Waking Up to Grace
Waking Up to Grace is a Bible-centered podcast for anyone who is weary of religious performance and ready to rest confidently in Christ.
Hosted by Lenny, each episode brings honest conversations and a fresh look at Scripture to questions about grace, faith, the New Covenant, identity in Christ, forgiveness, assurance, the church, and eternal life. The goal is not to give you another religious checklist, but to help you see the finished work of Jesus more clearly and reconsider long-held traditions in the light of Scripture.
Whether you are questioning what you have been taught, recovering from legalism, or simply longing to know Christ more deeply, join us as we wake up to grace—one conversation at a time.
Find companion Bible studies and more at WakingUpToGrace.com
Waking Up to Grace
Bring Fellowship to Your Christian Gathering | Episode 27
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Church fellowship is often treated as something we do by going to a church building, attending a service, or gathering with other Christians. But Scripture gives us a much deeper picture.
In this episode, we look at fellowship through 1 Corinthians, 1 John, Hebrews, and other New Testament passages. Paul warned the Corinthians about gathering around personalities instead of Christ. John described fellowship as something believers share with the Father, the Son, and one another. That makes fellowship much more than being in the same room.
We will look at the difference between gathering and fellowship, why Christian fellowship is rooted in our shared life in Christ, and how church gatherings can lose their purpose when the focus shifts from Christ to personalities, performance, programs, or religious obligation.
We will also consider Hebrews 10 and the common claim that Christians are commanded to attend an institutional church. Gathering with believers is valuable, but gathering itself is not fellowship. True fellowship comes from Christ and can be shared wherever His people encourage one another in truth, grace, and love.
Read the companion study and continue the conversation:
https://wakinguptograce.com/027-bring-fellowship-to-your-christian-gathering/
Introduction to Waking Up to Grace
announcementHello and welcome to the Waking Up to Grace podcast , where we celebrate and explore the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ . Tune in to the Waking Up to Grace podcast on every major platform . You can also listen to our episodes and read our full transcripts at wakinguptogracecom . And now here's Lenny .
LennyAs we wake up to grace , our minds become renewed . It becomes easier and more natural to put our focus on the Lord in all situations . This Christ-based focus that begins to occur when we receive the Spirit of God reminds me of a time that I ran into a pizza place to carry out dinner for the family . My mom dropped me off by the door to run in and fetch our order . I bet it's going to be good , she said with excitement . As I walked up to the building and opened the door , all I could smell was fresh pizza . I think my mom is right . I thought to myself . I was fully focused on getting that pizza when the server handed me the box . It was nice and warm and I was hungry . All I could think about was enjoying that pizza .
LennyAs I left the building and stepped out onto the sidewalk , my feet slid right out from under me . I was slipping on a layer of black ice that had frozen from the downspout . As I was going down , it was like slow motion . My instinct went directly to protecting that pizza . I immediately fell right on my back with a great thud . I immediately fell right on my back with a great thud , but since that pizza was on the front of my mind . I was able to preserve it perfectly , despite the fall . My mom made sure I was okay , but we went on to enjoy the pizza that evening as a family and although my surviving such a fall without getting hurt made for good conversation , our gathering was able to proceed with its original purpose . We were able to enjoy a nice hot pizza as a family not pizza soup .
The Pizza Story: Focus on Christ
LennyNow let's think about this story from a different angle . What if I had not been so focused on that pizza ? What if I had other things on my mind ? And when I fell , the pizza went flying out of the box and all over the parking lot . Without a pizza that night , would our gathering have changed ? It probably would have been all about me and my fall , wouldn't it ? Or maybe we would have just done something else entirely as a family . The pizza would no longer be the purpose of that gathering . Think about the pizza being symbolic of Christ . For a moment , have you ever gathered together with Christians and felt like the pizza never made it to the gathering ? Have you ever found yourself in a group where the pizza got lost on the way and the focus became all about them or something completely different than the pizza .
