“What is the importance of Christian fellowship?”……In order to understand the importance of Christian fellowship, we must first understand what Christian fellowship is and what it isn't. The Greek words translated "fellowship" in the New Testament mean essentially a partnership to the mutual benefit of those involved. Christian fellowship, then, is the mutually beneficial relationship between Christians, who can't have the identical relationship with those outside the faith. ……The mystery and privilege that is Christian fellowship is that it exists because God has enabled it by His grace. Those who believe the gospel are united in the Spirit through Christ to the Father, and that unity is the basis of fellowship. This relationship is described by Jesus in His high-priestly prayer for His followers: …John 17:22-23…22 "I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one.23 I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.

The "perfect unity" He refers to is the oneness that Christians experience in true fellowship, oneness with one another, with Christ and with the Father. Just as the Father is in Jesus, so is Jesus in us, and we have unity with one another because of the uniqueness of that relationship…1 John 1:3…3 We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.…This relationship must be the basis of Christian fellowship. We can have friendships and relationships with unbelievers, but true Christian fellowship can only occur within the body of Christ.…We are united to one another by common beliefs, purposes and goals. Our hearts and minds are "not of this world" because we follow Jesus Christ, who said that His kingdom is not of this world …John 18:36…36 Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."…We know that we are strangers in this world, and we long for the time when we will be in our true home, heaven.……The importance of true Christian fellowship is that it reinforces these things in our mind and helps us to focus on Christ and His desires and goals for us. …As iron sharpens iron we read in proverbs, when there is true Christian fellowship one believer may sharpen another’s faith …Stir one another to exercise faith in love and good works, all to God's glory.…Proverbs 27:17 says exactly that:…17 As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.…There is mutual benefit in the rubbing of two iron blades together; the edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in their task to cut and slice. Likewise the Word of God is a 'double-edged sword' …Hebrews 4:12…12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires.…and it is with this (The Word) that we are to sharpen one another-in times of meeting, fellowship, or any other interaction.……The Proverb also indicates the need for constant fellowship with one another. Man was not made to be alone, for did not the Lord God say this, even before the Fall ?.…Genesis 2:18…18 Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."… How much more, then, after the Fall of Man, do we need to come together with our brothers and sisters in Christ for seasons of fellowship and prayer.… Clearly this was recognized by the saints of the early church …Acts 2:42-47 …42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper. Greek The breaking if bread), and to prayer.43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity(Or and sincere hearts.)…47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.…The result was that they were "filled with awe" and when they met together, they praised God for the favour they found with one another. ……There are two points to make about the above proverb. …First, the meeting of two together in the Lord's name will always guarantee blessing. It is a means of grace that the Lord Himself promised when we gather in His name…Matthew 18:20…20 For where two or three gather together as my followers, (Greek gather together in my name.) I am there among them."…Also, we see a similar meaning in Malachi for those who feared the Lord talked with each other, and the Lord listened and heard…Malachi 3:16…16 Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In his presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared him and always thought about the honor of his name.…When we sharpen one another in real Christian fellowship, the Lord bends an ear from heaven and is pleased. …Not one word about Him which brings Him glory escapes His notice.…The fragrances of divine 'unity' are best sensed in the relationship of David and Jonathan, son of Saul. …When David was being hotly pursued by Saul, Jonathan sought David out "to help him find strength in God" …1 Samuel 23:16…16 Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God.…The second point regarding.…Iron sharpening iron is an opportunity to fulfil the Law of Christ. …The apostle Paul says that we are to carry and share the issues and burdens that we face daily…To lament over personal sin, …Provide advice on how best to repent of it…Rejoice over the conquest of it. …This is the same "royal law" mentioned in James, where we are exhorted to love one another. …James 2:8…8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: "Love your neighbour as yourself."…Returning to the analogy, if a knife is blunt, it still continues to be a knife, although it is less effective, less useful in the Lord's service. …Let us therefore be encouraged to spend more time together, exhorting, encouraging, praying, admonishing, sharing God's Word, praying over God's Word and the needs of our local church, that we become sharper, more cutting in the ministry that the Lord has assigned to each of us. Too often what passes as fellowship in the modern church is centered on food and fun, not on sharpening one another with the Word of God. In far too many instances, the only knives being sharpened are the ones used at potlucks.……Finally, a knife that has been sharpened will also shine more because all the dullness has been rubbed off its surface. Likewise, we will shine better for our Lord if we do the things mentioned above consistently, all of which will unite us in harmony.…Psalm 133:1…1 How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers live together in harmony!…Therefore, as the author to the Hebrews says, …Hebrews 10:24-25…24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Exhorting One Another…Hebrews 3:13 “You must warn (exhort) each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God".… The fascinating word rendered “exhort” (Greek para-kaleo) translated means “comfort,” “beseech,” etc., literally means “call alongside.” …2 Corinthians 1:4…He (God) comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us…Paul’s appeal to Philemon. …Philemon 10…“I appeal to you to show kindness to my child, Onesimus. I became his father in the faith while here in prison". Such words as “desire,” “entreat,” and “pray” are also used. …The unusual importance of the word is pointed up by the fact that its noun form (parakletos) is used as one of the titles of God the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: …John 15:26"But I will send you the Advocate (Comforter, or Encourager, or Counselor)-the Spirit of truth. He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.…Thus, a Christian who is “called alongside” to comfort a sorrowing friend, to beseech a person to do right, or to exhort him to useful action all in the name of Christ, is in effect performing the same type of service on the human level that the Holy Spirit Himself performs on the divine level.…Further, we should do this – whether done in the context of exhorting or comforting or beseeching– to prevent the one to whom he is “called alongside” from being “hardened against God .” And since this is a moment-by-moment danger to the unwary, the ministry of exhortation (or comforting or entreating, as the need may be) is one which must be performed “daily, while it is still today.”

