40 Days of Purpose Sermon week 3 adapted from a talk by Rick Warren

Last week, in this 40 days series on God's purpose for your life, we looked at His first purpose, which is to get to know Him and to love Him. The Bible calls that worship, because you were planned for God's pleasure. Today, we're going to look at the second purpose, which is you are formed for God's family. Notice this verse at the top of your outline, Hebrews 2:10. "God is the one who made all things, and all things are for His glory. He wanted to have many children share His glory." God wanted a family. That's why we're here. Look at the next verse. "His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ." The entire Bible is the story of God building a family for Himself that is going to last not just here on earth, but forever in eternity.

Once you understand and get started on God's first purpose for your life, getting to know and to love God, God wants you to focus and practice on His second purpose for your life. Here it is in I Peter 2:17. "Love your spiritual family." God says, I want you to learn to love the people in your family. You're going to spend more time with your spiritual family than you do with your physical family, so God wants you to learn to love them.

Now, why does He want us to learn to love them? First, it makes us more like God, because God is love. Second, he wants His children to learn to get along together. And number three, it's practice for eternity. In heaven, in eternity, you're going to love God, and you're going to love the other believers that are there. It will be a place of love. So would you write this down, "My second purpose in life is Fellowship." That's the word that the Bible uses to describe loving each other. It's a word that's often misunderstood. It doesn't mean a casual conversation, or eating out together, or going to church. What does the bible say fellowship means? 1 John 4:21: "The person who loves God must also love other believers." Write this down, "Fellowship is loving God's family." We have to love other believers. How do you do that? Paul wrote this, "I'm writing so that you'll know how to live in the family of God. That family is the church." Would you circle the word "family" and circle the word "church," and draw a line linking them - because the church is a family. It is not a building, an institution, an organization or a club; it's a family. A lot of people say, "I'm going to go to church," as if church is a place you go to. That's only the secondary meaning of the word. Church is not a place you go to so much as a family you belong to. And in God's family there are four levels of fellowship. We're going to look at them in detail because this is the second purpose of your life, & because it's impossible to fulfill the other purposes God has for your life without fellowship. You were not meant to be here on earth alone, to go through life on your own. The fact is we need each other.

Four levels of Fellowship, the first level is Membership. The first level is, write this in, "Choosing to belong," making the choice to belong. That means you find a church family and you choose to get connected to it. Look at what the Bible has to say in Ephesians 2:19. "You are members of God's very own family and you belong in God's household with every other Christian." The Christian life is not just a matter of believing. It is matter of belonging, we choose to belong. God wants you to identify, to make the choice to be a part of His family.

Some people say, "I'm a Christian, but I don't want to belong to any church." That just doesn't make sense. The church is where you live out what it means to be a Christian. That's like saying, "I'm a football player, but I don't want to be a part of any team." It doesn't work. That's like saying, "I'm a bee, but I don't want to be a part of a hive"; a soldier without a platoon. A Christian without a church family is an orphan. God meant us to be a part of a family.

This next week in the Purpose Driven Life book, we're going to be reading six reasons why you need to be a part of a church family, why it meets your needs and why you meet other people's needs. The Bible tells us this in Romans 12, verse 5, "In Christ we who are many form one Body, and each member belongs to all the others." In this decision that we make, you belong to every other Christian. We are members together. The word "membership" originally was a Christian word? Today it's used for being a member of every kind of club, signing up for this and joining that. But originally, the meaning was right here in the Bible: a member of the Body of Christ. Just like your hand is a member of your body, that's how tightly we're tied to each other. This is about belonging to each other, making the choice to belong to a family.

It is only in America & western Europe that we have what you might call "floating believers", people who go from church to church. If you want to grow, if you want to see God at work in your life, you have got to join a body. If you take an organ, like a liver, out of one body & try to attach it to a different one, it will shrivel up and die. The same thing happens to us as believers. We need to attach ourselves to a group of believers, where we say, "I want to be a part of what's going on there." Jesus loves the Church. And you and I need to have the same kind of love. Jesus calls the Church "his body." We need to have respect for it, to recognize what it means. What if I said to you, "You know, I love you, I just can't stand your body"? How would you feel about that? The Church is Jesus' body. He loves the Church. The Church is the bride of Christ. What if I said, "I love you, but I can't stand your wife," how would you like that?

