Blessedness Of Fellowshipping - Pastor Sam Makanju — PASTOR SAM MAKANJU

The hand trons of the word giveth light. It giveth understanding unto the simple. There is a place where the undiluted word of God is shared. Welcome to this prophetic church, where preach and teach the true gospel, we demonstrate the power of the spirit to inspire, equip, and impart believers for the fulfillment of the great commission. Come and worship with us. We are the bonding ones, heirs of a new dawn. And this may the Lord Son Jesus be glorified forever. Amen. Thank you, Father. In Jesus mighty name we are praying. And God's people say: Amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. Once again, I want to welcome everyone of us to. I want to welcome everyone of us to the new uh we that God has given everyone of us to partake in. Today, by the grace of God, we'll be talking on what I called the blessedness of fellowship. The blessedness of fellowship, by the grace of God, we'll be looking at the blessing in fellowship that makes it so important for us as believers to partake therein. Let's go to um Hebrews chapter 10. Let's start from there as we navigate through the scriptures. Hebrews chapter 10 verse 25 I think. Okay, let's let's read from verse um 24. Said and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see this day approaching. You know, prior before this plague, prior before this uh coronavirus epidemic came, the many school of thought that were springing up from the Christian circle in quotes, and their emphasis is that uh going to church or going to a physical place called church is not really much does not really matter. The what is more important is um when we just meet, we can meet online. The moment two or three people are meeting uh that's beautiful. That's okay. And actually they use this scripture to back up that fact that God did not say we should not forsake the assembly. That what God says there was not forsake they are assembling. Now the difference between assembly and assembly. Assembly is a place, assembling is an act. So the point is that they they say that what God is saying is that we must not neglect the act of coming together. And one day I engaged one of them. I said you are shooting yourself in the leg. Because actually if the Lord is saying coming together even though he's not saying we must gather together in a place called church throughout the scriptures there were emphasis upon emphasis on coming together in a physical location. Jesus said we are we are two or three are gathered look at it where That's the place. Two or three are gathered in my name. I am what? I'm there. I'm there in their midst. Online is not a physical place. Thank God for technology and thank God for online meetings. Thank God for online prayer. Thank God for online teaching. But all of us know that you can be cooking and yet be typing amen. Hallelujah. Praise God. Do you understand? You can be you can be eating and typing amen to every prayer. And even those who are living maybe they think you are praying actually you yourself know that you're not praying, you are eating. So the the point is as much as technology is is beautiful, as much as technology is good, it can't take the place of the apostolic instruction of the Garden of the believer. Paul told the the the the the the early believer in first Corinthians chapter five where he was talking about the brother that committed fornication with his father's wife, said anytime that you gather when you gather our spirit is with you. Do you understand? Beautiful online meetings are beautiful. But sir, can I, if our colleagues is strong physically, if probably is a little bit down, can I see that online? Even through video call, we will not be able to decide to to decide. So, there's there's a place of coming together physically and there are many benefits to it. That is not to relegate the place of online meetings. They are beautiful. I I love them. They they they are they are wonderful. But you know, everything that God creates or everything that man creates to glorify God, the devil has his own way of um of hijacking it. That's a problem with online teaching since this day. Now, I was discussing with I don't know where I was discussing with yesterday and I said, it's it creates a kakofoni of of noises. In the long run, you are even confused. Because this teaching aid, this one is teaching be, then you know you are not coming to to your local church and your pastor is teaching C, and you are confused. Say, no, what I what I would like on A is different from what I like on B, and my pastor is teaching C and all of them are situated from the same Bible. