What Keeps Us Together?

Many of you, or at least some of you have heard the story now of a party that I went to when I was in my fourth year of university.

And I went to a party, and at the time I was in love with Louise, and she wasn't in love with me.

And I went to this party, and Louise was at the party, but I didn't go to the party with Louise or come home from the party with Louise.

I went with Tom, and he's a great guy, but he wasn't Louise.

And after the party, as I was going home with Tom, we were walking, we sort of lived near each other, and we walked good ways together.

I said to Tom, Tom, I really like Louise, but I think she's too good looking to go out with a guy like me.

And Tom said, George, you're right.

She's way too good looking to go out with a guy like you.

Every time I think about that story, I think, isn't it amazing that he went into counseling?

And I think he's probably good at it now.

And, you know, many of us can look at couples, and you say to yourself, like, how on earth do those two get together?

Like, what keeps them together?

What is that magic or whatever that keeps them together?

They just seem to be so different.

You know, if we were to keep a little list of everybody who came to St. Albans today, and then tomorrow we were to interview them all,

I mean, you know, there are people in this church, and I know this, there are people in this church who think the NDP aren't probably left-wing enough.

And I know that there's people in this church who think the conservatives are wusses and should be far more conservative.

And, you know, if you were to line us all up, and all of a sudden you'd see that, you know, we differ in politics, we differ in marital status, we differ on children, a number of children, we differ in sexual orientation, we differ in education, we differ in race and culture, in sickness and health.

And so, you know, I mean, if you're not going to be a person, we differ in life, we differ in life.

And I think, you know, how on earth do those guys ever stay in the same room?

Like, what on earth actually keeps them together?

It just doesn't seem to make any sense.

Just like for some couples.

I think they'd say this about St. Albans, that they actually talked to us beyond these things.

And the answer is, and hopefully, you know, there's lots of bad things that keep different people together,

but for Christians, there's something really good which keeps us together.

And it's the second of the four marks of the church.

Those of you maybe who are here this week for the first time, we've been looking for basically for four weeks,

we've looked time and time again at this text which my son Tosh read,

like sort of going right back to that early snapshot of what the church is like and what it's to be like.

And in verse 42, we see the four marks of a church which is formed by the gospel

and upon which the Holy Spirit has fallen, in other words, a true church.

And the four marks are that they are devoted to the apostles' teaching.

And we understand that now to mean, of course, New Testament teaching and biblical teaching

as understood through the New Testament with Christ as Savior and Lord,

gospel-hearted, New Testament teaching, devoted to the apostles' teaching,

devoted to koinonia, or fellowship it's translated, I think, here in our Bible,

devoted to the Lord's Supper, which is more than just a ritual,

but also involves the deep remembering of Jesus' death and resurrection upon the cross,

and fourthly to the prayers.

And today, we're going to look at the second mark of the church

because it's in fact koinonia in a good church which keeps such different people together.

Koinonia is a spiritual reality which generates a common life.

Koinonia is a spiritual reality which generates a common life.

Devotion to koinonia is a devotion to a common message, a common mission, a common life,

common boundaries, all flowing from a living communion with the living God,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Right?

It is a spiritual reality which generates a common life.

Koinonia is a devotion to a common message, a common mission, a common life,

common boundaries, all flowing from a living communion with the living God,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Today, my sermon is going to be a little bit different from my usual sermons.

I'm not going to exposit one text, but I'm going to look at several texts

which help us to understand this mark of the church, which is koinonia.

And koinonia is really important.

You know, without koinonia, New Testament study can just become arrogant, proof-texting.

Liturgy can become just something that we have huge wars over.

The Lord's Supper can be merely a boundary which marks our group versus your group.

We won't allow your group to have the Lord's Supper with our group.

And all of these things can become quickly and utterly deformed without this lifeblood of koinonia,

which is a spiritual reality which generates a desire and a drive and a forming of a common life.

And so let's open your Bibles and turn first to 1 John 1, verse 3.

1 John 1:3

Very tiny little book towards the back of your Bible.

And if you're using the Pew Bibles, it's on page 1054.

Page 1054.

And John chapter 1.

John 1 · chapter mention

And it's verse 3, which is what I want to really focus.

But I'm going to give you the couple of verses before and after so you have a little bit of the context.

Page 1054, 1 John chapter 1.

1 John 1 · chapter mention

But by the way, if, you know, many other Sundays we say an ancient creed.

Today we sang a wonderful short creed.

But in the creed, we say we believe in the communion of saints, the koinonia of saints.

And in fact, the word koinonia is one of the most common New Testament words.

