Romans 102
Koinoneo
Brian Kocourek
Last
week we spoke on ROMANS
We found the meaning of the phrase “continuing instant” to simply mean:) to adhere to or be devoted to or constant. to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing; to continue all the time in a place; to persevere and not to faint; to show one's self courageous for; to be in constant readiness for one, wait on constantly. And the thing we are to be ready in is prayer.
In order to better understand what this means
we broke our study into 5 basic themes.
1. What
is prayer?
2. Who
we pray to?
3. Why
do we Pray?
4. When
should we Pray?
5. How
do we do Pray?
We found that Prayer is a communion with God.
It is not only talking to Him, but more importantly His talking back to us. So many times people get down on their knees
and say a prayer, but saying a prayer is not praying. That is only vain
repetition and Jesus told us not to use vain repetition when we pray.
MATTHEW 6:1 ¶ Take heed that ye do not your alms
before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which
is in heaven. (The first thing Jesus mentions about prayer
is that it is not to be used as an open exhibition. The people who do that are
the ones who want everyone to know they are spiritual, and they will get what
they want, and that will be their reward. Then He tells us how to pray, or in
what manner to pray. ) 2 Therefore when thou doest [thine]
alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the
synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say
unto you, They have their reward. (Now,
here is the key to successful prayer.) 3 But when thou doest alms, let not
thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: 4 That thine
alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in
secret himself shall reward thee openly. 5 ¶
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray
standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be
seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their
reward.
(Now he will answer the where question, where
should we pray, where should we go to have this secret prayer with God?) 6 But
thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and
when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy
Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee
openly.
(Now, Jesus will tell us the HOW issue
concerning prayer How to pray.) 7 But when ye pray, use not vain
repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for
their much speaking. 8
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. 9 ¶ After this manner
therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
(You see if you are to get anywhere with God
you must first recognize Him for Who He is. Hebrews 11:5 tells us, he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.)
10 Thy kingdom
come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. (This is acknowledging that God is
sovereign, and that He has a plan, and what He has
planned will come to pass. Now that we have acknowledged God and His
Sovereignty, that He is the great Sovereign Self existent Immortal King, and
our Father, then we can begin to tell him of the needs that we have.)11 Give us this day our daily bread. Our daily
bread, those we the physical needs we have. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. These
are the emotional, psychological, and spiritual needs we have. And once we have
admitted our needs, and our weaknesses, then we can begin to ask Him for help
in those areas of our life. 13 And lead us not into temptation, Here we are
asking for leadership and guidance) but deliver us from evil (and here we are asking
for protection) For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. (And then we again acknowledge
that He who is the creator of all things, and He who is all Wisdom and Power has the wisdom and power to help us in our time of need.)
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
Here Jesus is telling us that we need to have
a contrite heart when we go to our Father. If we are not willing to forgive,
then why should He forgive us? That is the question. 15 But if ye forgive not men their
trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Brother Branham gave us some others
statements to consider of Prayer.
#1) He told us, prayer
changes things.
#2) Prayer
is the most powerful force that God ever put
in the hands of man,
FAITH 56-0427 E-5
Prayer changes things. Prayer changes death to life. Prayer changes
sickness to health, changes sinners to saints. It's prayer. You may laugh too
much. You may shout too much. You may eat too much, but you'll never pray too
much. The--the Bible said, "I would that man pray everywhere, lifting up
holy hands." So you'll never be able to pray too much.
Now, this morning I would like to continue in
our Study of the Book of Romans, and to do so we must look at the next verse,
which is ROMANS
12:13: where Paul said, Distributing to the
necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Now, this is a wonderful thing Paul is
telling us here. He says, and I want you to notice how it ties into the
previous verse where we found three major factors Paul lays out in creating an
atmosphere that is conducive to a Christ centered Life. First of all there is,…
#1) Rejoicing in hope; This mans that we should be living in an atmosphere of
earnest expectation, and that this hope has been made alive in us by the Out
resurrection of Jesus Christ from among the dead. This makes us more …
#2) patient in tribulation; because our
hope has been made alive, and we have our focus on the end of the road, and we
believe God when He said that all things are working together for our Good.
And this leads us to be…
#3) Continuing instant in prayer;
And we found that the sequence of events in
verse 12 leads us to verse 13 where we begin to share what we have in Christ
with others. Now,
these three are not distinct in thought and direction from the next verse, but
rather the fulfillment of these three lies in the very next verse which reads Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Therefore if we read these in continuance we read,
Rejoicing in hope; brings…patience in tribulation; which causes us to be Continuing
instant in prayer; and as a result, we will begin Distributing to the necessity of
saints; given to hospitality.
