Biblical Fellowship = participation, sharing

The VoidA longing and feeling of incompletion.

We constantly try to fill this void with worldly things.

We wish that our relationships with God and people were more genuine, intimate, authentic, loving and unified.

The Void

Why do I have this massive longing for genuine relationships?

We were made out of perfect relationship• Genesis 1:26

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

The Trinity (Unity and Diversity)

1. There is one and only one true and living God.• Deuteronomy 6:4

Deuteronomy 6:4

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

The Trinity (Unity and Diversity)

2. This one God eternally exists in three persons – God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.• Mark 1:9-11

Mark 1:9-11

At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

The Trinity (Unity and Diversity)

3. These three persons are completely equal in attributes, each with the same divine nature.• Matthew 28:18-20

Matthew 28:18-20

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Matthew 28:18-20

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

The Trinity (Unity and Diversity)

4. While each person is fully and completely God, the persons are not identical.

We were made for united relationships.(unity not uniformity) -Genesis 2:18

Jesus prays for our unityJohn 17:20-23

Jesus tells us to be baptized in to unityMatthew 28:19

Paul says to fight for unityEphesians 4:1-6

Genesis 2:18

The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

John 17:20-23

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17:20-23

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Matthew 28:19

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-6

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

We were made for united relationships.(unity not uniformity) -Genesis 2:18

The early church shows us an example of unity

Acts 2:42-47

Acts 2:42-47

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Acts 2:42-47

They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

Acts 2:42-47

praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.