Sometimes it's translated as communion.

Sometimes it's fellowship.

Sometimes as partake.

Sometimes it's participation.

Sometimes it's sharing.

And there's, what was the sixth word?

The sixth word will come to me later on.

Oh, partnership is the sixth word.

And so we can miss the fact that it's the same word time and time again.

But listen to 1 John.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,

which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, concerning the word of life.

Just pause there for a moment.

He's talking about Jesus, who has been from all eternity the second person of the Trinity.

And counter to the thought of the day, which thinks that God is distant, distant, distant, distant, distant,

and could never, ever, ever, ever come and walk amongst us.

John has just said in very, very powerful ways.

That which was from the beginning, the second person of the Trinity, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes,

which we have 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 was manifested to us.

That which we have seen and heard, we declare to you that you also may have koinonia with us.

And truly, our koinonia is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

You see, koinonia flows first from responding to the apostles' message that God has sent his Son, Jesus,

to be the Savior of the world.

And the really spectacular news is that he came to be your Savior and he came to be mine.

And so koinonia begins when we hear the message of the apostles, the message of the Bible,

that there is a Savior who loves you, who has died upon the cross for you,

has risen from the dead and conquered sin and death and hell and hostile spiritual powers.

And he is conquered, not as a lonely victor, but he is conquered so that you can share in his triumph.

And we hear this message and we respond to love in love and trust and obedience.

And what happens is that we have koinonia with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

That means mere mortals, pillars of dust formed by a soul,

people who struggle with mortgages and with temptation and sickness and death.

You have said yes to Jesus and you got more than just Jesus loving you.

You now actually participate in and taste and live in the very life of God.

Isn't that the most amazing thing in the world?

Pillars of dust formed by a soul,

people with bad knees and bad credit ratings and all of those things,

that through Jesus you actually are brought into the very, very life of God

and can begin to taste that and know that.

And you are invited to have that become more and more a part of your life.

It is a living reality.

And the word here is that you and I are in koinonia,

a communion, a participation, a sharing,

a dwelling in the very life of the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

And through responding to the gospel message,

the message of the apostles,

and saying yes to this message,

and all of a sudden discovering or beginning to discover

that God, in fact, has granted you vastly more

than you had ever begun to understand

when you first heard an inkling of the person of Jesus Christ.

And at the same time,

it is because we have responded to the gospel,

have entered into the very life of God,

that we also have koinonia with one another.

Listen to the verse of Scripture,

that that which we have seen and heard,

verse 3,

we declare to you,

why?

That you also may have koinonia with us.

And truly, our koinonia is with the Father

and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Koinonia is a spiritual reality

which generates a common life.

It is a devotion to a common message,

a common mission,

a common life,

common boundaries,

all flowing from a living communion

with the living God,

the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

Spirit.

Isn't that the most amazing

and wonderful thing in the world?

Let's look at the second text.

It's Philippians chapter 1,

Philippians 1:5

verses 5 and 7,

but once again,

we'll read around it

to give you a little bit of the context.

And for those of you using the pew Bibles

in the church,

it's page 1016.

Page 1016.

And it's verses 5 and 7,

both have this word fellowship

or koinonia.

And here's what,

I'll begin reading at verse 3

just to give you the context.

I thank my God

upon every remembrance of you,

always in every prayer of mine,

making request for you all with joy,

for your koinonia in the gospel

from the first day until now,

being confident of this very thing,

that he who has begun

a good work in you

will complete it until the day

of Jesus Christ.

Just as it is right for me

to think this of you all,

because I have you in my heart,

inasmuch as both in my chains

and in the defense

and confirmation of the gospel,

you are all koinonia

with me of grace.

For God is my witness,

how greatly I long for you all

with the affection of Jesus Christ,

and this I pray,

that your love may abound

still more and more

in knowledge and all discernment,

that you may approve

the things that are excellent,

that you may be sincere

and without offense

till the day of Christ,

being filled with the fruits

of righteousness

which are by Jesus Christ

to the glory and praise of God.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

Listen to this again.

You see, it's a spiritual reality.

It's a real communion

with the living God,

but it is more than that.

This living communion

with the living God

generates a desire

for a common mission

and common message

and a common life

and a common work

which is being involved.

It's in a sense this desire

not only to know Jesus.

If you go in and read Philippians,

he wants to know Christ

and he wants to share

in his sufferings

and he urges them

to participate

in his mission

and in his ministry

and it's this sense

that God is at work

in the world,

Jesus is building his church

and when we are

in communion with God,

we have this desire

to be part of that action,

to be part of Jesus

building his church,

God being at work

in the world

through the proclamation

of the gospel

and people entering

into God's family

through adoption,

by grace alone,

through faith alone,

in Christ alone.