Notice the relationship to our rejoicing in
hope, our being patient in tribulation, and then and our continuing instant in
prayer. Watch now how the apostle Paul works these three thoughts into the next
verse where he speaks to us concerning our distributing to the needs of the
saints.
Now in examining this thought we find that
Paul uses the Greek word koinoneo which is
translated distribution. The word koinoneo is used
more often as the word fellowship, or communion which means to communicate
and it simply means sharing. To come into communion or fellowship with, to
become a sharer, be made a partner, to enter into fellowship, join one's self
to an associate, make one's self a sharer or partner.
Now when we think of distributing, we think
of a warehouse or some center that is full of goods and those goods are then
sent out from that
We find this word koinoneo
used 8 times in the Scriptures and the word koinonea
which has the same root used 18 times. These words are translated as fellowship
quite often but give us an understanding of sharing, or a sense of partnering
with others, or entering into fellowship together with another.
In Romans ROMANS
And in GALATIANS 6:4 Paul uses it has been translated as
to communicate.
But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in
himself alone, and not in another. 5 For every man shall bear his own burden. 6 Let him that is
taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth
in all good things. 7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a
man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8 For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but
he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap
life everlasting. 9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we
shall reap, if we faint not. 10 As we have therefore
opportunity, let us do good unto all [men], especially unto them who are of the
household of faith.
Notice that we are told that we are to
communicate or share with the one who does the teaching. I believe that is
Malachi
In the book of Mark and in the Book of Luke,
Jesus was recorded as warning us to be careful how we hear for with what we use
to measure out the word that is what we will end up hearing.
MARK 4:23 If any man have
ears to hear, let him hear. 24 And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: (That means be careful what you are hearing. In other words take care
as to know exactly what you are hearing. As Paul said, Rightly
dividing the Word of Truth. And then Jesus adds,) with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured
to you (by this He is saying, whatever filter you are hearing
through, that is all you are going to hear. Brother Branham preached a Message
called the Thinking Man’s Filter, and said many people have a denominational
filter that they hear through. And when they read the Bible if they are Baptist,
all they read is a Baptist thinking. If Methodist they
read a Methodist thinking from the Bible, and if Pentecostal they only see a
Pentecostal thinking because there filter is such. But if you are careful, and
open to all the Word, when you hear the Word, or read it, you will receive all
that is there for you. And so Jesus continues by saying…) and unto you that hear shall more be given. 25 For he that hath,
to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that
which he hath.
Again we see this in the Book of LUKE
These both tie together with Matthew 13 where
Jesus told us he spoke in parables so that it would purposely go over the heads
of those it was not meant for.
MATTHEW 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest
thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 12 For
whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but
whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. 13 Therefore speak I
to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not,
neither do they understand. 14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing
ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not
perceive: 15 For this people's heart
is waxed gross, and [their] ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have
closed; lest at any time they should see with [their] eyes, and hear with
[their] ears, and should understand with [their] heart, and should be
converted, and I should heal them. 16 But blessed [are] your eyes, for they
see: and your ears, for they hear. 17 For verily I say unto you, That many
prophets and righteous [men] have desired to see [those things] which ye see,
and have not seen [them]; and to hear [those things] which ye hear, and have
not heard [them].
MARK 4:10 And when
he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the
parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of
the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all [these] things are done
in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may
hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and
[their] sins should be forgiven them.
Now, in getting back to our thoughts on Koinonea, we find that Paul is telling us of the importance
to share with the saints. This not only speaks of material sharing with those
who are in need, but also and most importantly the things that God has so
freely given us of His Word. For that is what He has done.
DEUTERONOMY 29:29 The secret [things belong] unto
the LORD our God: but those [things which are] revealed [belong] unto us and to
our children for ever, that [we] may do all the words of this law.
DEUTERONOMY 6:6 And these words, which I command
thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest
in thine house, and when thou walkest
by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind
them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy
gates.
PHILIPPIANS 4:15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the
beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but
ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my
necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound
to your account. 18 But I have all, and abound: I am
full, having received of Epaphroditus the things [which
were sent] from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a
sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. 19 But my
God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ
Jesus. 20 ¶ Now
unto God and our Father [be] glory for ever and ever. Amen.
HEBREWS 2:14 ¶
Forasmuch then as the children
are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the
same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that
is, the devil;
I PETER
In 2nd John the word kononeo takes on a negative command as we are told not to
have fellowship with those who do not believe the doctrine of Christ. Why?
Because he first told us if we walk in the light as He Christ is in the Light,
then we have fellowship one with another, and the
blood cleanses us from all sin.
