Crossroads

I recently took a class on Biblical Fellowship at the Pastors College taught by Kenneth Maresco. In the coming days, I want to share some things that I found helpful in pursuing fellowship with other believers. I hope you find them helpful.

Fellowship Involves Relationships

• Relationships are important in our pursuit of fellowship.
• Men and women, transformed by the gospel, can form relationships characterized by trust and integrity allowing them to be known and experience care.
• Relationships are not the inevitable result of meeting together.The most successful small groups value relationships, live out their lives together, and see their small group as more than a meeting.
• Genuine relationships require effort, and a degree of commitment.
• We need to work towards building trust to a level where people know that we are for their good.

• The gospel makes true relationship possible
• Our common understanding and experience of the gospel should define our relationships with other believers.
• Because of the gospel we are able to experience genuine friendships where we can let others know us as we truly are as we pursue spiritual growth together.
• The gospel frees us from having to impress others and models the sacrificial love that we are to show to one another.

• Relationship builds the trust necessary for fellowship
• When people know and experience our practical care and interest in their lives, they are likely to trust us when we are urging them to make progress in the war against sin.
• Building genuine friendship establishes a foundation that allows us to challenge each other to pursue spiritual growth.

• Not simply a means to an end: relationships are a gift from God.
• We can’t always be best friends with people we want to be friends with. Pursuing fellowship requires sacrifice.
• Although one aim of biblical care is to encourage one another to make progress in living the Christian life, it would be an error tothink that building relationships is only a means to that end. Relationships are a gift from God to be enjoyed and treasured! 
• It is important we not impose our definition of relationship on the others in our group. But to work toward serving others and caring for others. The 2nd great commandment provides us with encouragement to love others as a practical means of cultivating care and relationship.
• This gift is an essential means in our experience of God’s unfathomable love and grace towards us.