. Don't confuse that. It's different from honor and recognizing something like that. I live my life like that and it works. What people carry, I recognize it and reward it.
[20:55] And with time, you see it's manifested in my life. Somebody's going to do his wedding and it's not that they don't have money, but you feel like, I like the way they've gone about things. Let me find a way of connecting myself to.
[21:07] You are not buying wedding. If you recognize that it's the manifestation of grace, then you connect yourself recognizing the grace that just per chance the grace will also come upon you. Bible says, to him who is joined to the living, there is hope.
[21:21] So he said, so I read from different translations, you understand that it's not about just give me money, I'll give you money so you can, I'm buying the Holy Ghost. No one can buy the things of the, but the reason I brought you here is look at verse 21.
[21:31] Peter says, you don't have a part in this. Your heart is not right in the sight of God. What's wrong with that? Look at the next verse. I'm going to verse 23.
[21:41] That's where the meat is. Repent therefore from this wickedness. What's the wickedness? He said, the thoughts of your heart. It's there. The thoughts, so your heart can think.
[21:54] This is not only your, yeah. The thoughts of your heart, as you are listening to the preaching, the thoughts of your heart. It says, the thoughts of your heart may be forgiven. Now look at the next verse.
[22:06] That's where the problem is. That's why I noticed. Verse 23 says that, for I see that you are poisoned by bitter, ah! In fact, when I read the Message Bible today, I said, Message Bible, I'll clap for you.
[22:18] You have done very well. See? Now, New American Standard Version, do you have, I see that you have God.
[22:28] That's what made me go and search gal, gal of bitterness. Gal is bile. It says some, poisonous green thing around the liver. If you're going to eat the meat and it breaks, the thing is there, but you will know it's there.
[22:41] Yeah. Gal, it's there. It's hiding somewhere. Look, Amplified. For I see that you are provoked by bitterness and boundancy. Let's go to New Living Translation.
[22:54] Maybe that one was there. You see, bitter jealousy. Wow. Do you know what? He was the guy in town. Verse 9. Everybody thought, in fact, Bible says from great to small.
[23:06] They thought he was something because he was, the Bible used the word, he has bewitched them. And, you know what I noticed there? He's bewitched them and something that's got my attention is for long.
[23:18] He has been doing this for a long time. Is it there? Is it called Simon? Before time in the same city, used us, bewitched the people for giving them himself.
[23:29] Go to the next verse from the least to the great saying that, all right. But, one of the, I think in James, before they said, he has done this for a long time. Is there? Yeah.
[23:40] That of a long time, he's been doing, watch this, watch this. That's when I realized the importance of starting ministry early and doing it right. Because, spiritual thing, it takes a long time to take over territory.
[23:54] Takes a long. Listen, Curry's church is 21 years old. It's not play, child's play. 21 years is a long time. And, those who have been here for a very long time, like you, it's, their teaching has been consistent for a long time.
[24:11] We've not been looking forward to cutting corners. Consistent for a long time. Consistent and my dedication has been consistent for a very long time. Pure, I'm talking about pure, unrivaled dedication.
[24:27] Nobody can, in this church, can say it's dedicated more than that. Oh yes. The level of dedication, consistently, for a long time. Then, the long time got my attention.
[24:39] That when you start early, don't be in a rush to be seen. Just keep doing, the right thing for a long time. And, when the time for God to begin to bless you comes, people's lives have been so changed, they can't deny it.
[24:56] They are in a hurry to be a blessing to you whilst others are jealous. That's what I realized. You can invest into somebody and they may not reward you. Somebody say, for a long time. Oh, God.
[25:07] Those of you who want to marry well, believe God that the guy you want to marry have a desire to do God's work. It has a way of bringing God's attention on your house and your life.
[25:20] For a long time, he has been the kingpin. Is he a good word? Yes. For a long time, he has been the main man. And then, Philip comes on the scene and all attention goes to Philip and Bible says, Simon the Social himself also believed and was following.
[25:36] And so, everything was going well until the apostles came and they prayed for them and when they saw that there is somebody higher than Philip for a long time, then he realized that there is someone senior.
[25:50] Simon the Social, when he saw that now the apostles have come, he went directly to the apostles and said, you know what, let's cut a deal. Can I give you money? Because I've seen these guys. Now I see where he came from.
[26:01] This guy has been doing it and I saw it. Peter said, you have been poisoned by envy. You've been following but there's envy and bitterness in your heart.
[26:12] You are not happy for the guy. You are not happy for the guy. So that was what was motivating what he was trying to do. And he says that you are being captive to sin. You've been captive.
[26:25] Passion translation. Do they have passion translation? Passion. Okay, put the passion on since you have it. Okay, by jealousy and have been held captive by... Did you see that?