LennyWhen we wake up to grace , we begin to have a hunger for things of the spirit . We hunger for Christ , not a self-effort competition . In turn , it becomes clearer to us when we are acting on the desires of the flesh . Our eyes become open to the unfulfilling life of depending on our own works to get right with God . We seek encouragement and fellowship with those who value the finished work of Christ Yeshua and the work of His Holy Spirit as much as we do . So why is this type of fellowship so hard to find ?
LennySadly , today we identify our fellowship with where we go to church , what pastor we follow , whose teaching we're under , and from there , our focus is often on how well we live the Christian life compared to others , how good our deeds are , how good we pray or how we're being blessed for our good behavior . Our deeds are how good we pray or how we're being blessed for our good behavior , and all the church activities we're plugged into . Some are more outspoken about how pleasing they are to God , while others silently feel inferior or irritated with those praising themselves . It looks like what Paul was experiencing in his letter to the Corinthian church , and we'll be using the ESV Bible translation today 1 Corinthians , chapter 3 . For you are still of the flesh .
When Fellowship Loses Its Purpose
LennyFor while there is jealousy and strife among you , are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way ? For when one says I follow Paul and another I follow Apollos , are you not being merely human ? What then is Apollos ? What is Paul Servants , through whom you believed as the Lord assigned to each ? I planted , apollos watered , but God gave growth . So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything , but only God who gives the growth . He who plants and he who waters are one , and each will receive his wages according to his labor , for we are God's fellow workers . You are God's field , god's building . According to the grace of God given to me , like a skilled master builder , I laid a foundation and someone else is building upon it . Let each one take care how he builds upon it , for no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid , which is Jesus Christ .
LennyWhat do we see happening here ? Many who understand grace today believe the body of Christ is falling away , that somehow the times we live in are worse than they were before . I have a more optimistic view than this . I believe the true church is always strengthening , but I also see that there is nothing new under the sun . As Solomon wrote in our scriptures , people are still the same as they were then , and when we follow the enticing desires of the flesh , we make ourselves no different . What we see happening in the Corinthian church and in the body of believers today is that they were not bringing that pizza to the party . The pizza got lost along the way and maybe even ended up on the ground in the parking lot . They had lost their focus on Christ and began to hold people in high regards . They were finding their identity in who they followed .
LennyAnd when we place our faith in another human being or ourself , our gatherings will be filled with jealousy and strife . Feelings of jealousy and strife don't happen on their own . Our feelings are based on what we put into our minds . We can be confident that the Spirit of God did not put these thoughts into our mind that are making us feel that way . These feelings are a product of what our gatherings are focused on and what we are focused on within the gathering . If Christ was the focus , what would there be to have jealousy in ? What need would there be for strife ? Our honor would be in the Lord , not in each other . Our interaction would be filled with the work of Christ , not the works of our flesh . We would be proud in Christ , not in ourselves . In this way , we would share fellowship with one another , as John describes to us in his first epistle .
LennyIn 1 John , chapter 1 , we read that which was from the beginning , which we have heard , which we have seen with our eyes , which we have looked upon and have touched with our hands , concerning the word of life , verse 2 . So that you too may have fellowship with us , and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son , jesus Christ . And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete . This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all . If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness , we lie and do not practice the truth If we walk in the light , as he is in the light . The word fellowship is used four times in this short passage . That makes this an excellent example of
Paul's Letter to the Corinthians
Lennythe usage of the word in our Bibles .
LennyIn the first epistle of John , there was a sin denial going on . The people he was addressing in the first chapter of his letter had not received Christ . The writing was also for those who needed a lot of mind renewal . Those being written to either did not believe or were displaying unbelief in their ways . He addresses the issue of unbelief from the view of one who does not have Christ . For those in Christ , this passage was meant to renew their minds and restore the proper view of the fellowship they shared . It might bring the spiritually dead to a fellowship with the Lord and also restore the minds of those drifting away from truth . Many in this audience did not realize that they were believing a false message that was opposed to the one whom their fellowship depended on . Leave in a false message that was opposed to the one whom their fellowship depended on , that being Christ Yeshua .