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. The reason why one of the reasons why God gave us a physical assembly, a local assembly is not just for gathering only, is for accountability. Say accountability. Accountability. That there there there there there's a place of accountability when it comes to the fellowship of the believer. I swiftly share something in Hebrews chapter 13, Hebrews chapter 13. Let's read verse seven. Said, remember them which have the rule over you, who has spoken unto you the word of God whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah. There there's a place I want to Okay. I want to check. Now, let's now go to verse 17. Verse 17. That obey them that have rule over you. Look at that too. You know, many of the people who are propagating online teaching, who are not getting them go to church, one of the reasons why they don't want to go to a local assembly, is because they don't believe that someone should have a rule over them. Praise the Lord. In the local assembly scripture says remember them that have what? That have a rule over you. Who have spoken unto you the word of God whose faith that is what? Follow. That means God has created look the apostolic pattern, you are not born again, there are people that got placed before you as examples and you follow them. Paul taught the same thing in 1st Corinthians chapter two, he said that entrusts to faithful men who will teach others, that's the apostolic pattern. That's the apostle's apostolic pattern. So for example let's assume that I was apostolic Paul and I and is supposed to Timothy Timothy, he learned things from me. What he learned from me should not just stop there. Paul said imitate me as I what? Imitate Christ. So, it's a pattern. So, as I imitate Christ, you know what? You imitate me, and somebody imitates your callers. So, the pattern of the Christian faith is preserved. Do you know that if you are taking a left leg, I am not taking a left leg, and another is taking left leg, and somebody is following God and taking left leg, that means everybody who is following that pattern, is following the pattern of who? Of Jesus. Please, do you understand? So, the the problem is that we don't want to follow that pattern. Paul said the things you've learned of of me said commit to the end of faithful men who do what? Teach others. That's the apostolic pattern. There are people who God has created to have a rule over the local assembly and their function is to feed the people with the word of God and people should follow their what? Their faith. Whose faith follow considering the end of their conversation. Do you know what you say? What you mean by conversation there? Is their character. The word conversation means a summation of who they are. They are the way of life. Yes, it does that, the way of life. The way of life. Considing their way of life. The word used there is is is um as the same way the word used in 1st Corinthians 15, evil communication corrupts good manners. Do you understand? The evil communication there is not just talk, it's what? Character, character, character. So, he said concerning the end of the conversation, that means when you have people who have rule over you in the local assembly, you look at two things in their life, you look at their faith and what? Their character, the end of their conversation. How they are living their life. Consider it. Then verse 17 in of of Hebrews 13 is said obey them that have rule over you and submit yourselves for the watch for your soul. Look at that. They watch for your soul. That means they are they are accountable to God. So because they'll be accountable over your life you must be accountable to them. They will give back, do you understand? So, people say, you know, uh Christianity is personal. Me, me, I'm born again, is a personal thing. I just love. Christianity has never been personal. There is a personal dimension to it when you get born again. You get born again, personal. But you grow in a local assembly, Hallelujah. Praise God. Do you understand? God did not create any man to be a no name in the Christian faith. There are many anomalies in the body of Christ today. Because they are going to give account. They are going to give account. And Scripture went further and said, let them do it with joy. Continue. Continue at verse 17. Do this so that their work will be a joy. So that their work will be a joy, not a burden. Not a burden. That means someone who has watched over you as a body and someone can watch over you with joy. Um uh pastor said something, something. He said there are members of this church that when he sees their way of life he will just tell you I said, you know what? I can't chase you away from church because God sent you to me. I'm going to pastor you, but you know what? I'm pastor you with yes. So that the members will tell I will tell you, I look at pastor, I'm happy to be your pastor. You know, they are members like that. You are happy to just be their pastor. Why? I love this person. As I'm feeling I, this person is growing. And the members that as you are feeling them, they are getting sicker. Hallelujah. Praise good. