Acts 16:14-15 "Now a certain woman named Lydia heard us. She was a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira, who worshiped God. The Lord opened her heart to heed the things spoken by Paul. And when she and her household were baptized, she begged us, saying, "If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay." So she persuaded us." NKJV
We should fellowship or hang out with people in the church.
Lydia was not saved by good works, but saved in order to do good works.
Once saved, Lydia began to fellowship with other Christians. You see, it is the responsibility of every Christian to be in fellowship with other Christians. Fellowship helps you in your faith, and it will help other believers in their faith.
The Author of Hebrews says, "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, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" Hebrews 10:24-25 NKJV.
The word used for 'stir up' also means to 'provoke'. It is like going to the dentist...stay with me here. When you go for a check-up, the dentist uses a sharp tool to poke around at your teeth, right? It is not until he pokes the one tooth that makes you jump that you discover you've got a cavity. Once you know that you have a problem with your tooth, you can take steps to fix it. It's not pleasant, but it's necessary as it keeps a small problem from turning into a big problem.
Interaction with other believers may not always be comfortable. Someone may see our sore spots - areas where we are weak or where we fail to glorify God. We may even get 'poked' in those spots. Sometimes we are not aware of the sore spot and the 'poking' brings to our attention the need to repent and change. Other times we are covering up the sore spot, and it takes encouragement from a brother or sister for us to make a change. Now, I'm not saying that you should nitpick all your friends until you find something wrong that you can point out to them - not at all! Rather, it's a natural part of fellowship with other believers. Solomon put it this way:
Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron, a friend sharpens a friend." NLT
When you grind two pieces of iron together, you may get sparks, but it's not just one piece of iron that is sharpened; both pieces benefit from the process. Don't ignore this vital part of your Christian walk! I'm probably poking someone in a sore spot right now (poke!).
Dear Father,
Thank You for loving me. Thank You that I am not alone in this Christian walk. Please forgive me for the times when I have neglected fellowship. Please give me a desire to fellowship with my family in Christ. I pray this in Jesus' name, Amen.
