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More Than Coffee: Rediscovering Fellowship · Clay to Crown

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: Welcome back everybody for another episode of Clay to Crown.
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  Speaker 1: I am your host, Amanda Hughes, and I am so,
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  Speaker 1: so happy that you are joining me today. Today we're
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  Speaker 1: continuing in our explorations of the spiritual disciplines. Again, those
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  Speaker 1: spiritual disciplines are those habits and practices that help us
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  Speaker 1: build our faith. Um, And I think this is week
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  Speaker 1: number four, if I believe, if we don't include the
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  Speaker 1: overview of what spiritual disciplines are. And today's spiritual discipline
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  Speaker 1: is one that's maybe minimized or mischaracterized and maybe definitely misunderstood.
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  Speaker 1: You know, and it's something that sometimes can just be reduced, right?
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  Speaker 1: It can be reduced to coffee and conversation. And in that,
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  Speaker 1: I am talking about the spiritual discipline of fellowship. Kelly
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  Speaker 1: Minter says that one thing is certain about the Christian faith.
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  Speaker 1: It is not a private religion. It is meant to
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  Speaker 1: be lived out in the context of community. And then
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  Speaker 1: Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, we belong to one another only through
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  Speaker 1: and in Jesus Christ. You know, and And so when
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  Speaker 1: I talked about the spiritual disciplines, like in the overview,
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  Speaker 1: I talked about how some are personal, some are interpersonal,
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  Speaker 1: and then some are both, but, you know, that kind
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  Speaker 1: of thing. And the spiritual discipline of fellowship can only
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  Speaker 1: be interpersonal. Just like the spiritual discipline of solitude can
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  Speaker 1: only be personal. You can only do solitude alone, right? Well,
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  Speaker 1: you can only practice fellowship personally. in community with other
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  Speaker 1: brothers and sisters. And here's the thing that I think
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  Speaker 1: a lot of people, you know, in the church, you know,
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  Speaker 1: maybe misunderstand or think they do understand, but they have
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  Speaker 1: a misconception of or whatever. You don't get a choice.
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  Speaker 1: Fellowship is not optional in the church, right? It's not
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  Speaker 1: just for extroverts, right? Hebrews 10 says, don't forsake the
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  Speaker 1: gathering together of yourselves if some have chosen to do. Right?
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  Speaker 1: So it's not optional. It's not a personality preference. Again,
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  Speaker 1: it's not just for extroverts. It's for everybody. It's a
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  Speaker 1: corporate spiritual discipline. It's God-designed. And it's a means of
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  Speaker 1: grace that forms us, strengthens us and reveals Christ through
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  Speaker 1: his people. So, so what is fellowship? So why don't
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  Speaker 1: we start with a definition? Fellowship is the purposeful prioritizing
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  Speaker 1: of relationships in the body of Christ. The purposeful prioritizing
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  Speaker 1: of relationships within the body of Christ. Where, when, how, anytime, anywhere, anyhow, right?
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  Speaker 1: It's in life, in service, in worship, and even in play.
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  Speaker 1: So why do we need to do these things? Why
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  Speaker 1: is it the purposeful prioritizing of relationships? Why? So we
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  Speaker 1: can experience the Spirit's grace and express the heart of
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  Speaker 1: God through the gospel. And so biblically... Again, we're always
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  Speaker 1: trying to root these things in biblical truths, right? Biblically,
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  Speaker 1: the word fellowship, it's the Greek word koinonia. And koinonia
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  Speaker 1: is essentially like communion, participation, a shared life. That's koinonia.
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  Speaker 1: It's more than just church friends. It's more than just socializing.
