Eight Ways to Hear from God #7 - Fellowship

 We have only 2 weeks left in this bible Study.  We have been studying Eight Ways to Hear from God.  Tonight we will continue that.    We have already looked at:  Preaching, the Bible, Prayer, Visions and Dreams, Godly Counsel, and Relationships.  Tonight we’ll look at the seventh way to hear from God – Fellowship.

 Let’s start with our text for the overall study:

 

Hebrews 1:1-2 (NKJV)

^1:1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ² has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

 So, in the Bible there are a number of times where God spoke to people through a booming voice that came from Heaven.  He spoke at Jesus’ baptism, “This is my Son in whom I’m well-pleased.”  He spoke to the disciples at the Mount of Transfiguration.  He spoke to Paul on the Damascus Road.  But our text here tells us that God spoke at various times in various ways.  In other words, God speaks to us in different ways.  I made a list of eight ways God speaks to us.  So tonight, let’s look at the seventh method – Fellowship.  Here’s the text for tonight’s study:

 Tonight’s Text:

 

Acts 2:1-3 (NKJV)

^2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.

 I think that the easiest way to understand this is to first look at what that word FELLOWSHIP means.  Fellowship means: a community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience.  The idea of fellowship really comes from that phrase “one accord.”  The Greek words that are translated as one accord mean “same passion.”  We are passionate about the same thing.  We are in agreement.  We are like-minded – We BELIEVE the same things and have the same GOALS:  That’s the way the church is supposed to be.  God moved in this moment on Pentecost as they were of “one accord.”  They were together in thought, and in action.  They were praying together for the same goals.

 I think that’s what we lack sometimes.  I think that we aren’t all of one accord.  We don’t ALL have the same passion for people to get saved.  There is power in fellowship. 

 

John 20:19 (NKJV)

^20:19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, "Peace be with you."

 After Jesus rose from the dead when He came to the disciples, He came to them when they were together.  On the road to Emmaus He came to them when two were together:

 Luke 24:13-15 (NKJV)

^24:13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And they talked together of all these things which had happened. ¹⁵ So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

 While He was there with them, He spoke of many things.

 Luke 24:25-27 (NKJV)

^24:25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?" ²⁷ And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

 He talked to them about the Prophets.  He told them about the prophecies concerning Himself.  He talked about why He had to die.  Starting with the prophecies He explained to them whom He was.  He clearly REVEALED His purpose and all that would have to happen to Him.  He bought them revelation.

 Luke 24:30-32 (NKJV)

^24:30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight. ³² And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

Jesus brings revelation into a church where people are together and of the same mind.  This is one of the reasons we do Bible Study, to give us understanding and to put us into fellowship.  (like Passion)  there are people that have come from different sects of Christianity.  We have people that were Baptist before:  People who were Pentecostal before.  We had a young woman visit our church that was Anglican (The Church of England).  People come here from a lot of different beliefs.  The Bible Study tries to bring us all to the same thought and passion about Jesus.  If we’re of one accord we can hear from Jesus.

 He came to them on the sea of Tiberius:

 

John 21:1-4 (NKJV)

^21:1 After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself: ² Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together. ³ Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing. ⁴ But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

 Peter has become discouraged; he’s given up.  So he goes back to his old life.  This comes after his betrayal of Jesus at the trial, when he denied Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.  He’s in need of Jesus’ mercy.  The others have joined him, they are also discouraged.  Jesus appears to them as they’re fishing and He says to them:

 

John 21:5-6 (NKJV)

^21:5 Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No." ⁶ And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

 They didn’t at first recognize Him, so he brought them back to that first moment when he called them at the Sea of Galilee. 

 Luke 5:4-8 (NKJV)

^5:4 When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, "Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch." ⁵ But Simon answered and said to Him, "Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." ⁶ And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷ So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸ When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!"

 This was the moment when Jesus said to him, “I will make you fishers of men.”  This is a moment of calling.  The same thing is happening in John 21:5-6.  It’ a moment of calling because look what happens next:

 John 21:15-17 (NKJV)

^21:15 So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Feed My lambs." ¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You." He said to him, "Tend My sheep." ¹⁷ He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?" And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You." Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

 Peter is being called to lead and build the local church.  It is more than that, though it is a moment of restoration.  Peter is being restored.  It isn’t in Jesus’ eyes that Peter needed restoration but in the eyes of Peter and the others. 

 There’s one other interesting little item here.  Who knows what it is?  Why did Jesus ask Peter 3 times if he loved him?  Because He denied Jesus three times. 

 He met with them to command them when they were together:

 

Acts 1:1-5 (NKJV)

^1:1 The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ² until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, ³ to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. ⁴ And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

 Being assembled together with them, He commanded… we receive direction as a church when we’re in one accord.  Well, receive the same direction from God when they’re all together.  It seems like we’re hearing different things sometimes, because we’re not of one accord.  We’re hearing things separately. 

 So, when we are together Jesus meets with us and speaks to us.

 1.        He brings revelation!

2.        He brings Restoration!

3.        He brings Calling!  And –

4.        He brings commandment!

 This is what makes fellowship so important.  Once Jesus rose from the dead He never met with the disciples except when they were together.