LennyWe read in verse 3 , that which we have seen and heard , we proclaim also to you , so that you too may have fellowship with us , and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son , jesus Christ . John expresses here that fellowship with them was fellowship with the Father and His Son , christ Jesus . This fellowship is not based on where we go to church or who we hang out with it's becoming a family in Christ . Hebrews 2.11 tells us For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin . That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers . Now , don't worry , women , this is not excluding you .
LennyThere was a reasoning for the way they spoke in those days and the words they used . We can get into that another time , but realize that Christ Yeshua is not ashamed to call us his brothers and sisters . We are his family now . We are now in fellowship . This fellowship does not require anything from us . It was given to us as a gift . Our fellowship is in Christ . Therefore , it was all part of the gift of Christ that was given to us at salvation . Just like we have eternal life in Christ , likewise we have eternal fellowship in Christ .
LennyThink of it this way If your biological brother or sister kicked you out of their gathering , would you no longer be family ? Of course not . They could say all they want , but nobody can actually change who your real father is . You cannot change the fact that he is your birth father . It is all the same in this way , when we are born of the Spirit . It is not a coincidence that Christ Yeshua used those words to describe how we receive our fellowship and salvation . A birth is unchangeable .
LennyContinuing what we read in John's epistle in verse 5 , this is a message we have heard from him and proclaim to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all . If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness , we lie and do not practice the truth . But if we walk in the light , as he is in the light , john teaches us that there is no darkness in Christ . He also teaches that if we walk in the light as Christ is in the light , we have fellowship with one another . So our fellowship is in the light . And what happens when our fellowship is in the light ? Okay , what happened to us at salvation ? What is the gospel of our Lord Christ Yeshua that we hold so tightly to ? It's that the blood of Jesus , his son , cleansed us from all sin . Yes , this is a gift given to us and it does not get taken away . But do we always walk in belief ? As Christians , are we capable of promoting and displaying darkness , just like someone who doesn't know the Savior ? Yes , we are capable of this .
LennyThe power of sin can still affect these bodies of flesh and the problems occur in our minds . This is why waking up to grace is so important . The renewal of the mind is what allows us to live obedient to the truth and not fall for lies . It is so important to protect our minds from taking in garbage . As I mentioned in past episodes , what we set our minds on is a lot like what we eat . Would you want to dine on a giant plate of garbage ? Who would ? Yet we take in all kinds of garbage information in our lives because we are literally surrounded by it . We are grossly overstimulated by useless information in our society today .
LennyBut getting back to John's epistle , if walking in the light means salvation and fellowship , what does John mean in verse 6 ? If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness , we lie and do not practice the truth . Walking in darkness clearly means walking in unbelief . If you are saying you have fellowship but walk in unbelief , you lie and do not practice truth . Again , could a believer walk in unbelief ? Yes , they could . So in this way , the passage could be teaching two types of people those who never
Walking in Light versus Darkness
Lennyreceive Christ proclaiming a false message , and those in Christ proclaiming a false message . Those who were falling away from the truth , needed to realize what they were promoting , what they were living by . You cannot bear the fruit of the Spirit following the flesh . What was the false message being proclaimed would be our next question . What we read in verse 7 is a huge indicator as we go into the verses that follow . But if we walk in the light , as he is in the light , we have fellowship with one another , and the blood of Jesus , his son , cleanses us from all sin . This is what they did not understand and we find out why when we read further 1 John 18 .
LennyIf we say we have no sin , we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us . John was dealing with sin denial . The people were denying that they had sin . We can't understand who we are in Christ if we don't understand who we are apart from Christ . These people need to understand who they were apart from Christ so they could see their need for a Savior as well as understand their identity in Christ . We can't enjoy the benefits of a true fellowship with others in Christ if we don't realize the benefits of our fellowship with Christ , the truth that our fellowship is based on the finished work of Christ Yeshua and the indwelling of his spirit as the source of all fruit in our lives is the foundation of all fellowship . We don't have fellowship without this . This truth is our fellowship .