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  Speaker 1: It's more than just proximity. It's a shared purpose and
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  Speaker 1: shared life in Christ. Fellowship is engaging with others disciples
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  Speaker 1: in the common activities of worship, of study, prayer, celebration,
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  Speaker 1: and service. Why? Why? because these things sustain our life
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  Speaker 1: together and then enlarge our capacity to experience more of God. Essentially,
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  Speaker 1: what I'm saying is that fellowship enlarges us, it expands
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  Speaker 1: our capacity to know God, and it strengthens our ability
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  Speaker 1: to live out the gospel. It's a shared life with
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  Speaker 1: like-minded believers. And it's beautiful. So when we hear the
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  Speaker 1: word fellowship, what do we picture sometimes? You know, if
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  Speaker 1: I was teaching this in a classroom setting, I'd have
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  Speaker 1: my little marker out and I'd start writing on the
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  Speaker 1: whiteboard at this question, you know, what do we think
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  Speaker 1: when we hear the word fellowship? You know, and I
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  Speaker 1: might get answers that, you know, like, going out to
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  Speaker 1: eat or having coffee or talking in the church lobby,
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  Speaker 1: you know, whatever, you know, small talk type stuff, you know,
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  Speaker 1: we might consider those things fellowship. And I don't know
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  Speaker 1: that that's necessarily wrong, but fellowship is not just a
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  Speaker 1: social gathering. It's the united body of believers working together
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  Speaker 1: to grow spiritually, to disciple one another, and to share
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  Speaker 1: the gospel in a lost world. When I'm talking about fellowship,
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  Speaker 1: it's not just about friendship. It's about formation, formation into
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  Speaker 1: the likeness of Christ. When I'm talking about fellowship, I'm
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  Speaker 1: not just talking about connection and connecting to people. I'm
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  Speaker 1: talking about living out your calling and as brothers and
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  Speaker 1: sisters in Christ. You know, I love my home group
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  Speaker 1: because we do that, right? We get together and we
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  Speaker 1: talk and we share each other's burdens and we share
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  Speaker 1: prayer requests and we pray for one another and we
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  Speaker 1: laugh and we grow in grace when, you know, whatever,
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  Speaker 1: and we study the word. And it's beautiful. That's, again,
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  Speaker 1: it's more than just friendship and connection. It's a growth
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  Speaker 1: that happens in community. That's what I'm talking about when
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  Speaker 1: I talk about fellowship. So where's fellowship in scripture? You know,
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  Speaker 1: I talked about the Greek word kononia, but where do
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  Speaker 1: I find that in scripture? Well, Ephesians 4, 15 through
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  Speaker 1: 16 paints that picture for us. He says, Paul says,
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  Speaker 1: the whole body, joined and knit together as each part
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  Speaker 1: is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself
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  Speaker 1: up in love. The whole body joined and knit together.
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  Speaker 1: And what did I say the definition of fellowship was,
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  Speaker 1: is the purposeful prioritizing of relationships within the body of Christ.
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  Speaker 1: So fellowship is how the body grows. It's how the
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  Speaker 1: church becomes strong because it's how the believers mature. You know,
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  Speaker 1: the New Testament is filled with commands that can't be
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  Speaker 1: obeyed alone, right? Again, going back to what I said
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  Speaker 1: about fellowship being the only spiritual discipline that must be
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  Speaker 1: done in community. And so the New Testament has something
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  Speaker 1: that if you've been around church, maybe you've heard this
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  Speaker 1: a little bit, but the one another's of scripture, right?
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  Speaker 1: And this is where Jesus and or Paul and or
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  Speaker 1: Peter or John, when they're writing, they say to love
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  Speaker 1: one another, honor one another, show hospitality to one another,
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  Speaker 1: forgive one another, bear one another's burdens, encourage one another,
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  Speaker 1: serve one another, submit to one another, speak truth to
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  Speaker 1: one another, pray for one another. You can't do a
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  Speaker 1: single one of these commands because that's what they are.
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  Speaker 1: They are commands. And you can't do a single one
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  Speaker 1: of these commands alone. Every single one requires a relationship.
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  Speaker 1: Every single one requires proximity. This is how we love.
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  Speaker 1: And then how we are loved. It's how we show love.
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  Speaker 1: And how we receive love by being able to do
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  Speaker 1: these one another's for our brothers and sisters in Christ. So,
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  Speaker 1: I think fellowship can be hard, especially depending on your personality. Right?
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  Speaker 1: Fellowship can be hard. It's beautiful. It's beautiful when done well,
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  Speaker 1: but let's be honest. Sometimes it can also be challenging, right?
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  Speaker 1: It's hard. So what are some major obstacles that maybe
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  Speaker 1: get in the way of us when we're trying to
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  Speaker 1: do this? Well, one is time. You know, people are busy.
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  Speaker 1: Schedules are full. You don't have a whole lot of margin.