Verse 5,

for your fellowship,

your koinonia in the gospel

from the first day until now.

You see,

they have a koinonia

in the gospel message,

in the proclamation

of the gospel.

Verse 7,

I have you in my heart

inasmuch as both

in my chains

and in the defense

and confirmation

of the gospel.

You are all,

you all are koinonia

with me of grace.

You see,

this spiritual reality

of communion

with the living God

generates within us

this desire

to be involved

in mission,

common mission

and common proclamation

of the gospel message

and a common life.

You know,

it's what,

it's what drives us

to be interested

in Matthew Hoskin

in Cyprus

or other missionaries

or the work of Katrin

amongst the street poor

or the work of Jill

amongst the university students

or thinking of other ways

that we can be involved

in the extension

of the gospel

and what's going on

in Nigeria

and what's going on

in the Arctic

and it's a spiritual reality

which generates within us

this desire

to know of

and to participate in

and to further

this,

the message,

the mission

and this common life.

But there are boundaries.

There are boundaries.

Our age has this

ambivalence

about boundaries.

But this,

there's boundaries.

Let's turn to a,

sort of a dark passage

in 1 Corinthians chapter 10

1 Corinthians 10:16–21

verses 16 to 21.

There's a warning here.

1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:16–21

verses 16 to 21.

We're going to begin

at verse 14.

It's on page 993

if you're using

the Pew Bibles.

This text,

as you turn there

to page 993,

1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:14

verse 14 and following,

you know,

this text sort of

opens up to us

for a moment

that the Bible

has a different view

of what it means

to be human

than our culture has.

and it's almost

as if you think

of an hourglass

and in some ways

an hourglass

is biblically speaking

what a human being

really is.

Our culture

tends to think

of us as being

that little tiny

joining part

in an hourglass.

But this,

the Bible

constantly pushes us

to sense

that really,

even though,

I mean,

it's that little

tiny part

in an hourglass

that we see,

that little center part,

that's what we see

walking around,

but that if in a sense

we were to be able

to have God glasses

or biblical glasses

that we would see

that every human being

is not just in a sense

the little center part

in an hourglass,

but that because

we are

enfleshed

souls,

souls

that have

a body,

an embodied soul,

we would see

that in a sense

just speaking

figuratively

and literally

that in a sense

opening out

from us

is that every human being

is open

to these realities

and spiritual realities

which are far,

far bigger than us.

that there's in a sense

within every human being

whether it's denied

or whether it's

pursued in wrong ways

that in fact

we open up to,

there's an openness

in every human being

to these spiritual principles

and realities

which are just vastly

bigger than us.

You see,

one of the reasons

why Christians reject

almost all of the ethics

that you'd have described

in the Citizen

and the National Post

and they're all basically

utilitarian,

some type of utilitarian

measuring,

you know,

pleasure and pain

and harm

and lack of harm

that's caused

to other human beings

physically,

it completely and utterly

denies,

completely and utterly

evades the fact

that human beings

are fundamentally

open to spiritual realities

which are vastly

bigger than them

and that can be

pursued wrongly

and can be damaged

and can be

just completely

and utterly wrecked.

And at the same time

human beings

are not funnels,

the narrow part

at the bottom

just opening up

to the spiritual thing

but the fact of the matter

is that beneath us

we are completely

and utterly rooted

in creation.

That there is in fact

something within us

which is akin to

the rocks

and the trees

and the wind

and that some of us

as we get older

we become aware

of the fact

that gosh,

you know,

that nose

has been handed down

from father to son

to father to son

for generations,

you know,

and the eyebrows

or other types

of things

and that we're

part of this

huge genetic

and physical

bigness

and this text

sort of points

to that

with something.

1 Corinthians 10

1 Corinthians 10:14

verse 14

Oh, just one other thing.

Therefore, my beloved,

flee from idolatry.

There's two great messages

in 1 Corinthians,

two things that we are

to flee from.

We are to flee

from porneia

which is

anything which departs

from faithfulness

and heterosexual marriage

or sexual abstinence

and singleness.

We are to flee

from anything

that takes us

from that

and we are to flee

from idolatry.

It's the two great messages

of fleeing

in the book

of 1 Corinthians

and this text

begins with one of those

flee,

flee from idolatry.

I speak to you

as wise men and women,

judge for yourselves

what I say.

The cup of blessing

which we bless,

is it not

the koinonia

of the blood

of Christ?

The bread which we break,

is it not

the koinonia

of the body

of Christ?

