Gospel Teaching about Cooperation and Fellowship in Works of Service
The spirit or attitude of unity in a congregation should manifest itself in members working together, sharing the work load, serving one another.
A. Members Should Desire to Share (Have Fellowship) in the Work
Congregations need a spirit of cooperation in which members are committed to participating in the work. This includes work done outside the assemblies, but most of the opportunities to participate in church work will directly or indirectly involve church meetings.
Acts 2:42 – Members of the first congregation continued steadfastly in fellowship (sharing, joint participation, communion, “togetherness”). When and how was this done? In was done in studying the apostles’ teaching, in the Lord’s Supper, and in prayer: i.e., in worship!
They “were together” and helped members in need (vv 44,45). They continued daily with one accord in the temple (v46). Their unity and fellowship was expressed in being together to do the work of the church, especially worship.
Acts 4:23 – In time of opposition, apostles met with “their own companions” (ASV) and prayed (vv 24,31). As a result, the group worked together to teach God’s word (v31) and meet the needs of the members (vv 32-35).
Note that the group had a sense of belonging and working together. They recognized that the group was “their own,” and they desired to be with that group and work with that group. They had a spirit of cooperation, and it expressed itself in their commitment to meet together.
Acts 9:26-29 – When Saul moved to Jerusalem, he also wanted to be part of the group (join himself to the disciples). After his background had been checked and he was found to be a faithful Christian, the church received him. He was “with them” coming in and going out, participating in the work of preaching.
Again, these people understood that they needed to be part of the group and be “with” the group. There was work to be done, and members should desire to participate in that work. That required them to be part of the group (“join” themselves to it) and to be “with” the group.
Ephesians 4:16 – This pattern should be true of all the parts. All should work to build up the body. Each Christian should be a “part” in the body (member) then they should be “working,” doing their “share” (fellowship) so the body can grow and be built up.
Romans 12:5 – We are members one of another. Context (vv 4-8) shows we should therefore use our abilities to work diligently. In our physical body we understand the need for cooperation. Every member must do its share of the work, or the body suffers and is ineffective.
In the church, we have seen repeatedly that much of the work is done when the church meets.
Note carefully the Divine pattern: Faithful Christians “join” the disciples in a local church, they are “with” the disciples (meeting), and they work with the disciples. Members who do not attend assemblies and classes will not be much involved in the work. They are simply not following God’s pattern.
B. Members Should Desire to Serve One Another.
Galatians 5:13 – Through love serve one another. All of us can assist, encourage, and benefit other Christians. We should want to do so.
Galatians 6:2 – The law of Christ teaches us to bear one another’s burdens. Other members have works or hardships that we can help them with. We should be committed to doing so.
1 Peter 4:10 – We all have gifts or blessings from God. We are stewards of these blessings. God gave them to us to use in His work. In particular, we should use them to minister (serve) one another. A member who is not making opportunity to use his spiritual abilities to serve, is not a good steward of God’s blessings.
Ephesians 4:12 – The church was organized (v11) for the purpose of equipping members to accomplish works of service (ministry) so the church can be edified (or built up – v16).
The local church exists to arrange opportunities for members to study, worship, and work for the Lord. Since members should want to accomplish the works of service, it follows that we are expected to be part of the local church and involve ourselves in its work. Note that nothing we have discussed here is in any way limited to any particular day of the week or any particular assembly or number of assemblies. These principles apply to any meeting the church arranges on any day of the week to give members opportunity to work.
[Matt. 25:31-46]
C. Applications to Attendance
1. Assemblies are one of the primary opportunities the church provides for members to fulfill their duty to serve and to share (participate) in the work.
This is why we have repeatedly seen that Christians were together in church meetings worshiping and working.
* In assemblies we can participate or share in learning and in teaching and admonishing one another, as already discussed.
* In assemblies we have fellowship in praising God, as already discussed.
* In assemblies we learn about other work we can do in the announcements. What are “the announcements”? Why do we have them? They provide members with information about opportunities to serve! They tell us what is happening the church and in the lives of other members so we can pray for one another and serve one another. This is the church “equipping” us for service!
Specifically, we learn the needs of other members: sick, hospitalized, troubled, need of prayers, financial needs, people who have been baptized or have confessed sins. We learn of various other work opportunities that the church is arranging: visitation meetings, work days, gospel meetings, etc.
* Events in our assemblies or discussion following our assemblies often suggest ways to serve.
Sometimes in our meetings, apart from the announcements, we learn in other ways of opportunities to serve. If people are baptized or confess sins or ask for prayers, we are there to encourage and pray for them.
In talking privately with people before or after services we may learn of opportunities. Don’t just rush right out after the dismissal. And don’t just stand around talking to your close friends or family members. Stay around and talk to other people, express an interest, get to know their needs, and look for ways to serve! Get to know our visitors and find ways to encourage them. Ask other members about their wellbeing or about their family, and look for ways to serve!
Often the moments following a church meeting is when people discuss some Bible subject privately or schedule a private meeting to study some Bible subject. Often we schedule private studies or small group studies immediately following or preceding our church assemblies.
People who want to work, need to know what work needs to be done. We generally learn this information when we are together, especially in the assemblies. In short, the assemblies are one of the main ways the church “equips” the members to edify one another and build the church up. Since members are commanded by God to share in this work, it follows that fellowship in serving one another should lead members to see their need to be present whenever the church is meeting.
2. When members neglect opportunities to attend, they are not cooperating and sharing in the work.
Some people habitually come late, so they miss the announcements. Some leave early, so they are not there if people are baptized or confess sins. They don’t spend time to get to know other members or visitors before or after church meetings. As a result, they don’t look for ways and don’t know ways to be involved in the work. Is this the spirit of cooperation and sharing in the work that a diligent Christian should have? Does this show a desire to serve other Christians? Are such people diligently looking for opportunities to participate in the work?
And what about people who miss whole services? Are they cooperating and seeking opportunities to serve? They miss the opportunities to be taught, to edify others, and to praise God that are given throughout each assembly or Bible class. They miss the information given about the needs of others and other opportunities to serve. If we really want to serve, why would we neglect such opportunities?
Yes, there are some works of service we can do outside the assemblies. But it is a simple fact: that people who regularly miss the assemblies, generally do not know what work needs to be done nor what others are doing. If they are not interested and dedicated enough to even come, what are the chances they will be dedicated enough to do works of service outside the assemblies? How many people do you know who habitually neglect coming but are still deeply involved in the work?
3. People who do not attend regularly “do not feel part of the group.”
This is one of the most common complaints about every congregation I have ever attended. No matter how friendly, caring, and loving the members are, some members will say, “We just don’t feel part of things. We don’t feel included. We don’t have a sense of belonging.” They usually say this as though it was a criticism of the congregation: it is the other members’ fault.
99 times out of 100, people who say this have not been regularly attending the services or are not making a diligent effort to be involved in the work. When invited to participate in a work, they often decline (or they accept the job but neglect it and drop out).
If an employee of a company attends only 1/2 to 1/4 of the times employees are scheduled to meet to work, will he feel part of the group? If a student attends class only once of every 3 or 4 times the class meets and even then he does not do his homework, will he feel part of the group? If a child in your family participates in only 1/3 or 1/4 of the things everybody else does together, will he/she feel part of the group?
People who regularly miss church meetings “do not feel part of the group” because they are not doing what is required to feel part of the group. They are not cooperating, sharing, and having fellowship in the work.
For more on this article click the following link http://www.gospelway.com/church/attendance-unity.php
Victory Outreach Torrance Youth G.A.N.G. 
No trackbacks yet.