The Goal is Whole: One Together, Part 2 One Glorious Church, O2.1: Fellowship and Communion

FULL STUDY:

“I will build My church” (Matthew 16:18)

As we shared in the last unit, Jesus is on a mission to build His church.

This is the ultimate purpose of all outreach. We are not called to just help people receive Jesus, but also help welcome and nurture them into taking their place in His body.

The church is a “called out people”.

“For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.” (Colossians 1:13)

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

In the last unit we looked at God’s call on His people to be His ambassadors in the world – a people who both demonstrate and proclaim Jesus and His kingdom. That is all extremely important. But in addition to doing His works, there is an ultimate calling that amounts to simply being His people. What is that? What does it look like? How should we engage?

In this unit we will explore some of the aspects of the richness in His community. This is like an oasis in a desert, a place of refuge in a place of war. An INN is a place for togetherness, assurance, belonging, and being. A place of welcome, nurture, inclusion and participation. INNs are Jesus communities, where we find our place, one member of a multi-membered body, filled with His life, and manifesting His presence together.

There are many pictures of this special people in the New Testament. Ephesians alone reveals these seven:

• His Assembly (1:22)
• His Body (1:23)
• His Masterpiece (2:10)
• His Family/household (2:19)
• His Temple (2:21)
• His Bride (5:25-27)
• His Spiritual Military (6:10-18)

Some of those carry more of a “doing” focus, whereas others are more about “being” – who we are in Him. True manifestation of Jesus and His people is a blend and balance of both doing and being. We are His people, and we do His work. Both are manifestations of Jesus Himself. The INN vision seeks to combine these two in mutually enriching expressions of His life.

There are two main emphases we will concentrate on concerning this.

First, there is only one church! Although the new creation people are formed into countless numbers of churches, denominations and organizations, there is just one church of Christ. It is a spiritual organism – the entire new creation community. Everything we do needs to actively embrace networking and partnership across different identities and streams.

Second, this one church is called to be glorious! Just like we read about in this passage about the church as the bride of Christ:

“That He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:27)

A holy people, a called-out people in all their (her) glory. Isn’t that so awesome? Jesus is strongly invested in His vision of forming a glorious bride for Himself. Her glory is really His glory, as He manifests who He is in us, and through us. We are His body!

“The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; 23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity.” (John 17:22-23)

Notice that the glory leads to unity. This is not unity of purpose or by co-working or agreement, it is unity because of together being in unity with Him. This is a spiritual reality for all who enter the new creation.

“what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” (1 John 1:3)

John’s goal in proclaiming the message is that we might have fellowship together – union with Christ, with the Father, and with each other. Paul affirms that this is also with and through the Holy Spirit, so the entire trinity is invested in this fellowship:

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.” (2 Corinthians 13:14)

Fellowship is union, and this can become a very deep experience. Paul puts it like this:

“Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:16-17)

INNs have a strong vision around hospitality and welcome, but our first-place welcome is always towards Jesus. We exist for Him! Those that receive Him we welcome into our midst, but our goal for them is that they also have fellowship with Him, together with us.

The original word used translated “fellowship” is “koinonia”, from a word which means “sharer”, derived from the root word meaning “common”. It carries the idea also of partnership, or social intercourse (Strong’s dictionary).

The new creation is created to be in union with Him, in fellowship with Him. This is not just about Him, or for Him, this is with Him, and in Him. Immersed, in Union!

The new creation life draws us into this on an individual level, but it hits another dynamic on a community level:

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)

Fellowship with Him is in the light, and there we find fellowship with one another too. In that fellowship in Him, together, we experience cleansing by the blood of Jesus. There is a place of unity together, of oneness, as we each yield to Jesus. This is the corporate manifestation of the new creation.

This fellowship is a spiritual reality in the new creation, and we simply outwork it. This can take many forms, such as sharing possessions, serving each other, worshipping together, praying together, sharing gifts, giving encouragement, and joining together in community witness, etc, etc. But there is one unique and powerful way Jesus has given us to engage in this union together, with Himself completely central. That is the communion meal, or “breaking bread”.

Jesus introduced this at the Passover meal, where He was revealing that He Himself was its fulfilment. Paul, as with many things, received revelation on this, as he shared with the Corinthians. The Passover looked forward to the coming Messiah, but now that Jesus has fulfilled it by His complete work on the cross, we are now called to “do this is remembrance of Him”. The Messiah came and now our sharing in the bread and wine is in remembrance of His victory!

“For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26)

Proclaiming the Lord’s death is proclaiming the victory of the cross, and engaging with all that Jesus achieved for us there. Sharing together in the bread and the wine is a great physical picture of our unity in Him, and an undeniable way to embrace His presence.

In proclaiming His death, this connects with what John wrote about our fellowship together, and the blood of Jesus cleansing us from all sin. That is the power in communion, and it becomes a manifestation of Jesus in our midst. Through this, powerful encounters can emerge, with healing, freedom from oppression, breaking of curses, and fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit. Oftentimes, communion in churches can be solemn and ceremonial. That is not what is envisioned here, but rather a celebration as part of a meal together, in close friendship and togetherness. The overwhelming mood is one of proclaiming our victory in Him, embracing His presence, and showing our excitement with great joy.