The Church is the bride of Christ. And because Jesus loves the Church, this group of believers together that are growing together, you and I need to have that same kind of love for this body by deciding, choosing to belong. There is a symbol of that, of the fact that we belong together - a picture that God gives us. It's "baptism." Look at what 1 Corinthians 12:13 has to say about that. "This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized. Each of us is now a part of His resurrection Body." It is a public way of saying, "I am part of a group of believers and I am glad to belong to this group of believers." Romans 6:3 says it this way: "That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus." Baptism is a public way of saying together we're proclaiming we died to something; we live to something. We died to an old way of life; we're living to a new way of life.

It's a bit like a wedding ring. This wedding ring that I am wearing doesn't make me married. But Marian, my wife, gave it to me on the day we were married so I could wear it from that day forward as a visible symbol of a commitment of my heart. That's what baptism is. It is visible symbol of the commitment of a person's heart, saying I'm not ashamed to tell the world that I believe in Jesus Christ.

So, the first level is choosing to belong. The second level of Fellowship is "the friendship level." Learning to share - write that on your sheets. You were created in God's image. So you were made for relationships. The Bible says, "It is not good for man to be alone." In other words, we were made for each other. Life is not a solo act. And you need friends. The Bible says this of the first Christians in Acts 2:44. "All the believers met together constantly and shared everything with each other." Circle "met together," and circle "shared." Notice two things: one, you can't develop friendships without meeting together; and two, you can't develop friendships without sharing. The more frequently you meet together, the closer you're going to get. You choose to develop friendships by making time for them. Are you too busy for friendships. Deep friends don't just happen - you choose to make the time for them. It is not luck. It is a choice. And you can't develop friendships without sharing. The bible says, "they shared everything."

Those of you who are parents know one of the fundamental lessons children have to learn is learning to share. God says, "In the family of God I want you to learn to share with other believers." So what are we supposed to share? Let me just mention three things. Number 1, the Bible says we're to share our Experiences. Proverbs 27:17 says, "people learn from one other, just as iron sharpens iron." It is wise to learn from the experiences of other people, because you don't have time to make all the mistakes yourself. Nobody knows everything. The Bible says that you can learn from the experiences of others if you ask the right questions. So we're to share our experience with others.

Second, the Bible says we're to share our homes. We're to share our homes. 1 Peter 4:9, "open up your homes to each other." It doesn't say if they are really nice ones, open them up. It just says open them up. Why does God say that? Because you cannot fellowship in a crowd. You can only fellowship in a small group or one on one. That's why the Bible says open up your homes to each other. That's where you really get to know people. In the first 300 years of Christianity, there were no church buildings. All church meetings were held in homes. And that was the period of fastest growth for the church. One of the reasons I say, "join a small group" is that it's a Biblical principle. Christians are supposed to meet in homes.

Not only should we share our experiences in our homes, the Bible says, number three, we're to share our problems. Scripture says, "Share each other's troubles and problems." When you share a joy, it is doubled; and when you share a problem, it is cut in half. The Bible says, "Weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice." In your group during the week, you don't have to fix everybody's problem. God just says share them. Lend a listening ear. You don't have to fix. In fact, a lot of times, trying to fix a problem doesn't help. Just share sympathy and experience, understanding.

You're never going to go to this second level of fellowship until you get into a small group. That's why the Bible says this in Hebrews 10:25, "Let us not give up the habit of meeting together. Instead, let us encourage one another." The primary purpose of a group is to encourage each other. And it says, "Don't give up the habit." I hope you'll never give up this habit some of you are starting for the first time this 40 days, because you're always going to need encouragement.