LennyJohn then goes back to the truth , 1 John 1.9 . This again emphasizes what we receive at salvation . And then he goes back to the lie . If we say we have not sinned , we make him a liar and his word is not in us . The people John wrote to did not see sin the way God saw it .
LennySin denial can come in all different forms . As John continues his letter , he continues to put a heavy emphasis on God's view of sin . In 1 John 3 , 9 , we read no one born of God makes a practice of sinning , for God's seed abides in him and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God . This passage confuses a lot of people , even many who know their Bibles front to back . This passage is further proof that their understanding of sin was way off , even to the point of doubting the finished work of Christ Yeshua . John is teaching them who they are in Christ , how God sees them now , now that they have been born into the family . If they had known this , he wouldn't have spent so much time emphasizing this truth . This passage is grossly misunderstood and is extremely critical in understanding the fellowship that we have in Christ . When we deny the finished work of Christ Yeshua and proclaim a fellowship based on rules and regulations , we need to go right back to 1 John 1.6 .
LennyIf we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness , we lie and do not practice the truth . John did not encourage superficial fellowship , and neither did any apostle . We can see from the letters we have in our New Testament that the goal was to be one in spirit and mind . When our minds are in the wrong place , we don't produce the true fruits that come from fellowship . As we have discovered , even those born of God can walk in unbelief , acting no different than one who rejects the gospel , even rejecting the gospel with their promotion of a works-based righteousness .
LennyIn 2 Corinthians 6.14 , paul writes what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness ? Or what fellowship has light with darkness ? What accord has Christ with Belial ? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever ? What agreement has the temple of God with idols ? For we are the temple of the living God . As God said , I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them , and I will be their God and they shall be my people . Therefore , go out from their midst and be daughters to me , says the Lord Almighty . Those in the light believe God In the flesh .
LennyWe believe we can live sin free and we can be right with God by self-effort . We often even believe that all God wants from us is to do the best we can . But what God really wants for us is to believe in him and surrender our lives to him . Throw in the towel on self-effort all together and ask Christ to do his work in our lives . Many today proclaim a false God without even realizing it . Proclaiming a gospel message that does not make you right with God is no gospel at all . A double message where we must maintain a fellowship with God by good behavior , is not the gospel of Christ .
LennyAlthough part of the family in Christ , many have estranged themselves from fellowship in their minds . But again , these things have been going on from the beginning .
Understanding True Fellowship in Christ
LennyThe apostles did not condone this . They didn't accept this in any form , but they did try and help those who fell into these things . It can be very difficult at times to discern the difference between an infant Christian and one who has not received Christ when they both proclaim the same things with their words . Self-righteousness and pride will always be the biggest issue in the church , and by church I mean the body of believers in Christ , not those who attend a church building regularly .
LennyToday , many proclaim the teachings of Christ as laws to live by , rules to follow . It's no surprise that with this mindset , going to church regularly also becomes a rule and a way to get right or be right with God . But in reality it's the flesh driving this mentality , not love . The fruits of the Spirit come when our minds are renewed by truth . We don't bear fruit in the flesh , we bear fruit in Christ , and being in Christ has nothing to do with where we are on Sunday morning when the church service begins , and being in Christ has nothing to do with where we are on Sunday morning when the church service begins . It's my opinion that we should carefully discern if attending a church is even right for us . If our minds are constantly being filled with garbage or the teaching is constantly promoting the works of the flesh and not the works of the Spirit , then we might find that we have outgrown that routine and will find growth and spiritual maturity when leaving the environment .
LennyI've seen plenty of Christians waking up to grace in ways I never thought possible after walking away from the institutional church . In the same way , I see some sticking it out in order to help others wake up to grace . I commend those who can endure terrible teaching and being viewed poorly by others with hope that they might help a few who are seeking truth . By this . We might actually bring some fellowship back into our gatherings .
LennyMy sister recently enrolled one of her daughters in a Christian school . After much prayer , carrie felt fully led to doing this . It was going to be a huge financial investment , but she desired to find a way to get her teenage daughter out of the current environment she was in and the things that were being put in her mind by that institution . Her daughter , faith , was able to see things in a whole new light . The contrast of what she is learning now is no doubt equal to the contrast between light and darkness . She went from celebrating pride to celebrating Christ . Lively discussions are now being had and Carrie can share fellowship with her daughter .
