2. LESSON TWO Healthy Churches Offer Loving Fellowship

3. 10 Common Qualities of Healthy Churches Volume 1: 1. Offer Consistent Bible Truth 2. Offer Loving Fellowship 3. Make Prayer the Priority 4. Trust God to Do Supernatural Things 5. Maintain Unity

4. 10 Common Qualities of Healthy Churches Volume 2: 1. Develop a Culture of Generosity 2. Offer Excellent Large Group Worship 3. Create Small Group Relationships 4. Impact Their Community in Positive Ways 5. Welcome New People into Their Church Family

5. Key Truth: A healthy church inspires, creates and nurtures a sense of true community among its members where they share life together on a number of levels. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread…” Acts 2:42

6. “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25.

7. Exploring the Principle: Christian fellowship creates a sense of COMMUNITY.

8. 1.God Himself EXISTS in community. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…’” Genesis 1:26

9. 2. God CREATED community. “The LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’” Genesis 2:18

10. 3. The ISRAELITES established community. “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:2-3

11. 4. Jesus MODELED community. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

12. The Focus of FELLOWSHIP

13. We have a RESPONSIBILITY to other Christians. The Focus Fellowship

14. Christian community = God’s FAMILY The Focus Fellowship

15. Christian communities are DIFFERENT but SIMILAR. The Focus Fellowship

16. Everyone in Christian community has a RESPONSIBILITY to each other. The Focus Fellowship

17. “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Galatians 6:10

18. The Bible describes some of our responsibilities to other Christians: 3. Forgive each other (Colossians 3:13) 2. Pray for each other (James 5:16) 1. Carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2) 4. Be kind to each other (Ephesians 4:32) 5. Encourage each other (1 Thessalonians 5:11) 6. Be accountable to each other (James 5:19-20) 7. Love each other (1 John 4:7) 8. Serve each other (Galatians 5:13)