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  Speaker 1: But it's important then to be intentional about the time
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  Speaker 1: that we do have. And, you know, I think sometimes
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  Speaker 1: we make excuses when we say that we're too busy.
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  Speaker 1: And when I'm talking to people, sometimes I always go like,
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  Speaker 1: are we though? Because I bet you can find time
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  Speaker 1: for the things that you want to do. You're going
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  Speaker 1: to do what's important to you. So that's one obstacle
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  Speaker 1: is time. Another obstacle is maybe avoidance because conflicts happen
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  Speaker 1: and then many avoid dealing with it. You'd rather just
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  Speaker 1: walk away from a relationship, right? Because that unresolved tension
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  Speaker 1: is it breaks the friendship or whatever. You'd rather, you know,
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  Speaker 1: walk away rather than deal with it. And I tell you,
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  Speaker 1: I am so thankful for my brothers and sisters that
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  Speaker 1: I have in my life that want to fellowship with me,
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  Speaker 1: that don't walk away, that they're willing to have hard conversations.
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  Speaker 1: Whether I'm the one, um, initiating the hard conversation or
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  Speaker 1: they are, but the relationship matters and we're willing to
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  Speaker 1: have those hard conversations with each other. So time and avoidance,
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  Speaker 1: you know, so people are weird. So another maybe obstacle
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  Speaker 1: is that sometimes we got strange people in our midst,
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  Speaker 1: got weird people. An old pastor of mine, he used
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  Speaker 1: to say that, you know, sometimes people are EGRs. They're
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  Speaker 1: extra grace required type of people. And if you don't
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  Speaker 1: know anybody who's an EGR, then maybe that EGR is you, right?
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  Speaker 1: Sometimes it's me. I'm willing to admit that, that sometimes
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  Speaker 1: I need extra grace because you know, but loving difficult
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  Speaker 1: people is part of loving our neighbor. Jesus didn't say
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  Speaker 1: we got to pick just the easy people. We get
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  Speaker 1: to love everybody, you know, and then another obstacle outside
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  Speaker 1: of the time avoidance. And then you got strange people
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  Speaker 1: is maybe some expectations, right? We set up these expectations
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  Speaker 1: and they're, they're not legitimate. Um, People expect intimacy, accountability,
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  Speaker 1: you know, deep worship, emergency support all at once. You know,
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  Speaker 1: and so sometimes these unrealistic expectations constrain these relationships. You know,
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  Speaker 1: so fellowship requires patience. It requires humility. It requires grace.
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  Speaker 1: But fellowship is absolutely worth the effort, right? You know,
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  Speaker 1: and fellowship has a shared purpose. It's not just about
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  Speaker 1: sharing life. It's about sharing mission. It's not just, let me,
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  Speaker 1: I'm going to say that again. It's not just about
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  Speaker 1: sharing life. It's sharing mission. Hebrews tells us that believers
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  Speaker 1: are partners with Christ, that we're partakers of Christ. Well, okay,
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  Speaker 1: we're sharers of certain things of Christ. And I think
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  Speaker 1: it's Hebrews chapter 3 that goes into this in depth.
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  Speaker 1: But we're partners in Christ in what? In his salvation,
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  Speaker 1: in his kingdom, and in his purposes. As co-heirs with him,
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  Speaker 1: as his brothers and sisters, we share in his life,
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  Speaker 1: we share in his work, we share in his missions.
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  Speaker 1: And that's how fellowship grows. The partnership begins on earth
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  Speaker 1: and then continues into eternity. We are Christ's representatives. We
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  Speaker 1: are his coworkers. We are his companions in the gospel.
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  Speaker 1: And fellowship is how we join Christ in what he
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  Speaker 1: is doing here on earth. So we have a shared purpose.
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  Speaker 1: And fellowship shapes us. Again, these are those habits and
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  Speaker 1: practices that help us grow our faith. So fellowship is
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  Speaker 1: absolutely for spiritual growth. It sharpens us like iron sharpening iron.
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  Speaker 1: It polishes us, smoothing out the rough edges. Fellowship absolutely
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  Speaker 1: forms us. It grows us. It forms us into Christ-likeness.
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  Speaker 1: So what are some practical ways to grow then through fellowship?
