Fellowship – BT8:  Divine fellowship shows up in our giving and evangelism

 

 

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Our Horizontal koinonia fellowship with others is also reflected in our giving and evangelism.  The Greek words for fellowship in Fellowship – BT1 can also include, based on the context: “the OUTCOME of such koinonia fellowship/partnership, such as a joint contribution, gift, or collection of money that acts to communicate, exhibit, embody, or validate/prove such koinonia fellowship/partnership actually exists, but also sharing-witness that exhibits, embodies, and proves/validates one’s trusting-relying-faith (a). <Notes> a) Philemon 1:5-7; Galatians 6:4-6; 1 Timothy 6:17-19; 2 Timothy 2:6.

 

A great example of this is Philemon 1:6 where Paul talking to Philemon says that he is “proseuchomai conversationally-prays that the sharing-witness of your trusting-relying-faith may become energes active/energetic/effectual by-the-means-of genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of every good thing IN you by-the-means-of Christ.” Our Vertical connection to the Lord is the ‘by-the-means-of which’ we are effective in our ‘Horizontal’ evangelistic sharing with others.  You can’t freely give out what you haven’t freely received (a)!  <Notes> a) Matthew 10:8.

 

Churches wouldn’t need their contrived evangelism programs, which are often just like any another Old Testament ‘work FOR God,’ if their members were actually sharing in the life of Christ through epignosis genuine-knowledge and koinonia fellowship with Him.  For months after every Spirit-baptism I had, you had to stop me from sharing my faith!  My cup runneth over!

 

Another example is in Philippians 4:14-17 where Paul said:  “It was kind of you to share my trouble (v. 13: hunger and need) . . . and you Philippians yourselves know that in the beginning of the gospel [preaching] when I left Macedonia, absolutely-in-fact-NOT even one church shared/partnered with me in GIVING and RECEIVING, except you only.  Even in Thessalonica you sent me HELP for my needs once and again.”  Our Donations & Ministry Finances page is patterned from Paul’s attitude of shared blessing.

 

Likewise, Paul was mystified that the Corinthians had been changed-sharers (a) with their financial GIVING to other so-called “apostles” (missionary church-planters) but wouldn’t do this for Paul, the one who started their church (b)!  <Notes> a) verb metecho, metochos adjective: changed due to sharing or being an active-partaker with, b) 1 Corinthians 9:12.

 

Generosity and evangelism all starts with conversational-prayer to epignosis genuinely know Christ’s working in us to activate, energize, and make effective our koinonia intimate fellowship with Him in order to share/communicate this effectively with others. Generosity and evangelism is an inside job, a bi-product of an koinonia intimate fellowship with Christ.

 

Yet, you hear so many churches – so desperate for money and fuller pews from new members coming that would guarantee this income – constantly preaching sermons on giving to guilt Christians into obeying Old Testament commandments about tithing to avoid the displeasure of God. This is simply manipulation!  They simply don’t understand that “the Torah Law (a) made nothing perfect/mature/complete” (b), and so Paul asks:  “Are you so foolish?  Having begun [the Christian walk] by-the-means-of the Spirit, are you now [attempting to] be perfected/matured/completed by the flesh” (c)?  <Notes> a) of conditional-favor that is based on obedience to 613 commandments, b) Hebrews 7:19, c) Galatians 3:3.

 

We simply can’t mix anything from the old covenant into the completely-different-in-kind chadash/kainos New Covenant or we are violating the definition of chadash/kainos, every verse about it, and Christ’s clear teaching about not mixing the two – see New Covenant – BT7, – BT8, – BT9, – BT10.  Mixing the two builds The Great Wall quenching the Spirit in the Church.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, will we trust God to bring people into our lives to share in the blessing of our ministry, or will we get desperate and start cleverly begging for support?  Can we believe that the closer we get to the Lord, the more we will perceive His care for us?  And what about us financially giving to others?  Sharing the Lord will be naturally easier and easier as we actually intimately share more in the life of Christ.  Can we trust that by bringing people into the actual presence of God, then God will direct people the way He wants them to?  We don’t need to coerce people!

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Divine fellowship shows up in our giving and evangelism, Giving & Evangelism are natural as we are filled up by God’s Spirit to overflowing, Genuine relational epignosis knowledge of God produces His nature of generosity, Churches don’t need guilt-manipulation to raise money, Churches shouldn’t be quoting Old Testament commandments to pressure Christians to give