Estes Echo

Fellowship

When you hear the word “fellowship” what do you think of? Some of us may think “Oh no! I’m going to have to hug somebody!” Some may think “Oh boy! A potluck meal.” Some may have the word “worship” come to mind. We do know for sure that we are to “fellowship” one another. One such passage is Acts 2:42 “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”

There are some who think they don’t need to be around other Christians. But the Bible clearly teaches that we do need one another. We need to fellowship together as we worship our Father. Hopefully you desire to be in fellowship with your brethren whenever possible. But fellowship goes further than just worship. Consider Col. 3:12-14. “Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.”

How do we “bear with each other?” Maybe a better phrase for our day would be “we put up with each other.” We all have faults. We all have problems. Not a single person at Estes has everything together. We often put on a “mask” and try to give the impression that we are not having problems. But if we are in true fellowship with each other we should be able to take off our mask and let people see us as we really are and each can help “bear one another’s burden.”

The new Six2 ministry is just another way we can fellowship with one another and bear one another’s burden. Give it a chance. You will find fellowship and you will find Christians who will help you bear your burdens.

There are so many ways we can fellowship one another at Estes. It can be done through our youth program, nursing home worship service, our visitation program, Bible study on Sunday and Wednesday, inviting members to your home, visiting the sick, comforting the bereaved, and the list could go on and on. Are you in fellowship with your brethren? Are you fellowshipping in worship every chance you get? Are you bearing one another’s burdens? 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, purifies us from all sin.”

–Allen Walker