For we,

being many,

are one bread

and one body,

for we all,

and here the word

isn't koinonia,

I'm going to say koinonia,

but it's a synonym

for koinonia,

for we are all

koinonia

of that one bread.

Observe Israel

after the flesh.

Are not those

who eat of the sacrifices

koinonia

of the altar?

What am I saying then?

That an idol

is anything

or what is offered

to idols

is anything,

but I say

that the things

which the Gentiles

sacrifice,

they sacrifice

to demons

and not to God,

and I do not want

you to have

koinonia

with demons.

You cannot drink

the cup of the Lord

and the cup of demons.

You cannot

koinonia

of the Lord's table

and of the table

of demons,

or do we provoke

the Lord to jealousy?

Are we stronger

than he?

You see,

this on one level

says that this ability

of koinonia,

that in a sense,

it's talking about

something which is human.

On one level,

it's something human,

which is that,

you know,

that's why I was saying

about there's,

in a sense,

out of the top of us

that there's this ability

to participate in

and be influenced

by spiritual realities

that are bigger than us.

And so it is possible

for us

to have a communion

with things

that are bigger than us

and that are fallen

and that are in rebellion

against God

and are in complete

and utter denial

of the gospel.

And Christians

are ones who have responded

to the gospel message.

By responding

to the gospel message

are in a living relationship

with Almighty God.

There is now

a spiritual reality

which generates

within us a common life.

There is a devotion

to koinonia,

is a devotion

to a common message,

a common mission,

a common life,

and common boundaries

all flowing

from a living communion

with the living God,

the Father,

the Son,

and the Holy Spirit.

There are things

that we can be open to.

There are things

that can bring us together

which are in rebellion

against God

and we are to have

nothing to do with them.

There are to be boundaries.

The fact of the matter is

that there are,

in the history of the church,

we can think of

countless things

that have brought

Christians together.

They have been brought

together by racism,

by prejudice,

by hatred,

by social class,

by elitism.

They have been brought

together by a despising

of the poor

or a despising

of the rich,

by mere tastes

in music

or mere tastes

in liturgy,

by race,

by ethnicity,

by war,

and by...

There have been

many things

that have brought

Christians together.

Many things

that have brought

Christians together

and we are not

to be brought together

by these things.

We are to forsake

these things

and forswear

these things

that, in fact,

the wonder of the gospel

is that God invites us

regardless of our race,

our poverty,

our wealth,

our education,

our gender,

our sexual orientation,

that Jesus comes

to every human being

and invites us

to come to him

and he receives us

as his own

and that when he receives

us as his own,

we enter into this

living communion

and fellowship

with Almighty God

and once that happens

there is a spiritual reality

which is to take place

in us,

which is to generate

a common life

and that common life

is to be marked

by all of a sudden

the relativizing of race,

the relativizing of class,

the relativizing of education,

the relativizing of gender,

the relativizing of all

of these things

that there is,

in a sense,

a push past

these boundaries

that are not to be things

which unite us.

We are to be united

by the message of the gospel,

by entrance into a common life

with God

and so there are to be boundaries.

We are to forswear

or forsake

any type of communion

that opens us up

to that which is not God,

to that which is

in rebellion against God,

to that which is

antithetical to God

or a denial to God

or to the message

of the gospel,

the mission

of Jesus Christ

in the world.

We are to forswear that.

One text,

very briefly,

before we leave this,

it's in 1 John again,

it's just after the part

that we read

at the very beginning,

it's the other classic text

on this.

1 John,

1 John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1,

and it's sort of the rest

of that first chapter.

If you're using your pew Bibles,

it's on page 1054.

1054.

And here we're looking

at 1 John,

that's verse 6 and 7,

but we'll begin reading

at verse 5.

Page 1054,

1 John,

1 John 1:5–10

chapter 1,

verses 5 through 10.

This is the message

which 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

koinonia

with Jesus

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 koinonia

with one another

and the blood

of Jesus Christ,

his son,

cleanses us

from all sin.

If we say

that we have no sin,

we deceive ourselves

and the truth

is not in us.

If we confess

our sins,

he is faithful

and just

to forgive us

our sins

and to cleanse us

from all unrighteousness.

If we say

that we have not sinned,

we make him a liar

and his word

and his word

is not in us.

Here we see

once again

that we are not

to have koinonia

with darkness

but only with light.

We are not

to have koinonia

which proclaims

a false gospel

or an antithetical gospel.

We are not

to be united

by class

or by institution

that koinonia

is responding.

It develops

from responding

to the gospel message.

