Say “fellowship” in Christian circles and what do you see? Potlucks, laughter, small groups, a little Kumbaya.
A drive for camaraderie fuels many trips to church buildings each Sunday morning. Pollsters find this consistent answer why people go to church: the desire for human fellowship.
But the consistent answer for why they abandon church? It’s boring, irrelevant, and not particularly fellowship-friendly after all.
So why the disconnect?
Perhaps because the primary fellowship isn’t strong. You know, the biggie. The one between the worshiper and the worshiped. You and God. If fellowship is lacking there, the rest is just social club.
A. W. Tozer gives this piano analogy in The Pursuit of God:
Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow.
So one hundred worshippers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.
If you want closer fellowship with believers in your community, first enter into a more intimate fellowship with God. When the vertical relationship is strengthened, the horizontal relationships get stronger, too.
Everybody gains when you and God get closer.
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We’re talking about fellowship at the One Word at a Time Blog Carnival.
Today ends our month of Thanksgivings at Rebecca’s.
13 comments:
This is so true...all in tune with Him makes us automaticslly in tune with one another...you just inspired me with an idea for an event I have to share at. Thanks dear friend.
Lisa, the Lord has blessed you with the ability to put the truth out there for everyone to receive and act accordingly...always done with such sweetness.
I can't thank Him enough for allowing our paths in this journey to cross (or is it Him bringing us together ON PURPOSE?).
I appreciate you so much for the wonderful tools (i.e. books, memory courses, etc.) that you recommend. I know I can always trust them to be good!
Thanks for sharing this...my soul needed it today.
"Everybody gains when you and God get closer." Amen to that! Thanks, Lisa! Blessings!
A very valid point. I think a lot of disenchantment with church must have a lot to do with a wrong focus.
I love this Lisa. I think it ties (haha, really NOT trying to pun with what I wrote;) in so much with what I shared...I mean He gave me to share...
And, I LOVE TOZER and "the Pursuit of God"...so formational and never forgotten...this is perfect...my personal favorite: "faith is the gaze of a soul upon a saving God."
and I see Spurgeon in your twitter...we are kindreds:) be blessed friend!
Wow -- this really rocked my world. I had never thought about fellowship in this manner. Makes me want to just crawl up with my Bible and Jesus.
I love that quote from Tozer, and The Pursuit of God was a wonderfully meaty read for me. I agree that we do better as a community when as individuals we stay tuned to Him! :)
I love that point you made - by focusing on christ, we are in greater fellowship with each other than when we're all packed together in a room.
For true fellowship we must be of like mindedness, and as the Word tells us to have the Mind of Christ. I enjoyed your illustration of the pianos all tuned the same. They will all give a harmonious song together as they worship the Lord.
AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!
I like the piano tuning analogy! So often we forget that, within the church, we are united in Christ. Pursuing unity for the sake of unity will always fail; we need the grace that flows from Christ to teach us to forgive and be reconciled with one another.
Wow--the piano analogy offers a powerful and simple image to keep in my head. A great reminder of whom I'm following. Thanks.
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