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  Speaker 1: Join a home group, a small group, find a prayer partner,
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  Speaker 1: start a Bible study. You know, there's many practical ways
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  Speaker 1: in which we can grow in fellowship. Fellowship is a
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  Speaker 1: spiritual greenhouse. I love this analogy. Fellowship is a spiritual greenhouse.
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  Speaker 1: Growth happens faster together. Because think about what happens in
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  Speaker 1: a greenhouse. The plants are in this confined space, lots
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  Speaker 1: of humidity, lots of light, and they're just growing like gangbusters, right?
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  Speaker 1: It's the same thing. Fellowship is a spiritual greenhouse, right?
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  Speaker 1: Because we're growing and we're feeding off each other's light
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  Speaker 1: and each other's nourishment. And then fellowship can be used
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  Speaker 1: absolutely for discipleship because we become like the people we
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  Speaker 1: spend time with, right? Bad company corrupts good character. Well,
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  Speaker 1: good character is also then or can be you know,
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  Speaker 1: passed on as well. So we become like the people
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  Speaker 1: we spend time with. If we want to grow spiritually,
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  Speaker 1: we need to spend time with mature believers. And then
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  Speaker 1: as we grow, we invest in those who are newer.
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  Speaker 1: Disciples making disciples. You are two things at once. You
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  Speaker 1: are being discipled, and then you are a discipler. So
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  Speaker 1: find a mentor or a spiritual director. Meet regularly with
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  Speaker 1: that person. Reach out to someone seeking guidance. Invite neighbors
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  Speaker 1: to join you for your worship. Because discipleship growth thrives
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  Speaker 1: in fellowship. And then obviously it's not just for our
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  Speaker 1: own spiritual growth. Fellowship is inward, but it is also outward.
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  Speaker 1: Because fellowship absolutely is a spurn for evangelism. The early
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  Speaker 1: church drew unbelievers into it through shared life, shared meals,
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  Speaker 1: and shared joy. And today, many churches lack spaces that
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  Speaker 1: can naturally draw in the unchurched, right? But believers can
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  Speaker 1: create them. Invite people into your homes. Pray for open doors.
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  Speaker 1: Make a list of people to pray for. Reach out
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  Speaker 1: intentionally to lost friends. Share your testimony. Evangelism grows out
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  Speaker 1: of authentic fellowship. Again, what does fellowship mean? It's a
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  Speaker 1: purposeful prioritizing of relationships in the body of Christ. Are
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  Speaker 1: we purposely prioritizing people? Are we purposely prioritizing the one
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  Speaker 1: another's of scripture to the people around us? Fellowship isn't
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  Speaker 1: just a bonus that comes out of a Christian walk.
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  Speaker 1: It's a spiritual discipline. You have to choose to do it.
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  Speaker 1: just like you would choose to pray, choose to worship,
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  Speaker 1: choose to rest, choose to study. Fellowship is how we grow,
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  Speaker 1: how we love, how we serve, and how we reflect Christ. Why?
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  Speaker 1: Because when we are part of the body of Christ,
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  Speaker 1: we belong to one another, we are shaped by one another,
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  Speaker 1: we are strengthened, through one another. And fellowship then is
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  Speaker 1: the place where the gospel becomes visible. I'll say that again.
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  Speaker 1: Fellowship isn't a bonus. It's how we grow, how we love,
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  Speaker 1: how we serve, and how we reflect Christ. Why? Because
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  Speaker 1: it's in fellowship that we belong, how we are shaped,
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  Speaker 1: and how we are strengthened by one another. So let's
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  Speaker 1: be people who show up. Be people who love. Be
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  Speaker 1: people who build. Carry one another's burdens. Let's be people
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  Speaker 1: who reflect Jesus. Excuse me. Be people who reflect Jesus
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  Speaker 1: together because that's what fellowship truly is. And when you
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  Speaker 1: are around your brothers and sisters in Christ, fellowshipping with them,
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  Speaker 1: being on mission, doing the work of the kingdom together,
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  Speaker 1: that's a gift. It's a gift. Thank you, everybody, for
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  Speaker 1: joining us on this episode of Clay to Crown. I
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  Speaker 1: am so, again, like I said at the beginning, I
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  Speaker 1: am so blessed to have you be a part of
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  Speaker 1: this community. I say may God bless you and keep
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  Speaker 1: you and may his face forever shine upon you and
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  Speaker 1: give you peace. Until next time.