Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet a bible character? I have. Most of the time, it’s a pretty cool scenario. I would love to talk through the Red Sea with Moses. Or what it was like for Joshua to make the sun stand still. Some scenarios are a little more intimidating,
however. Imagine this. What if the Apostle Paul attended church with us at Fellowship this Sunday? How would you feel? I would be filled with much excitement and many questions. At the same time, I would be a little scared. Paul is estimated to have started 14 churches directly.
He wrote 13 books of the 27 in the New Testament. He dealt with more local church matters than I can imagine. So, it makes you wonder, what would stand out to Paul if he came to our church? Ironically enough, throughout Paul’s letters there are two qualities that seem to stick out to Paul. Two qualities that seem rather basic, but that made Paul rejoice when he prayed over these churches. It wasn’t the music, or the facilities, or even the eloquence of the preacher. The qualities that we find in Scripture are faith and love. Notice what made Paul rejoice as he prayed for these churches:

Ephesians 1:15-16 - “Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers…”

Colossians 1:3-4 - “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints…”

I Thessalonians 1:2-3 - “ We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers; Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love…”

II Thessalonians 1:3 - “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth…”

Philemon 1:5 - Hearing of thy love and faith, which thou hast toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints…”

When Paul would pray, he praised God for the church’s faith and love. It seems pretty basic, but they go hand-in-hand and are inseparable to the life and health of a church. This week, we’ll briefly go through the first quality, faith in Christ. What does it mean for the church to have faith in Christ?

It simply means that we share the same faith in regards to our salvation. If you are a Christian, then you have put your trust in the work of Christ to save your soul. You have faith in Christ. The church is a community of people who share in that common faith. This is why the church is such a vital part of the Christian life. Paul rejoiced over the faith in Christ that these individuals lived out through their local congregations. Our faith is personal, yes. But it is not private. Our faith in Christ is lived out and experienced through the life of the local church.

Do we have other things in common? Of course. But that isn’t the central reason we gather. When we gather, fundamentally, we’re exercising our faith in Christ. We gather because we believe in Jesus. We sing because we believe in Jesus. We evangelize because we believe in Jesus. Truly, it is a joyful thing to be a part of a community who share a common faith in Jesus Christ.

However, Paul doesn’t stop at the common faith which we do share, but continues to the love which we ought to share. You see, faith in Christ is ultimately shown by a love for His people. That is what stood out to Paul. We, too, can rejoice when a church not only professes their belief in Jesus but also demonstrates their love for one another. Have you ever been to an awkward family dinner? I have. It’s weird. You walk in and can instantly feel tension underlying the entire meal.

You know that behind the smiles and cordiality, there are some unresolved issues. It doesn’t make the experience enjoyable. In fact, it can spoil the entire meal. Our gatherings experience should never feel like an awkward dinner. Remember, this is directly tied to our faith in Christ. If you were to walk into a church and you could almost cut through the tension with a knife, what would you think? If while you were singing you could feel the unresolved tension, or bitter spirits, or petty attitudes, wouldn’t it make you question whether or not they really believe what they’re singing about? May the love of Christ be so full in our hearts that it simply overflows to one another. After all, isn’t this what Jesus said makes us identifiable to the world? (John 13:34-35)

But how can we do this? What are some practical ways that I can show my love for fellow brothers and sisters at Fellowship? Here are a couple of ways from Paul specifically.

1. Show kindness (Colossians 3:12)
Colossians 3 shows us what things we should “put on” as Christians. One of them is kindness. It’s simple, but sometimes rare. Sometimes, a nice text, a handwritten note, or a word of encouragement can make a big difference in your brother or sister’s life.

2. Choose to forgive (Colossians 3:13)
We are indeed a family, and as is the case in any family, conflict arises. In moments of conflict with a brother or sister, we must remember to forgive. Do not let your flesh feed off of an unforgiving, bitter, or petty attitude. That’s that kind of stuff that tears families apart.

3. Choose to forbear (Colossians 3:13)
This word literally means to sustain or endure. Listen, the truth is, we all need patience with each other from time to time. Sometimes we go to church and find ourselves caught in a conversation we didn’t want to be in. That’s okay. Remember that you’re talking to your sibling in Christ. Perhaps, all they need is someone to listen to. Show your love by being patient, and giving them your attention, and actually caring.

4. Do it all with sincerity
In Romans 12 Paul lists out several ways Christians should treat each other in context of their individual gifts. He begins his list the way I am going to end mine. In verse 9, he says to “let love be without dissimulation.” In other words, let your love be real, genuine, and sincere. God does not want us to simply do loving actions, but have loving affections. He wants genuine love and care to be behind all the things we do for each other. Without love, everything we do becomes empty noise. (I Corinthians 13:1)

Let’s demonstrate our faith this week by demonstrating our love!