Get Connected – Building Relationship

Introduction

You ever done one of those DNA tests where you swab and you send off your DNA and they make up, I mean, they analyze that DNA and send you back a report that tells you your heritage. It may tell you that you’re 10% Scandinavian, 15% German, and 5% Native American. Anybody ever done one of those tests? Raise your hand. Not many, not many. Greg, you may not know it. I did one of those, and they sent it back and said I was a hundred percent awesome. Not many of y’all believe that, I don’t guess.

We feel like that that knowledge gives us some kind of connection, a connection to family, a connection to some kind of home from which we sprang. And we generally speaking are people of connections. We’re people of relationships. We have relationships. We have a multitude of relationships in our lives. And if we think about it, those relationships are really fundamental to our lives. And fundamental to who we are. And because those relationships are every bit of who we are and what we do in this life. And because the scriptures have so much to say about our relationships, the shepherds here have chosen as our theme for this year, get connected, building relationships. And so we want to talk throughout the year about the relationships that we have.

We’re going to look at different relationships and different aspects of those relationships and to see and to encourage each and every one of us that through those God-given relationships and God-governed relationships to encourage us to get connected, to be a part of something, to be an active, thriving part of these relationships. And so this morning we want to start in talking about relationships, and building relationships.

1. At Its Heart, Christianity Is About a Relationship

Christianity involves many different things, but at its core, it’s about a relationship. Christianity is a change of status. The scriptures say that God, being rich in mercy while we were dead in our trespasses and sins, has made us alive together with Christ. So Christianity is a change of status. Christianity is an activity. Jesus said, He that doeth the will of my Father in heaven. So Christianity is an activity. Christianity involves certain rites and rituals upon the first day of the week. But at its heart, the scriptures would have us to know that at its heart, Christianity is about a relationship. That change of status was largely to put us in a relationship. That activity, those rites and rituals are really about enhancing and experiencing a relationship.

So at its heart, Christianity is about a relationship. The scriptures call it fellowship. And that’s what we’re going to talk about this morning is this idea of getting connected in these relationships and building those relationships. And so let’s start with this fundamental premise that Christianity at its heart is about a relationship. You know, the New Testament, Old and New Testament, but the New Testament writers reveal unto us God. To a great extent, that is the purpose of Scripture, I believe, is to simply reveal to us as human beings, to reveal to us our God. Do you remember how John began his gospel in John chapter 1, verse 1? In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. And that God, that word communicated himself to man.

That light shone into darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Later in that chapter, John says, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us. You see, Scripture is revealing to us God. And not just abstractly revealing God, but telling us who God is, telling us about his role, telling us about his eternal plan, telling us about God inserting himself into our existence, all with the divine intent of establishing a relationship with us. A relationship between creator and creation, a relationship between redeemer and redeemed. The God of heaven wants a relationship, wants fellowship with you. Turn over with me into the book of 1 John. John would begin his first epistle much the same way he began by inspiration, his gospel. And he tells us that the goal, the goal of incarnation, of Christ coming in the flesh, of God revealing himself in a most complete way, that one goal of that was a relationship.

In 1 John chapter 1, verse 1 beginning says, that which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, that which we looked upon and our hands have handled concerning the word of life, the life was manifested, and we have seen and bear witness and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and manifested to us, and which we have seen and heard, we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. I believe John speaks for every inspired writer. When he says, We saw, by virtue of the incarnation, we saw God.

We saw him, we heard him.

So that you can experience that as well. So that you can have fellowship along with us. We have a fellowship with God, John says, because we saw him, we heard him speak, and you can share in that fellowship with us by our words. Purpose of the incarnation was a relationship. God wanted a relationship with his people.

2. The Goal of Obedience Is a Relationship

The goal of obedience is a relationship. Keep reading in 1 John 1. And in verse 5, it says, this is the message that we have heard from him and declare to you that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. The first four verses, he says, God came in the flesh so that we could have fellowship with him, that we might have a relationship with him. The next few verses of chapter 1, going into chapter 2 tell us that the goal of obedience is so that we can have a relationship with God.