[26:36] Bitter jealousy can lead you to being held captive. Ask for me, I'll go to church early. It doesn't matter. Jealousy is in your heart too. It doesn't matter. Whether they let me sing or they don't let me sing, I'll go to church.
[26:48] I'll go to church. And then the pastor is preaching and he says, sometimes people, people don't come early but they give me a promotion and he says, yes pastor, preach. You see, bitter jealousy. Bitter jealousy. Hi. You hear them very quickly.
[27:02] You let me be preaching and say, sometimes people are in church but they don't have love. You see, those who have hatred, they'll say, yes pastor, yes pastor. You are saying it. I'm preaching.
[27:12] I'm preaching. I'm preaching. I'm preaching. I'm preaching. I'm preaching. I'm preaching. I'm preaching. I know it. It's a word. Yes sir. As soon, yes. As soon as they touch on love because of, you see hatred everywhere.
[27:25] Yeah. So out of bitter jealousy in your heart, nobody even notices that. You are the only one who notices that there's no love. Yeah. Peter said, there is bitter jealousy in your heart.
[27:42] The thoughts of your heart is not correct. Anytime you see someone talking, this thing is not, it doesn't matter how big your church is. Just check the size of their church first.
[27:55] Check the size of their church first before they are saying this. Usually, when their churches are not doing well, it's... Sometimes we are...
[28:08] Jealousy is in our heart. You don't think as nice as the other person. Oh, no. You don't usher as nice as the other person. We just have to, we just have to, we just have to listen to the spirit behind what the person is talking.
[28:21] Peter jealous. Yeah. So, the basis of our... Sorry. The nature of our relationship is partnership.
[28:32] You cannot be an isolated Christian. It doesn't work. It doesn't work. Fellow... How can you have fellowship with yourself? Even God didn't do it.
[28:45] How can you have fellowship with yourself? Because of the value God places on fellowship, he is triune. Three in one. Three persons in one God. Because of the value God places on fellowship.
[28:58] So, that means that the great... It says that, I think, 1 Corinthians chapter... One more time. That's a very important text that I was going to talk about. 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verse 16, where it talks about communion.
[29:11] It says that, the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the... Oh, okay. So, the cup is the communion. The bread is the communion.
[29:21] The... And it says that, it's the communion of the body of Christ. Now, what this implies? We are all sharing in one cup, right?
[29:31] In those days, really, in those days where people were not very concerned about hygiene, it's one cup. Drink a bit and pass... So, those of you who are familiar with the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church fan, depending on how good the Father is, when you come, they will just give you a bit and then they wipe it and then give a bit.
[29:54] It's very symbolic. We are all drinking from one cup. Yeah. Wow. We are all drinking from one cup. So, when we talk about communion, watch this.
[30:05] This is very important. That's why it's called communion. The real Greek word is fellowship. The real Greek word is fellowship where it says that the blessing of...
[30:16] the cup which we bless, is it not the fellowship of the blood. So, now, we are all fellowshipping around one thing. Two things it indicates.
[30:29] Whatever we are fellowshipping, we are all sharing. So, whatever is in it, if it gets into you, it's also getting into me. We are one. Number two, it's not just fellowshipping in one thing.
[30:42] We are actually fellowshipping in is the Lord's body. So, as we all eat the Lord's body, we are all part of the same body. So, it's like we are one with the Lord. He said, for he who is joined with the Lord is one spirit.
[30:55] 1 Corinthians 6, verse 17. Who is joined with the Lord is one spirit. There is this oneness, beautiful oneness. 11, Romans 6, 5. Romans 6, 5, and then John chapter 15.
[31:07] Romans 6, 5, John chapter 15. It says that, for if we have been united together in the likeness of his death, certainly, we shall be in the likeness of his death. We have been united together.
[31:18] That word, united together. We are all united together in the likeness of his death. Romans chapter 11, verse 17. 11, verse 17, and then verse 19.
[31:30] If some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in amongst them, and with them become, what she says, became a partaker of the roots, and the fatness of the olive tree.
[31:47] So you see, it's oneness. You have been so engrafted, integrated into this. That's what the church life is about. You have been integrated into something that originally you are not part of.
[31:59] You've been integrated into it, and now you are so much part of it. The thing is so much part of you. You can't separate yourself anymore. Look at verse 19. Verse 19 talks about, you will say then, branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.
[32:17] We've been grafted. You say, I've been grafted in. I've been grafted in. The point here is that we are united in the Lord. Okay. We are united. It's John 15.
[32:29] I am the branch. I am the tree vine. You are the branches. So it's John chapter 15. We are united in the Lord. So that's what it means. The nature of our fellowship is we share in one thing.
[32:45] That means, brothers and sisters, that means you cannot separate yourself. I said last week that everything spiritual from God gets birthed out of fellowship.
