Practical Advantages of Belief in God - Part 12

If you want to find defeated human beings, it isn’t that hard. Some of the most defeated at all are the lonely. Visit an old folks home, or even many of the eldery in our society whose spouses are no longer with them. It isn’t really necessary to only check out older folks. There are millions of young people who aren’t connected in any meaningful way, who spend their evenings in front of tv’s or computers wishing they had companionship.

As stated in the opening paragraph, there are plenty of organizations that offer fellowship as part of membership. Social or community clubs, senior citizen centers, political and charitable organizations, and clubs built around hobbies or special interests are just a few of the choices ouit there.

And honestly, churches don’t always get thispart right. Many of today’s churches are putting a new focus on the idea through the small group movement, but there are those who are still not connected.

12. Fellowship with God, the local church, and the Body. One of the earliest mhods of organizing humans was set up in the first books of Genesis. It is clear from the beginning of the history of the Jews that we were to be part of a related world. In the new testament, Jesus says that the church is His body, and that every one has a part to play. The early church met in homes and broke bread together. They even established something like communes where the economy of the group was the primary economy.

Our need for fellowship starts with fellowship with the creator, God. One thing that you can count on from almost any Christian leader is many mentions per year of our need to be reading the Bible and praying at least an hour a day. Through this reading and prayer time we are supposed to get to know more about our first love. Through our selfless desire to know Him better, we are taught how to have relationships with others.

Most lonely people got that way because they are self-absorbed. It is not that much fun to hang out with a person who only talks about their own issues and never asks you about your life. Sure, some are lonely because they are just naturally shy, but to some extent that also derives from a lack of a normal healthy interest in the lives of others. To cure lonliness, invest in the life of another human being. Yes, there is potential for hurt. You may get rejected, or even after being accepted, get hurt later in the relationship. But there is no hope of ending loneliness until there is some risk taking.

So, Jesus points the way. As a useful member of the body, investing in the lives of others, using your gifts, skills, and experience to impact the lives of others, you will find individuals and groups who will desire relationship with you.

Finally, through your membership in the World Wide Body of the Church of Jesus Christ, you will find fellowship opportunities where ever you go. Almost one in three humans in the world claim Jesus as their savior. So, chances are if you strike up a conversation with three folks on an airplane or sitting at the counter of Denny’s tomorrow, at least one will be a Christian. As to the ones who aren’t, guess you could tell them what they’re missing.

Here is where you can find 13