LennyI'm hearing of christ bringing them together spiritually and it's just incredible . God is great in christ . We are all in ministry and we need to pray and follow his lead , not our own , if we need people in our lives to share . Fellowship with god will provide us with that . It's not about making the self-righteous happy by following their made-up rules . It's about our fellowship in Christ , and our fellowship in Christ is about his work , not ours .
LennyWhat is Christ Yeshua leading you to do ? What is on your heart , based on truth ? This is what we need to follow , and that's the point of this episode . It's not to bash your church and tell you not to go there . It's not to tell you to keep going there either . It's about what fellowship actually means , what it truly is . There's no work in fellowship . Fellowship is not something we do . It's something within each and every Christian Gathering is useless if we're not gathering in the Spirit .
LennyAnyone can say that their flesh-based works come from the Spirit and people do . Do you believe that our famous televangelists , who butcher the gospel with their prosperity preaching , actually got their personal jets from the Spirit of God ? Because they tell you that those televangelists are a great example of what fellowship does not produce . They overstimulate your emotions with all kinds of motivation to improve your life in the name of Jesus . People can't get enough of this emotional stimulation because it wears off as soon as you go back into the real world . It doesn't offer any peace and we don't awaken to grace in any way because it's all based on the flesh and we don't awaken to grace in any way because it's all based on the flesh .
LennyChrist doesn't promote this kind of teaching and it keeps those following it in a state of spiritual bondage . As long as we stay fully focused on ourselves , we toss Christ aside just like a pizza that ended up on the ground in the parking lot . There's no fellowship in our works . If we go off on our own in our minds , we will mess things up every time . Christ is divine and he is the only way to produce fruit . All we need to do is abide . Just let him do what he does . It takes no self-offer at all . It's as easy as letting go of a rope .
LennyContrary to popular belief , the truth is that fellowship and gathering are not the same thing at all . We can gather and share fellowship , but gathering is not fellowship . When we say share fellowship , it's almost the same as saying share Christ
Church Attendance vs. Spiritual Connection
Lenny. We are one in spirit when we share Christ . Let's look at the usage of the word fellowship in the New Testament of our Bible so that we can see the meaning in context . In the ESV Bible translation , the word fellowship is translated from the Greek word koinonia . The word is found eight times in the ESV translation and the passages are as follows . Now , as we read these passages , consider whether you hear the description of attending a church building , or if you hear what we've been discussing in our episode today .
LennyActs 2.42 . And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship , to the breaking of bread and the prayers . 1 Corinthians 1.9 . God is faithful , by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son , jesus Christ , our Lord . 2 Corinthians 6.14 . Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers , for what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness , or what fellowship has light with darkness ? 2 Corinthians 13.14 . The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all .
LennyGalatians 2.9 . 1 John 1.3 . That which we have seen and heard , we proclaim also to you , so that you too may have fellowship with us , and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son , jesus Christ . 1 John 1.6 . If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness , we lie and do not practice the truth . 1 John 1.7 . But if we walk in the light , as he is in the light , we have fellowship with one another , and the blood of Jesus , his Son , cleanses . What . Do you think ? It makes us look pretty silly when we say someone is out of fellowship because they don't go to a church building regularly , doesn't it ? Interestingly , in the NIV translation , the word fellowship is found nine times in the New Testament . It's translated from the Greek word koinonia eight times , just as it is in the ESV translation , but then it's added a ninth time in the place of the Greek word mesas , which simply means in the midst of 1 Corinthians , 5 , 1-3 . It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you and of a kind that even this is clearly a terrible translation of the word when we look it up for ourselves .
LennyWhenever something doesn't sound quite right with our gospel glasses on , it can be helpful to check up on these scholars . In this case , they try to help us by making fellowship a gathering . This guy lost his fellowship that day , but that's not true at all . He was cast out of their midst for a time due to his behavior . His fellowship in Christ brought him back and they accepted him into the group again after his mind had been renewed .