II JOHN 1:9 Whosoever transgresseth,
and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not
God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he
hath both the Father and the Son. ¶ If there come any unto you, and bring
not this doctrine, receive him not into [your] house, neither bid him God
speed: 11 For
he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil
deeds.
In the negative this word is also used. I TIMOTHY
Notice the power that God gives us and that
comes upon us as we fellowship around His word.
ACTS
PHILIPPIANS.1:3 I thank my God upon every remembrance of
you, 4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, 5 For your fellowship in the gospel from
the first day until now; 6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which
hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ:
For
your fellowship in the Gospel: Why did he pray for their fellowship in the
Gospel? What is so important about fellowship?
Fellowship
comes by one avenue and that is the Word of God, unbroken.
There
are various types of fellowship :
Fellowship
of the Spirit and of Love PHIL 2:1
The
fellowship of His sufferings
PHIL 3:10
The
fellowship of the mystery of Christ Eph 3: 9
I JOHN 1:1 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, of the Word of life; 2 (For the
life was manifested, and we have seen [it], and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father,
and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we
unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
[is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4 And these things write
we unto you, that your joy may be full. 5 This then is the message which we
have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no
darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
36 ONENESS 62-0211 Now, the first human
beings dis-fellowshipped themself
from believing God, by disbelieving His Word and listening to a lie of the
Devil. Now, that's the first thing that dis-fellowshipped
this wonderful union. Now look, Adam and Eve in a position to never die, in a
position to never be old, to never be sick, to never
have a worry. You say, "I sure wish
I could be like that." Let me... I got news for you,
you are in the same position. God places that to every creature on the earth,
in the same position.
38 " What was the agreement? "If you'll
keep my Words! If, My Word, if you'll keep It, believe
It and act upon It!" But the very first time that Eve disbelieved, took
one Word away from what God said, it
broke off fellowship with that great union. And the minute that the church
disbelieves any one Word of God's Bible, and places It
somewhere else, then they break off that wonderful fellowship that's offered to
them, and to be separated. " " As soon as
she did that, death set in her mortal being. Not only her
mortal, but her spiritual being. She broke off relationship with God,
the minute she disbelieved. And no man can believe... Here it is! No man, no
woman can--can believe the Devil's lie until they have disbelieved God's
Truth. No one can believe the Devil's lie until they have disbelieved God's
Truth. So, you see, Eve, Adam, where it places us this morning."
EPHESIANS 5:6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things
cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience. 7 Be not ye
therefore partakers with them. 8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are
ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light: 9 (For the fruit of the Spirit
[is] in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 10 Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord. 11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness,
but rather reprove [them]. 12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things
which are done of them in secret.
We
see then that by believing the same thing actually brings us into common
ground, and that is the
II CORINTHIANS 6:14 Be ye not unequally
yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or
what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? 16 And what agreement hath
the
So
we see that we are to be gathered together, but not just for gathering sakes.
MAL
3: 16 - 18 (read)
II THESSALONIANS 2:1 " Now we beseech you,
brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and [by] our gathering
together unto him, "
MATTHEW 3:11 I indeed baptize you
with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,
whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost,
and [with] fire: 12 Whose fan [is] in his hand, and he will throughly
purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the
chaff with unquenchable fire.
EPH
We
see the early apostles coming together in this atmosphere of sharing out of
necessity.
ACTS.2:41 Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized: and the same day there were added [unto them] about three thousand
souls. 42 And they continued stedfastly in the
apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43
And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the
apostles. 44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common; 45
And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them
to all [men], as every man had need. 46 And they, continuing daily with one
accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their
meat with gladness and singleness of heart, 47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the
church daily such as should be saved.
The
more they sought the power of God, the more they assembled for fellowship
around the doctrine. The more they assembled around the Word the more power of
God began to display itself among them.
1 COR 1: 4- 10 ESP. (9)
HEBREWS.10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and
our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the profession of [our]
faith without wavering; (for he [is] faithful that promised;) 24 And let us
consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some [is]; but
exhorting [one another]: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received
the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins,
39 ONENESS 62-0211 Now let's think
seriously, because we never be able to think anymore after this, after this
mortal life is over. Your thinking is now. You cannot choose after this, you
must choose now, for this is the day of choosing, making your choice. Now she,
one Word, not a whole Decalogue, just one Word, she questioned God because it
was presented to her in that light that that Word was questionable. God's Word cannot be questioned, He meant just what He said. But she questioned It
because it was presented to her, "Oh, God surely didn't mean that."
But He did mean that! God means every
Word He says. And It doesn't need any private
interpretation. It's just the way He said It.