 Continued…
Last week I included this sentence in the blog on conviction. This kind of brokenness should result in us being more faithful in fellowship, more fervent in prayer, and more fearless in our evangelism. This week, I would like to go a little deeper on each one of these aspects and make some practical applications of what these concepts look like in real life. Faithful in Fellowship By speaking about fellowship, I am specifically talking about the relationships we have and cultivate in the local church. The Bible describes these relationships in covenantal terms. This means that these relationships have definition, privileges, and responsibilities. We are not called to loose and transient connections as Christians, but rather to deep bonds of love and commitment (Ephesians 4:1-6). Remember that in the Scripture we are instructed to weep and rejoice together (Romans 12:15). But we will only do that if we are truly connected to one another, loving, and caring for one another. Covenant relationships are not just about the definition; they also require investment. We must begin spending quality time together speaking with and focusing on one another. If the only time we spend together is the time when we are all focused on worshiping the Lord in song and scripture then we will not develop these relationships. We need to talk to each other and eat with each other and enjoy one another's company and comradery. This means that you need to linger when the service has ended and visit with others. This means that we need to have one another over to our homes for meals and games. This means that we need to attend the smaller gatherings of our church with less formality and more authenticity. By smaller gatherings, I am referring to Sunday school, Thousand Hills, and our Wednesday evening meeting. Of course, if none of those work for you then gather some brethren and create a group! The point is that we need each other! Fervent in Prayer In this we need to be more vulnerable in our times of corporate prayer. What I mean is that we must be willing to dispense with the meaningless language of vain repetition and cry out to God together. We must begin to confess to one another and pray for one another without even a hint of gossip or slander. I long for a day when our church is marked by times and seasons of passionate prayer. This kind of prayer should be fueled by our conviction that our sovereign God has already ordained the ends, and, by the means of our heartfelt prayers, He is going to save the lost, heal the sick, and build His church! Remember we are told by God that fervent prayer is effective! It really works (James 5:13-18)! We also need to plead with God in private prayer. I know that we are all different in the way that we process and express emotion but we must beg God to move among His people. When we read the Psalms we hear desperate pleas for God! I started to refer in the last sentence to God’s love or grace or protection, but the cry of the Psalmist is for God and thus it should be for us! Fearless in Evangelism Boldness is necessary in sharing the gospel. We know this because even the Apostles were in need of boldness (Ephesians 6:18b-20). This courage means that we must love people enough to put relationships in danger to proclaim the message of the gospel to those who see it as a message of judgment and condemnation. But if we truly love the people and not just ourselves we will tell them the truth. However, there is one kind of fear that should motivate us in evangelism and that is our fear for what will happen to the unbeliever. Paul states that because we know the fear of God we persuade men (2 Corinthians 5:11). We ought to persuade men that God’s wrath is coming on all the ungodly in retribution for all their ungodly deeds (Jude 15). We ought to persuade men of the kindness and love God has demonstrated toward them to lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4). Finally we ought to persuade them that hope and peace will only be found in and through the Lord Jesus Christ!
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