Gathering

If the church were a tree, the roots are koinonia—the complete fellowship of the Trinity in Whose image we are made. The trunk is ekklesia—gathering around a common purpose. The branches are what we do to expand and deepen our fellowship, and the fruit is all the results. Series: Authentic Faith: The Church Speaker: John Pryor Notes: Authentic Faith means: 1) Faith that is placed in something that is true and real 2) What you truly believe and live by “Our lives are like trees.” - Danielle Strickland Our deepest beliefs feed our values, which control our actions, which produce fruit. The early church is a great example of this. Acts 2:42-47 KOINONIA Fellowship means sharing, community, intimacy, equality and teamwork—all rooted in complete unity of purpose. 1 Corinthians 1:9 & 10:18, 2 Corinthians 8:4 & 9:13, Philippians 1:5 EKKLESIA Church means the Kingdom, a congregation, and what we do when we gather in His name. Matthew 16:18 & 18:17, Acts 5:11, 8:1-3 & 12:5, James 5:14 Not all gatherings are churches. A crowd is not a good thing, in and of itself. Acts 19:32, 1 Corinthians 11:17-22 We are the called-out ones. God calls us out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Corinthians 6:17, 1 Peter 2:9-12, 1 John 1 Lord, I will…