Sunday Words of Encouragement November 1, 2020

We got online again this morning to enjoy our church service. Pastor continued his series on Before and After. He asks “What will the church look like after the election, after the dangers of Covid19 have passed?”
Last week Pastor outlined five steps of each believer’s purpose:
1. Worship
2. Belonging – bringing others along, making disciples
3. Spiritual Growth
4. Serving - using our gifts
5. Mission – your part in the Kingdom

This week’s message started with the word “Overlooked”. Everyone has overlooked a deadline or a person or a need. How do we incorporate people into the church?
If we overlook fellowship then we aren’t pulling others into the church body with us. Pastor encouraged us to read all five chapters of 1 John. He shared many verses but didn’t want to read all of it to us.

Pot luck is only a prelude to fellowship. We need to truly love and care for one another.
There are three Levels of fellowship:
1. Family of God – when you are saved you become part of this family.
2. Body of Christ – the local church body. Doors and arms need to be open.
3. Individual relationship – personal with Christ and personal with others.

Relationship is important, as is commitment to fellowship. You may be the person intended to touch the stranger who comes in one morning or to invite the next person.

The Point: Every believer in the church must commit to constantly building fellowship.

We must commit to fellowship and not overlook it. Fellowship is fuel for the rocket ship.
Detractors:

Self Sufficiency.
Low view of your value in the body.
Noncommittal.
Selfish motives for coming to church.
Self-protective.
Disinterest.
Allowing overgeneralized views or feelings to create insurmountable differences. (Like politics right now.)

Pastor encourages us to:
1. Be passionate about Jesus. Recognize what He has done in your life, what has He saved you from?
2. Deal with the enemy to fellowship in you.
3. Obey God’s commands. Do what God tells you to do. Be open and sensitive to His directive.
4. Love everyone in the family of God. Do not overlook anyone in the family again.
5. Let’s do it together.

What are you committing to?

I was led to this song. Love Moved First.
As God gives us grace are we passing that along to those who need a helping hand?

Verses for Today:
1 John 1:3-7 NIV
3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 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, purifies us from all sin.

Lord, please help me to better about committing to fellowship with others.