If you have tried a group and you didn't feel like you really fitted in, just try another one! Okay? Don't give up. We have several groups going in out Church and we're happy to start more, so if you don't fit one try another - don't give up. If you try a new restaurant and don't like it, you don't stop eating out - you try another. Did you buy the first house you looked at? Did you marry the first person you dated? So if you got in a group and say, "I don't fit with these people," try another group. If you're still not in a group, it is not too late yet. This is the second level, learning to share.

The third level is Partnership. Partnership is doing my part. Partnership is realizing that you've got a contribution to make; that the family of God needs you. God did not bring you to St Marc's to sit and soak in some spiritual spa. He brought you here to serve. He wants to make a difference through your life. In every family there are family responsibilities. This is God's family in which every one of us has a part. The Bible is filled with the fact that you and I are to work with one another in getting this job done. 58 times in the New Testament the Bible says we do it with one another. We serve one another, love one another, pray with one another. The Bible even says we have to put up with one another when we're doing all of this. That's how it works together. This is love in action, not just in words. It is great to share your heart, that's level two. But it is even greater to do your part. That is what level three is all about.

Listen to what the Bible has to say, 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 9. "We are partners working together for God." Circle the word "partners." In Greek, the language of the New Testament was originally written in, the word "fellowship" is often translated "partnership." That's how close these two words are. Did you ever want to be part of a great team, that did something great? You're part of the greatest team there ever was in the church. What we do is going to last forever. In the church, we are part of the greatest enterprise that's ever existed. We get to be part of God's plan for the universe. That's what it is all about, when we cooperate and participate together in the family of God.

But in order to be a part, you've got to find your niche, you have got to find out, "Where do I fit, how I do I fit?" The Bible tells us we all have a niche. Look what Ephesians 4:16 says. "The whole body is fitted together perfectly." This is God's job; he does this. "…As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole Body is healthy and growing and full of love." You might circle those words "each part." That's you, that's me. It's working together that we get things done. When we cooperate, we get more done together than we could ever get done by ourselves. There is a heart attitude that is key to me, to you, to all of us, that we're doing it for Jesus Christ.

Mother Teresa spent her life working, as many of you know, with the poorest of the poor in Calcutta, India. She was once asked, "How do you handle all the death and disease on a daily basis? How do you do the tough things when it comes to serving?" And her answer was, "Every person I bathe, every person I bandage, I imagine seeing the face of Jesus and I do it for Him." That's the attitude that's behind this. It's the attitude of Matthew chapter 25, verse 40, "Just as you did it to one of the least of these who are the members of my family, you did it to Me." So I encourage you to make this a practical action step this week, if you want to experience a deeper level of fellowship. Look for a practical need in your group to meet this next week, and see what it does for your fellowship with one another.

The fourth & deepest level of fellowship in the family of God is "Kinship." Kinship is an old term which literally means your closest relationships. When somebody has an accident, they say, "Notify the next-of-kin", which means the person they care about most, who is closest to them, whom they hold most dear. The Bible says that's the kind of attitude we should have. That kinship - you might write this down - the deepest level, is loving believers like family; treating and loving believers like they're family. You're completely committed to them. The Bible says of the first Christians in Acts 2:42. "They were like family to each other." God says "We're not just like a family; we are a family." Romans 12:10 says, "Be devoted to each other like a loving family." The word for fellowship in the Bible is the Greek word "koinonia." The basic root literally means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus Christ; that is the deepest level of fellowship. It is saying "I'm at the level of being willing to sacrifice for you". Many of us know John 3:16, "God so loved the world," but we don't know First John 3:16. That verse is just as important. It's on your outline, "We know what real love is because Christ gave up His life for us. And we ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters." This is the deepest level of fellowship; sacrificing for each other. It's the kind of love Jesus Christ had for you. He died for you.

The Bible talks about the fellowship of suffering. Frankly, here in Europe or in America, we Christians know nothing about this level of fellowship. Overseas a lot of them do, because they are being persecuted. All around the world, millions of Christians each year lose their lives just for being believers, mostly in either communist or Muslim countries, simply for being Christians. In some places Christians can take this verse literally. They are laying down their lives for each other, as brothers and sisters in the family of God. We're not persecuted like that here, so it is hard for us to experience this deepest level of fellowship where you're actually giving your life for a brother or sister in the family of God.

