Page 53 - Personal Spiritual Life Syllabus w videos

We need to be willing to share our own burdens and aspirations and be available to hear what others
are saying so we may minister to needs according to the directives of the Word. The ultimate goal is to
build up and enrich others in the things of Christ that we may all together experience the sufficiency of
His life and tune our lives into His. We need others for that. As the early church was first devoted to the
apostles’ teaching, they were also devoted to caring for one another and to sharing with one another
what they were learning and what Christ was meaning to them (Acts. 2:42; Heb. 3:12-14).

4. Stewardship – A steward is one who manages the property of another. He is not the owner, but the
manager. As stewards, we recognize that all we have belongs to the Lord and He has simply entrusted
to our care all our material blessings. They need to be used for His glory, for they are His. As partners in
Christ, we share the privileges and responsibilities, the blessings and burdens with other believers.
The New Testament church understood that fellowship involved the sharing of their material blessings –
of giving money to meet financial needs. They shared with Paul to meet his physical needs for food,
clothing, and shelter. They shared with one another so that no person was in physical need.

So fellowship can be defined as a unique relationship around Christ in a partnership with other
believers to serve the Lord together, committing to sharing ideas, information, resources and our lives
to enhance our service to the Lord, even to the sharing of our resources to those in our “fellowship”
who may need our assistance.

Fellowship is being involved in other people’s lives. It means using your gifts to meet another person’s
needs. This verse best explains what New Testament fellowship involved:

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Fellowship is not shaking one another’s hand during the service. It is not a special dinner you might
have together after the service. It is not even going to a Bible study with other believers. Fellowship is
NOT an activity; it is relationships.

How to Share the Gospel with Anyone

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