I am thankful for the many blessings of the Primitive Baptist Church. I have been privileged to be amongst many wonderful children of God that love His truth. Recently, I have been quite encouraged to see an increase of younger children and families in the church, and even meet some people new to the doctrines of Grace. This is a wonderful blessing from God for which we should be thankful. But along with this rich blessing comes a serious obligation. As our churches grow, both numerically and spiritually, it is our duty to examine the truths contained in the word of God and determine if we are obeying the whole council of God in our worship and our conduct as members of the church. It is also our blessed duty to make sure that each new member understands both the doctrines and the practical teachings of the church. One very important practical issue concerns our relationship and interaction with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

     The purpose of this article is to encourage God's people to strive earnestly to be engaged one with another. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we should be involved with one another beyond the once or twice weekly worship services. Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished on Calvary's cross, we have the honor of being a part of God's family . When the Spirit of God makes us alive, we are unified with one another. The Holy Spirit binds us together as children of God. This, along with being united with a local congregation, provides the basis for fellowship amongst believers. The scriptures teach that the concept of fellowship has been a part of the church from the very beginning.

Acts 2:42 states, "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

     The word fellowship in this verse means a partnership or companionship. This involves more than a precursory knowledge of one another. If you are partners or companions with someone, you know their strengths and weaknesses. You are acquainted with their needs and are willing to assist in whatever way you can in order to secure their success. This should be the relationship of God's people in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We should be actively involved in holding one another accountable to the word of God and bearing one another's burdens as we travel our Christian journey (see Galatians 6:1-2). As brothers and sisters in Christ we are partners and companions in the church. Let us strive to live up to the standard established in the early Church and be actively involved in the lives of those that make up our congregations.

     The Bible provides a guideline for how a body of believers should interact with one another. In Titus 2:1 Paul writes,

"But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:"

     He instructs the minister Titus to speak the truth to his congregation. Verses 2 through 10 outline what Paul deemed "needful teaching" for the congregation in Crete. He encourages the older men to live circumspect, honorable, and moderate lives. They are also admonished to be sound in the faith and charitable in their behavior (v.2). Of the women, he implores that they be not meddlesome, but be teachers of good things (v.3). What are the good things they are to teach? Paul instructs the older women to become partners and companions to the younger women and teach them,

"to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed (Titus 2:2-5)."

     We are now reaping the social consequences of older women neglecting the responsibility of teaching the younger women the principles mentioned above. Today, many women have discarded God's calling to be wives and mothers in their pursuit of material wealth and worldly notoriety. Countless children have missed out on precious time with their mothers during the most crucial time in their lives because women have bought into the myth that satisfaction can be found in the workplace and in a career away from the home. Sadly, this societal problem is the rule rather than the exception in many of our modern churches. It is my prayer that this trend can be reversed through Biblical preaching/teaching and Godly interactions between the older and younger sisters in the church.

     Titus 2 continues the theme of Godly involvement by stating in verses 6-8,

"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

     The sound-minded older men must teach the young men to be sober. They must be an example of proper behavior to their juniors in the church. Many young men of the present generation are living aimless lives. They spend all their time in selfish pursuits and see no needs beyond their own. What is even more tragic is when our young women yoke themselves to one of these young men. Such a man has clearly not yet reached a point of maturity where he can adequately lead and support a wife and family in material or spiritual matters . Sadly, these shallow, rootless unions often lead to broken homes and lives It is discouraging to see young men in our churches who appear to have no spiritual goals towards which they are working, and no guidance in achieving such goals. This is where the older brethren in the church are to exercise partnership and companionship with the younger men and teach them to live sober, grave, and sincere lives. This indeed is sound doctrine for today's church!

     I recall the story of the minister John Fawcett. Brother Fawcett was pastor of Wains­gate Church in Yorkshire Church. He was called to succeed Dr. John Gill as pastor of the much larger, renowned Car­ ter's Lane Bap­tist Church in 1172. As he preached what he expected to be his last sermon before moving to the big church, he and his wife were so moved by the fellowship and love of his former congregation that he cancelled his plans to move and instead stayed at Wainsgate Church. This experience led him to pen the following hymn which so poignantly expresses the Scriptural pattern of fellowship and Godly interactions:

Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

Before our Father's throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one
Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes,
Our mutual burdens bear;
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

When we asunder part,
It gives us inward pain;
But we shall still be joined in heart,
And hope to meet again.

     Much more could be said about Godly interactions amongst members of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to encourage those who are battling sickness, those who need material and physical assistance, and those who are battling the effects of this sin- cursed earth. We need to edify and hold each other accountable through study of the scriptures. We need to lift one another up in prayer. We need to share our burdens, so that together we can bear our burdens. God will bless our churches as we engage in biblical fellowship and interaction with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Submitted in Love ...

March 06, 2006

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Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastor@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church

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