It creates

a spiritual reality

which generates

a common life

and there is

a devotion

to a common message,

a common mission,

a common life,

common boundaries

all flowing

from a living communion

with the living God,

the Father,

the Son

and the Holy Spirit.

You know,

one of the things

which we have been

looking at

over the last few weeks

as we draw to a close

is that the church

is learning

you know,

in Acts chapter 2

Acts 2:46

verse 46

the church is learning

to live large

and live little.

Koinonia

is what

in a sense

generates a desire

for Christians

to live large.

It's what

generates Christians

to say

I'm not supposed

to be alone

I should be part

of a church.

It's what generates

a desire

not only to be part

of a little church

here in the corner

of King Edward and Daly

but to also be

in some type

of common life

with other Christians

in the denomination

and other Christians

across denominational boundaries.

Koinonia

is that mark

of the church

that spiritual reality

which generates

this desire

to live

the Christian

life large

and to think

big.

And it's also

that

which generates

within a Christian

the desire

of a church

and the desire

of a Christian

to learn

how to live little.

It's what

pushes us

to say

how can we

make our families

Christian?

How can we

make our marriage

Christian?

How can we

find spiritual

friendship?

How can we

find those

little gatherings

where we gather

together in prayer?

You know

maybe it's just

you and some

people who all

work near each other

who decide

you're going

to get

to work

a few minutes

early

and spend

half an hour

in the cafeteria

over a cup of tea

and a cup of coffee

and maybe share

one Bible verse

and share a couple

of things in your life

and then quietly

try to pray

or maybe it's

a more formal

Bible study

or a more formal

teaching session

but it's

koinonia

this spiritual reality

which generates

a desire

for a common life

the desire

for a common life

is both living

large

and living little

it's that part

within us

which says

I need

Christian friends

I need a small

group where people

know my name

like I have to

confess to you

you know

it's

I have to confess

that you know

over the last

it's funny

you know

on one level

I want to confess

and apologize

to you folks

last time I talked

to the wardens

about it

said you know

George don't

apologize for

these things

you know

part of what

God has called

you to do

right now

is to be involved

with some of

these big things

that are going

on in the

Anglican church

you know

and I just

I'm so grateful

that you folks

have blessed me

and released me

and you're patient

for me

as I spend time

in some of

these things

with the continuing

crisis

but you know

we have to

get out of the

way

so Koinonia

can work

in your desire

to find

to live

the little

Christian life

as well as

the large

Christian life

and we have

different Bible

studies and groups

open that you

guys can come

to but if you

say you know

George I don't

feel like coming

downtown

I'd like to do

something in

Manor Park

or I don't

want to come

downtown

I want to do

something in

Kanata

or George

I don't want

to do that

I want to get

something going

right in the

center of Ottawa

we're all going

to get together

a little bit

earlier at the

Starbucks

you just tell us

and you come

alongside with us

and you help us

because in fact

the mark of the

church is not

only gathering

around apostolic

teaching

it's not only

gathering around

the Lord's

Supper and

remembering Jesus'

death and

resurrection upon

his resurrection

it's not only

the prayers

it is also

koinonia

a spiritual

reality which

generates a

common life

this common

life is living

large and

living little

it is a

devotion to a

common message

a common

mission

a common

life

not that we

all live

identical

not that we

become clones

but that in

our difference

in our

idiosyncrasies

in our

uniqueness

that we

learn to

live a

life

common

and together

with bonds

of affection

and with

friendship

and with

helpfulness to

each other

and peaceableness

with common

boundaries

all flowing

from a living

communion

with the

living God

the Father

the Son

and the Holy

Spirit

let us pray

Father we

give you

thanks and

praise

that you

do not

want us

to all be

clones

and all

be uniform

and identical

you don't

care if we

all

in fact

Father we

probably

you know

given that

you've made

every snowflake

different

you would

probably be

offended if

we all

dressed

identical

or combed

our hair

the same

way

we thank

and praise

you Father

that you

are a God

who loves

difference

and loves

uniqueness

and Father

we thank

and praise

you for

that

and that

you will

keep us

in our

uniqueness

we thank

you Father

at the same

time that

the healing

authority of

your Son

Jesus

and the

healing

authority of

your Holy

Spirit

will bring

healing to

brokenness

and darkness

and sin

in our

lives

we thank

and praise

you that

you lead

us to a

common life

with others

who are

different

but who

have also

come to

your Son

Jesus

Christ

Father may

your Holy

Spirit

fall afresh

upon this

church

that

koinonia

might truly

mark us

and that

we might

live large

and live

little

for your

glory

in Jesus

name

Amen

and

glory