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Please, you understand? So, we must understand, let me just first establish that fact that God created a local assembly. And as we are gathering here today, this is a local assembly. Church usually don't even actually mean being in a cathedral, no. In fact, the early church, what is more important to them is the church in the house of glory, the church in the house of so and so and I think once in a month they meet together as a uniform body. So there's nothing wrong with having cell fellowships. If those proponents of breaking down churches are proposing cell fellowship. Oh, I'm beautiful with that. But when they are proposing online fellowship, where your pastor is in America, you are here in Nigeria. And don't you all you meet maybe twice online. He preaches, you hear the word of God. And maybe where you are preaching your sister is beside you, you are kissing, he doesn't know. But you know, I know bro Colis house. I can go to bro Colis house any time. And I can know him, I know. But a person who is in America cannot come down and say, bro Colis, I want to enter your house. So, bro Colis can have a pastor in America and here he's sleeping with one sister beside his house and nobody cares. In fact, nobody knows because nobody can live in him with anybody. Praise the Lord. Do you know the Bible says where you can look on, you know, our generation want to always be an adder that does not have open, and this one I think is very good. because when it and goes to the other side and fall off anywhere, because you don't have something with which you can trace it, you will not find it again. Praise the Lord. God knows that we live in a world that is so fragile, we live in a world that can take away our light. We live in a world that can take away our our consistency. That is why he has placed brethren and his place leaders around us. So, the first blessing of fellowship is accountability, accountability. Accountability. So, God created that we may be accountable to one another. In fact, if you read your scripture very well, I think James, James chapter 5, he went further and says, confess your fault, one to another, and pray one for another. The reason look, the reason for confessing your fault one to another is so that you can so that you can God can forgive you. No, the reason for comfort confession of fault one to another is for accountability. There are times I've come to confess, I said, I think I need to pray. Please, pray for me, pray with me. There was time I was passing through a lot of struggle, I called it and brother, and we did a video we prayed together. The hands on me, and thank God the battle was over. The Bible says in 4, verse 9. He said, is that is that um um uh uh blessed is he that uh let's let's read this together. I I've forgotten how the scripture puts it specifically. Uh 4 verse 9. Two are better than two are good. He said two are better than one, but we have the better reward for their labor. Uh? For if they fall, for if they fall, the one will lift the one will lift up the other. But woe to you is he that is watch. A lone. A lone. When you fall, when you fall. For he has no another to wear. And should I should I shock you? You know, you can be a miss people and yet be alone. For example, if I'm working with Zoya and Caris, I'm a human being. Yes. But if I fall down, am Zoya and Caris picking me up? Do you understand? So, God always created that man, fellow men will work together with people who are as strong as we are, or even stronger than ours. So that they can help us. So, I've proven about accountability, and second how to speak about is helping in time of adversity. One of the function of fellowship is to help us in the day of adversity. To help us in the day of adversity. There's a place of accountability, that means you are accountable, and you can you can you have someone that you look up to, who can check you, who can correct you, who can instruct you. Another thing is that there are times of adversity in the day of every man's life, and you need men and women who can pull you out of that adversity. You need men and women who can raise your hand. Do you know how strong Moses was? Remember that story? When there was a battle, and Moses was lifting up his hand, and any time he lift his hand, what happens? Israel win. And time his hand caused down, his enemies win. He's a man. And because his man, his hands of flesh was feeling him, his hands was getting weak, and yet the scriptures tell us that two men came to his aid, Aaron and Hur. They his hands. They're at his hands. There are times that we need our and all to hold our hands. In days when we are feeling, in days when we are stumbling, in days when we are falling, woe is he that is alone. For when he fall, he has no one to lift him up. You know, you know, very, very good. I was talking with Pastor the other day, many of them don't understand the kind of passion I have to have self- fellowship for all members of the church. And I told them, you know what, it wasn't for just personal gain, I can just say, let's people go home like we did today, and I said no problem. But I wanted for every member, and I said let's let's have 14 ministers, two, two of them to be going around, post posted so that people will not just gather members and go and form their own church. The reason why we are doing this is because I've gotten revelation of what fellowship can do in people's lives and what lack of fellowship can do in people's lives. Have you read your article? I said, even though religion has closed down from functioning, the devil has not grown he has not grown down his which is still meeting. Wizards are still meeting, and yet believers who should meet to pray are no more meeting. Amen. People say, oh, we're praying in our house. Sir, should I shock you? There are times that the the intensity of prayer in your home is not as hot as the one you have when you are, you are some that the one…