“Check Yourself Before You Commit to the Fellowship.”

Scripture Focus
 
Romans 12:9 (NASB 1995):
“Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.”
 
 
Sermon Reflection
 
In Acts 2:42, we see the early church devoted to the fellowship with a deep, spiritual commitment to one another. But this kind of fellowship can only flourish when each believer takes time to examine themselves. The health of the whole depends on the integrity of the parts.
 
Your message reminds us that true fellowship isn’t just about being present in a community, it’s about being spiritually prepared to contribute to it. That preparation requires three tests of readiness:
Sincere Love – Love must be genuine, not performed or pretended. Jesus made love the foundation of our faith, and John reminds us that it is the distinguishing mark of God’s people.
Hatred for Evil – We don’t hate evil naturally; we do so because we are compelled by the love of God. Loving what God loves also means hating what He hates.
Clinging to Good – Fellowship calls for more than surface agreement. It requires spiritual attachment to what is good, right, and godly.
 
Each of these points calls for serious self-examination: Are you truly loving? Are you tolerating what God calls evil? Are you just floating or firmly glued to what is good?
 
 
How Should I Respond?
 
Ask yourself:
Am I the kind of person I would want to fellowship with?
Before pointing to the faults in others, take an honest look within. Is your love sincere, or selective?
Do you quietly accommodate sin, or do you abhor what is evil in your own life?
Are you clinging to truth, or casually drifting from it?
 
Fellowship is not built on feelings or familiarity; it’s built on devotion. Your personal health affects the spiritual health of the whole community.
 
 
Weekly Prayer
 
Father,
Search my heart this week and expose any hypocrisy in my love. Help me to hate what is evil, not just in the world, but in my own thoughts and actions. Strengthen my grip on what is good: Your Word, Your people, and Your will. Make me ready for true fellowship, not just in appearance, but in integrity.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
 
 
Application for the Week
 
Day 1 – Heart Check
Read Romans 12:9 slowly. Ask the Lord to show you areas where your love has not been sincere. Write them down and confess them.
 
Day 2 – Love in Action
Do one thing today that expresses sincere, sacrificial love for someone else in your church family, especially someone you normally don’t engage with.
 
Day 3 – Naming Evil
Identify areas in your life where you’ve tolerated what God calls evil. Don’t justify it. Confess and renounce it.
 
Day 4 – Cling to Good
Choose one “good” habit: prayer, time in the Word, fellowship with believers, and cling to it today no matter what distractions come.
 
Day 5 – Self-Examination
Spend 15–20 minutes in quiet reflection. Ask: Am I glued to what is good or am I drifting? What does my fellowship with others reveal about my walk with God?
 
 
Final Thought
 
Before you commit to the fellowship of the church, make sure your heart is committed to the truth of God. Fellowship isn’t about fitting in; it’s about building up. And that starts with you.
 
Let your devotion be more than attendance. Let it be authenticity.