LennyI hope you're not getting the idea that I promote not gathering or connecting with other Christians . I simply desire that we have the right mindset of what fellowship actually is so we don't cause ourselves or others in the body to stumble . We need to bring back the true meaning of fellowship . In order to bring fellowship back into our gatherings , relationships with others who are in Christ are extremely valuable . As we journey through our lives , waking up to grace , we need encouragement and if you don't have these types of relationships , I highly recommend praying for them . Do not seek superficial fellowship of the flesh in the name of Jesus . If you seek that , you will find it .
LennyMany use a certain passage in Hebrews to cast shame upon people who don't attend an institutional church . This passage is Hebrews 10.23 . Let us hold
Biblical Understanding of Fellowship
Lennyfast the confession of our hope without wavering , for he who promised is faithful , and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works , not neglecting to meet together , as is the habit of some , but encouraging one another , and all the more as you see the day drawing near . When we read this , it seems that we apply this to going to a church institution . But have you ever considered that church institutions were not even in existence yet . At that time they didn't even have such a thing . This passage starts out proclaiming hope in Christ and then describes the whole purpose of the body of Christ encouraging one another to love and good works . What are the good works ? The works that are produced by the vine . Don't mistake this with self-offer .
LennyRemember apart from Christ , we cannot please the Lord , and God can see our motives . Our Lord can clearly distinguish the works of the flesh from the works of his Spirit . Getting closer to God does not begin after we clean up our lives . Getting closer to God is impossible when he dwells within us . We do not stop sinning and then experience maturity in the Spirit .
LennyAs we mature in the Spirit of God , we are just as capable of sin as we were as infants . The difference is we know it only happens when we let the world or the flesh guide our minds , when we go rogue from the guidance of our Lord . The only thing we get better at as we mature is realizing that we need Christ more , and in every aspect of our lives . There is no too much when it comes to our focus on Christ . Today , we are stuck in this view of we need to be good for Christ , then we are blessed .
LennyBut grace teaches that when we offer ourselves to the Lord , christ produces good in us . It's taught in the wrong order . When we begin to see a clear picture of Christ , this kind of teaching is like listening to someone speak the alphabet backwards it doesn't sound right at all . This error produces a workspace mentality and not a humble , dependent one . As our minds become renewed to truth , our eyes become opened , we become awakened to grace and we will see the truth about fellowship . Fellowship in the flesh becomes futile and exhausting . The fellowship we seek is in Christ .
LennyWhich church are you a member of ? The one made by human hands or the one made by God , built on the foundation of Christ ? Do not be discouraged . Our Lord will put people in our lives for encouragement . You are not alone . Your fellowship is with the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit . You are always in good company , aren't the Father , the Son and the Holy Spirit ? You are always in good company , aren't you , as Paul says in Romans 8 31, ?
LennyWhat then , shall we say to these things ? If God is for us , who can be against us ? He who did not spare his own son , but gave him up for us all . How will he not also , with him , graciously give us all things ? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect ? It is God who justifies . Who is to condemn . Christ Jesus is the one who died More than that , who was raised , who is at the right hand of God , who indeed is interceding for us ? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ? Shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword . When you put your trust in Christ Yeshua , you become part of the family .
LennyThat's not reversible . All who share fellowship in Christ are brothers and sisters in the Lord . Let's keep focused on the foundation of our fellowship so that we don't lose our footing and drop that pizza all over the parking lot . Let's hang on to that pizza and bring it to the party . Forget about the desires of the flesh , throw away all pride and self-motives and rest in the finished work of our amazing Lord and Savior , christ Yeshua . He is not ashamed to call you brothers and sisters . Let's place all of our pride onto him . Have a great day out there , you guys . Thank you for listening .
announcementThank you for listening to the Waking Up to Grace podcast brought to you by the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ . If you enjoyed today's episode , we would love to hear from you . You can send encouragement our way right from our episodes and transcripts page .