[33:00] The church had to be together for the church to be born. Every time, when it was about to send Paul and Silas out, they were together and they sent them out. It's all, God does nothing outside of fellowship.
[33:14] Everything God does is born out of fellowship. So if Satan wants to deny you God's blessing and any new thing in your life, the first thing is to exclude you from fellowship. Exclude you from fellowship.
[33:26] Depending on whatever, anything I talk can offer you, exclude you from fellowship. Satan's target is to exclude you from fellowship of the brethren. The strength of Christian life is fellowship.
[33:38] Fellowship is so important. Isaiah chapter 31, verse 9. God's fire starts from Zion. The second part. It says the Lord, whose fire is in Zion and whose fairness is in Jerusalem.
[33:52] If you want to see what God is actually doing, it must be, Zion stands for the fellowship of the brethren in Zion where we come together. His fire is in Zion. Does that make sense?
[34:03] When the Bible says that do not forsake the gathering of yourself together, Hebrews chapter 10, verse 25, 24, 25, as the manner of some is, it said not forsaking the assembling of yourself together.
[34:19] Don't forsake it. Don't forsake, don't downplay Christian fellowship. I'm so offended. That's what Satan has always been looking for, for you to be offended, for you to come to the place where, you know what, I'm offended, I'm offended.
[34:36] Because it's going to have an impact on you, on the things that God can do with your life and in your life and through your life. God cannot use you unilaterally. It must always be within the context of fellowship.
[34:50] Say, I've grown in the Lord because of my fellowship life. I don't know how I was taught. When I became born again, I think it comes naturally as well. When I became born again, I have this strong affinity for other believers and meeting with them and fellowship.
[35:05] That's one of the signs that you are alive unto God. One of the signs that you actually, you are disconnected from God is when you become tired of fellowship. When you downplay fellowship, the blessing of God or what God wants to do with your life will be downplayed.
[35:22] Because God can do it outside of fellowship. Even God himself needed the fellowship to do what he did on earth for eternity. How much more what he can do through your life?
[35:34] Fellowship. Fellowship. Everybody say fellowship. Fellowship. Koinonia. We share in the Lord. When we come together, we share in the Lord. We share one another. So he said, they all had all things in common.
[35:47] When he gets there, I will talk more about that. But they had all things in common. And for you to know that is not, is not communism. Bible said, they sold, what the best, 45, they sold those who had, and sold their possessions and goods and divided them amongst all.
[36:06] So those who had, they made sure that they, it's not, nowadays the modern church is about me. What is in it for me? The genuine church is what can I add to others?
[36:18] That's colonial. Our emphasis, that's why you can't even join a department. But you are so happy in church. I love church. I love church. But you can't even join a department because you are too big for a department.
[36:34] Now, when we talk about fellowship, it means, I'm going to say something very interesting here. In Ephesians chapter 2, verse 14 and 15, he himself is our peace who has broken down the middle wall of separation.
[36:47] Yes. He has made both one and broken one down the middle of separation. Verse 15, having abolished it in his, abolished in his flesh the enmity, that is the law of commandment contained ordinance so as to create in himself one new man from the two.
[37:02] That's making me. So, the two. Today, as I was reading, something jumped to me as well in chapter 10 of Acts. Well, Peter, Peter, when you go to Cornelius' house, I think in the verse 33 or so, when he started speaking, other 33 or 35, he said, you yourself know that, okay, verse 35 then.
[37:24] He said, you yourself know that as a Jew, I'm not supposed to. Is it 31? He said, you yourself, he said it to a verse 28. Then, you know how unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with or go to one of another nation.
[37:44] That's the Gentiles there. But God has shown me that no. Now, in the church, that law doesn't operate. So, it's not a private, it's a common knowledge. You Gentiles, you know that it's against the law for a Jewish man to come and yet you have sent for me.
[38:02] But I came because God told me, go. And I've come and I'm about to even eat with you. So, now, in the past, it was Jews and Gentiles and they were not supposed to mingle.
[38:14] They were not supposed to come together. But Bible says that Jesus Christ on the cross, He, He, He, He, Oh, He's our peace. We can come together and have peace in spite of your background, in spite of your race, in spite of your gender, in spite of where you are coming from, your class.
[38:31] It doesn't matter anymore because Jesus is our peace. He has broken down that middle, the world that separates us, that world that separates us. Oh, it's moving.
[38:42] The Bible says that He has abolished only kind of law and commandments contained in the, contained in the ordinary. So, to create in Himself one new man.
[38:53] Now, watch this. Sit down so I can say this. That's the point I want to make. You have assaulted and insulted God and you are not spiritual. If you say some people are not your type you can't fellowship with, God will take you on because that is not a sin that God will forgive you for unless you repent of that evil heart.
[39:16] How? Peter, say I can't do it. Go! Don't call unclean what the Lord has sanctified. Don't call unclean. Don't call, use the word, don't call common. Cannot common.