Jesus Christ–Our Hope…

1 Timothy 1:18-19

“Timothy, my son, here are my instructions (charge) for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord's battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked."

Paul had been entrusted with the gospel of Jesus Christ by Christ Himself

1 Timothy 1:1

This letter is from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, appointed by the command of God our Savior and Christ Jesus, who gives us hope.

Paul did not take this fact lightly when it was time to pass on the job of guarding and propagating the truth to others, and then he shows his Gratitude to God for His Mercy in 1 Timothy 1:2,13-16

1 Timothy 1:2 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him,

1 Timothy 1:13-16even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief.Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus.…This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"-and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

1 Timothy 1:15 a trustworthy saying.There are three other "trustworthy sayings" noted by the Apostle Paul (I Timothy 4:9; 2 Timothy 2:11; Titus 3:8), all in the pastoral epistles.

1 Timothy 4:9 This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it.

2 Timothy 2:11 This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him.

Titus 3:8 This is a trustworthy saying, and I want you to insist on these teachings so that all who trust in God will devote themselves to doing good. These teachings are good and beneficial for everyone.

1 Timothy 1:15 I am the worst of them all. Right near the end of a uniquely fruitful Christian life, Paul still considered himself the worst of all sinners .

Earlier he had called himself "least of all the apostles"…I Corinthians 15:9…For I am the least of all the apostles. In fact, I'm not even worthy to be called an apostle after the way I persecuted God's church.

And later again the "least deserving of all God's people"…Ephesians 3:8…Though I am the least deserving of all God's people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.

Following his praise to God for giving him such a function, Paul now “urges" Timothy to follow in his footsteps. The word “cling" finds usage in banking vocabulary and implies a deposit of something of great value.

Timothy was to continue to teach the valuable, life-changing truth of the gospel in love

1 Timothy 1:5…The purpose of my instruction(“charge” or “commandment.”)is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith

The Greek noun parangelia and its corresponding verb paranello appear six times in the book of 1 Timothy, translated as either “charge” or “commandment.” Paul was quite concerned for his young disciple Timothy and went to great effort to remind him of the truth and charge him to keep it and encourage its keeping in the lives of those in his care. Let us briefly look at these charges.

1 Timothy 1:18-19 Timothy, my son, here are my instructions (charge) for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they help you fight well in the Lord's battles. Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.

1 Timothy 6:13-14“And I charge you before God, who gives life to all, and before Christ Jesus, who gave a good testimony before Pontius Pilate, that you obey this command without wavering. Then no one can find fault with you from now until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again".

“When should a Christian try to correct another Christian?”……This can be a delicate subject. It is wise to spend time in prayer first, to check our motivation and ask for guidance. There are times when Christians are called upon to “talk to” or try to correct a fellow Christian. Assuming we are talking about a matter of sin in a believers' life, our motive and intent should always be to bring about repentance and restoration to the erring brother or sister in Christ.……First, our attitude is very important. “Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done” (Ephesians 4:32).

It is then that we are more able to “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

In his epistle to the Galatians, Paul had a similar warning about attitude: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

Here we see that those who are "spiritual," meaning walking in the Spirit in faith and obedience, should gently restore someone who is in sin, being always aware of how easily we can all be tempted by Satan who wants to ensnare everyone in his traps.……The Bible prescribes the procedure for confronting a sinning brother or sister in an extensive passage on church discipline: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’ If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector” (Matthew 18:15-17).

Again, this is the procedure for confronting a sinning brother, not someone whose behavior you feel needs modifying in some way or someone who merely irritates or annoys you. ……On a different slant, one of the most often quoted scriptures is “Judge not, lest ye be judged” (Matthew 7:1 KJV). Taken out of context, the verse has been used to incorrectly justify never taking a stand on anything that would require a judgment to be made. Rather, the verse is referring to hypocritical, self-righteous, unfair kinds of judgment, especially where the confronter is guilty of the same sin as the one being confronted. ……So, when should Christians talk to or try to correct a fellow Christian? When we have talked to the Lord first, have an attitude of submission and concern for the other person, and are committed to following the procedures outlined in His Word for such a situation.