If we walk in the light, and John will go on to describe powerfully that that means doing God’s will. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. That means I can have fellowship with God if I walk in the light. And so is Christianity about obedience and following commands? If it is, it’s about following those commands so that I can be in a relationship with my God.

That’s why Paul, the Apostle Paul would speak of his work of preaching the gospel. He would refer to it as the ministry of reconciliation. Reconciliation just simply means a restored relationship. Or a restored fellowship. Reconciliation. Reconciliation on a personal level so that my lost relationship, my broken fellowship with God might be restored through the gospel, but also the reconciliation of God’s original plan as seen in the Garden of Eden. That a fellowship and a relationship would be the essence of what God wants of his people. In fact, relationship or fellowship is so fundamental to the concept of Christianity and of all the scripture that a break in that fellowship, a break in that relationship is spoken of in the most drastic terms of death. That apart from God, we are dead.

That’s how fundamental to Christianity is the concept of a relationship.

Now it bears emphasizing here that that does not mean that there are not rites and rituals that must be observed. That does not mean that there aren’t commands that must be followed, even sometimes strictly followed, but what it does emphasize is that all of that revolves around and is because of a relationship. Let us never allow our Christianity to be just some cold, lifeless going through rituals, just checking off boxes of fulfilling commands, without seeing and understanding how every part of that relates to a relationship that God wants and will have with his children. At the heart of Christianity is a relationship. And that relationship that the scriptures call fellowship creates other core relationships.

3. What Is a Christian? Part of the Body

What is a Christian? What is a Christian? What does it mean to wear that name, appropriately wear that name, and to appropriately live the life of a Christian? You and I recognize that the term Christian or Christianity is used and applied very loosely in our world today. And so let’s peel away all of that and get back to its true biblical understanding. What is a Christian? And when viewed properly through the lens of Scripture, we recognize that being a Christian is about a relationship, a life-changing relationship that trickles down and affects every other relationship that I have. And not only trickles down and affects every other human relationship that I might have, but by its very nature, it creates a relationship that otherwise did not exist.

And that’s this fellowship that we experience here. That a relationship that was made out of none exists because we all share that fundamental core at its heart relationship that is Christianity. And that’s what binds us together. And if relationships are at the heart of Christianity and so fundamental to being what a Christian is, I’m forced to ask myself this heart-probestion. If I don’t have those relationships, am I truly a Christian? If I do not have that relationship with God, and by connection that relationship with brothers and sisters who share that fellowship with God, can I truly call myself a Christian? Look over to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. The Bible speaks of Christianity almost always in terms of relationship. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, as the apostle did earlier in Romans chapter 12, speaks of this relationship as the body.

That the church, which is nothing more than Christians, viewed in the collective, that the church is the body of Christ. And understand this, that the terminology in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, and wherever else we might find it that refers to the church as the body of Christ is not some corporate organizational structure. That when the scriptures speak of the church as the body of Christ, it is speaking of work that we do together and a relationship that we sustain with other parts of the body and equally with our head, who is Christ. This is not some corporate structure that we’re talking about. This is unity and this is relationship. Look in the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and in verse 12, it says, For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ.

The point of that is being a part of a body is that you’re a part of something. Something that is uniquely singularly one. You’re a part of something. In a word, it’s talking about relationships. If we don’t get that from the illustration itself, the apostle goes on, skip down to 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and in verse 25. He says that there be no schism or no division in the body. You see, there’s unity, the oneness there. That there be no division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffer, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually.

When Paul uses this illustration in Romans chapter 12, he talks also about when one member suffers, but he speaks of it as a command. Weep with those that weep. Rejoice with those that rejoice. But here in 1 Corinthians 12, he doesn’t speak of it in terms of a command. He speaks of it almost in terms of just the natural byproduct. When one member suffers, all will suffer. That demands a relationship. That demands a connectivity, that the natural result is going to be that what you feel, to some degree I’m going to feel and experience because we have that close of a bond and relationship to one another. You don’t need Paul’s illustration. You don’t need some illustration that I might invent. Here’s your illustration of the body and how that when one member suffers, they all suffer because they are so inextorably connected together.

When you leave the building this morning, go into the parking lot and open the door of your car and insert your hand and slam the door shut. Your hand will suffer. But the rest of your body will join in.