[39:27] God has cleansed. You cannot call common. This is a commoner. I don't mean this type. This type. Now, this is the point I want to make. I have grown to come to believe.
[39:40] I don't believe in Spanish church. I don't believe in Ghanaian church. I don't believe in Chinese church. I believe in the church. The church.
[39:51] The church. Because once you draw a line, you've gone outside of what Jesus died for. Yes. You've created another demarcation.
[40:03] Once you go outside, and begin so. This is just meaningful. I know you might say French speaking. If maybe for the reason of language, purpose of language, there is a people guarded because of the language and the communication.
[40:19] That's different. I don't believe in Eritrean church. I don't believe in Ugandan church. Congolese church. Congolese church. Please, run away from that.
[40:31] Yes. Yes. Don't draw a line in the church because it's called Coynonian. It's called Coynonian. We all have joint persons.
[40:42] We all share Christ together. Nothing excludes anybody. That's why we don't have a huge church in Caris. How about church specialists targeted for young people?
[40:55] It's not necessary. When I got born again, I was, what did I eat? I could eat. It's the body of Christ. It's the body of Christ. When we talk about the nature of the church, it's Coynonian.
[41:10] It's unity. It's one. There's oneness. There's oneness. We all share. We are sharing. We are sharing. You can't share by yourself. When you say I'm sharing, who are you sharing with?
[41:23] That's what the church is. The fellowship of the church. The Coynonian of the church. It's joint partnership. It's joint partnership. It's participation. It's participation.
[41:35] And so, fellowship is supposed to have even created room for interactions. Friends. That's where K group comes in. It's that they met from house to house.
[41:49] House to house. Some of you will never open your house. You want the blessing of God on your house.
[42:00] But no, not in my house for girls, people to come here. Some people cannot come to my house. And those of you especially those in the London church who don't go, you are not part of a K group.
[42:15] I really feel sorry for you. You are not living the full spectrum of the Christian experience. You are missing out on something. Nobody should downplay K group or Coynonian group or meeting together.
[42:31] I mean, this is a big, big fellowship. Watch this. Really, it doesn't even do justice to the true fellowship. That's why I was trying to say, get out. Get out of your seat.
[42:42] Talk to somebody. It doesn't really do justice. But where few of us have gathered together under one roof, there's no sound system. When you speak, you don't need microphone for the other person to hear you.
[42:54] I can hear you. When we finish, there may be breaking of bread. We might be sharing some crisps or chips or... Face to face. Yeah. Face to face. That's cross upon you.
[43:04] Face to face. Face to face. Face to face. Face to face. It's important. Fellowship must never cease in the church. And listen, if you withdraw yourself from...
[43:18] You can't have true communion online. Communion in itself, theologically, is not meant to be taken alone, theologically.
[43:30] Revelationally, you can go ahead. He said the koinonia, the body, it's Jesus. We are all part of Jesus as we take it together. They said together, they said when you come together in one place, the original Greek, 1 Corinthians chapter 11, verse 23, when you come together in one place, come together in one place, fellowship requires a place.
[43:55] And they're coming together. Very important. That's what the lockdown targeted. And unfortunately, the lockdown has locked some people out of church. because they will stay online, stay at home and watch online.
[44:09] You are not having church. I'm telling you, you are not having church. You are blessed, but who are you blessing? Romans chapter 1, verse 11, I desire to see you.
[44:25] That I might impart something to you. Look at the next verse. The next verse 12. Quickly. that is, that I may be, even me, I'm coming to receive from you as well.
[44:38] As I'm coming to impart you, and also as I come, we will be encouraged with you by the mutual faith of both you and I. Fellowship. Paul, he did fellowship.
[44:48] How much more you? Paul, he did fellowship. Paul, I'm talking about apostle Paul. He did that fellowship. How much more you? As for me, the church thing, really, I just want to be by myself.
[45:03] You are kind of you are not spiritual. You don't know God, and you don't have a heart for God. You are a God user. Together.
[45:17] That is, that I may be encouraged together. That's why I want to see you. That's why I want to see you. It counts with responsibility.
[45:29] Sunday morning, don't stay in your pajamas. And say, I watch online. No! That's not for you.
[45:42] Get up! Get up! Come and join us. Let's fellowship together. Don't stay at home. Don't stay at home. There is nothing like a private Christian life.
[45:52] true Christianity and Christian life knows nothing like private life. God is blessed.
[46:04] Thank you for listening to this message by David Entry. We pray you have been strengthened and enlightened. You can connect with David Entry on all relevant social media platforms, including Instagram and LinkedIn.
[46:17] You can also hear more messages from David Entry on all relevant streaming platforms and the Caris Church app. Don't forget to like and share the message. Be blessed. Be blessed.