So how do you do that? How do you get to this deepest level here? You do it by standing with other believers when they are going through a crisis. When everybody else walks out, you walk in; you're there for them in the tough times. This is what life is all about, loving God and learning to love each other. If you miss this, you have missed the purpose of your life and that's sad. Life is not about accomplishments. It is about relationships. You were put on this earth to know God and love Him, and to know His family and love them, because that's whom we're spending eternity with. When people are dying they never say, "Bring me my diplomas or trophies, or any thing." In their final moments they talk about what matters most, and say, "Bring me my family and friends." Don't wait for the last moment of your life to figure out that what really matters in life is knowing God and having close family and friends. Discover it now and fellowship as God intended for us, because life is all about love.

Loving God, is called "Worship," and loving each other, is called "Fellowship." In John 13 Jesus said, "Your strong love for each other will prove to the world that you are my disciples." It wasn't too long after Jesus said this that the Roman Empire was throwing Christians to the lions in coliseums. They weren't very hospitable to Christians for several hundred years. They were putting them up on stakes and burning them and they were crucifying them and all other kinds of things. In that period of time, one of the most famous secular historians, not a Christian, wrote this about Christians: "See, how they love each other." We want our Church to be known, not for its size, its sermons, its singing, its strategy, its buildings, but for our love. We want people to say, "That's where they love each other," because Christianity is all about loving God and loving each other.

How do you know if you're in God's family? Let me read you three verses that will test if you're really a Christian or not. Listen to this, right from the Bible. 1 John 3:10, "Anyone who does not love other Christians does not belong to God." That's the Bible. 1 John 4:20, "Those who do not love their brothers and sisters, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have never seen." 1 John 3:14, "But if we love our Christian brothers, it proves that we have passed from death to eternal life." That's the proof.

The greatest privilege you will ever be offered in life is the privilege of being a part of God's family. God's family is a laboratory for learning to love. Some of you grew up in homes that didn't have a lot of love. The only love many people know how to do is sexual love, romantic love. They don't know any other kind of love. So we have to be taught, and the church (the family of God) is where you learn to love real people, not ideal people. Nobody in your small group is ideal and neither are you. We must learn to love real people, and that's what God put us on earth to do.

So let me ask you: which of these levels of fellowship are you at? Have you made it to the first one, choosing to belong? Are you still floating around from church to church, attending here and there? You've never gotten committed. You've never gotten into membership. You need to choose a church. You need to be baptized and say, "I'm not ashamed." That's the most basic level. If you haven't done that, that's your next step.

Then you need to learn to share. And where do you do that? In a small group. Join one. Then you need to not just share your heart, you need to do your part. That's partnership. Find your niche. Find your place to give back, to make a contribution. If you're in the family of God, you have some family responsibilities. God expects you to do your part in the family.

Then you move to this deepest level. Are there any other believers that know you are devoted to them? That you're going to be there for them in their times of crisis?

An even more basic question is, are you a part of the family of God? You may say, "Well, isn't everybody a part of the family of God?" No. Everybody is created by God, but not everybody is a child of God. You have to choose to be a part of God's family. God gave us one condition, the last verse on your outline. "You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:36) You can join the family today.

Let's pray.

You know, Father, next to salvation, the greatest gift you have ever given us is the opportunity to be a part of your family. Thank you that we don't have to go through life disconnected and isolated. Thank you for creating this Church family for all of us.

Pray with me. "Dear God, I want to be a part of your family and I want to learn to love my spiritual family just like you do. Forgive me for taking it casually. I want to grow in the levels of fellowship, so today I'm choosing to belong. I'm not going to float around anymore. I want to learn to share and make time to develop real friendships. I want to do my part in the family of God. I want to learn to love other believers like brothers and sisters. Teach me the meaning of real love. In your name I pray, Amen."