4. The Most Common Description Is the Family

Members can’t help but suffer. That’s what it means to be a part of a body. But that’s not the most common description of Christians viewed together. As powerful and as meaningful and as relational as that illustration is, that’s not the most common one, is it? By far the most common description of us together in our relationship is the family. Jesus said in Matthew chapter 12 that if you obey my commandments, you’re my family. He said, My brothers and my mother and my father, you’re my family, Jesus said. That speaks of a relationship. Now I recognize here that not everybody had a good role model when it comes to that. Maybe your family was a far cry from anything God would use as a positive illustration in speaking of family.

Your family may have put the dysfunction into dysfunctionality.

But recognize when Jesus says, You’re my family, when the scriptures speak of us as being a family, it speaks of it in the ideal. Of what a family at its best ought to be and is. And so if you had that idyllic little house on the prairie, leave it to beaver family experience growing up, then you have a perfect role model of what the scriptures speak of. But if your family upbringing was a far cry from that, you have a do over as to what a true family could be. Look in the book of 1 Peter chapter 3, and we see that familial language used and applied to us in this relationship. After having just talked about the family, wives and husbands, in verses 1 through 7 of 1 Peter chapter 3, in a segue, he says now in verse 8 of 1 Peter 3, finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers.

5. Relationship to God, Relationship to One Another

Be tenderhearted, be courteous. That’s the family. It might not have been your family, but that’s this family as it ought to be. Compassionate, tender hearted, loving as family, as brothers who are in this relationship because we’re in the mutual relationship with God. And so everything else that can be described in being a part of Christian relates to this relationship. Look over in Hebrews chapter 10. Even the most basic and fundamental aspects of Christianity all relate to this relationship. Hebrews chapter 10. Look beginning in verse 19. He says, Therefore, brethren, therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way, which he consecrated for us through the veil, that is his flesh, and having a priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, as so much so as you see the day approaching.

Not forsaking this assembly. Why? But exhorting one another, considering one another.

Relationship to God, relationship to one another.

6. Get In, Appreciate and Enhance This Relationship

And so as we make our theme this year, building relationships and getting connected. Let’s begin with these action points. How do I do that? What am I to do? If Christianity, and it is, by the way, if it’s about relationships, then what do I do? First of all, let’s start at the most basic ground level. Get in this relationship. If you do not have that relationship, if you do not have that fellowship with God, with Jesus Christ, then get in that relationship today. We’ll have more to say about that at the close. Right before we sing that song. Get in that relationship. Get in this relationship. Establish that relationship. Find your roots. Get connected to where you need to be. And then, secondly, appreciate this relationship.

Spend time in prayer, spend time in the scriptures, spend time meditating about the relationship you should have and hopefully do have with God and one another, and appreciate that. Glory in it. That you can have that fellowship that He is in every sense, in every beautiful, idyllic sense, He is your Father. And men, do whatever you can to work at enhancing these relationships. How can I be closer to God? Real concrete step. What can I do to be closer to God? Is that possible? And if it is possible, what do I do to get there? And in this relationship, how do I get closer to you? How can I build and enhance this relationship that we’re to have? Because if you are my family, that comes with it certain obligations.

Conclusion

And how can I enhance? How can I be closer to you? And so we’ll be exploring those concepts of how to get in this relationship. To truly value and appreciate it and then enhance it. I told you we’re going to talk about getting in this relationship. You don’t have this relationship with God, this fellowship with your Father that has been broken, not because of his unwillingness to heal and to hear and to save, but because of our sins and our iniquities. But you can be forgiven. Would you believe that gospel? Would you repent of your sins? Confess your faith before this good audience this morning and be baptized for the remission of your sins. And guess what that does? That puts you in a relationship, that change of status from lost to saved, puts you in a relationship with God.

You’re in the light because He is not just in the light, He is that light. Would you get in that relationship today? Maybe you’ve broken that relationship. Maybe, like the prodigal son, you have left the Father’s house. Why not restore or allow God to restore that relationship this morning? If we can help you in getting connected in those relationships this morning, then let it be known right now as together we stand and as we sing.