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In our introduction I began by laying out four things we risk when we do not remember who God is and all that He has done.  These were:

• Falling into idolatry/trusting ourselves or our possessions (Deut. 8:13-14)
• Never growing in trust of/faith in God (Isa. 40:20-21)
• Stumbling into sin and suffering the Father’s discipline (Deut. 8:19)
• Forfeiting a generation to the enemy (Judges 2:10-11)

So how do we, as parents, make sure that our family is all about remembering God?  So far we’ve looked at remembering Himin the Word, in song, and in prayer. This week, I’d like us to look at how the people of God remember him in their fellowship.

What comes to mind when we think of fellowship?  Is it Christian friends gathered around a game of monopoly and a bowl of chips and salsa, having little more than small talk?

Please don’t misunderstand. There is nothing wrong with monopoly and salsa, of course. In fact, I think salsa is one of the greatest inventions in history. However, that is not the kind of fellowship that the Scriptures are speaking of. So what is and how can Biblical fellowship serve to help us remember God? Let’s look at what Biblical fellowship consists of and I think we’ll find our answer.

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3)

What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

When Paul and John spoke of the fellowship of believers, I think they envisioned the kind of fellowship shared by Jesus’ closest friends.  A group of the faithful gathered around the person of Jesus. They shared with one another what God had done (1 John 1:3), prayed together, worshiped together, and broke bread in communion together.  If you are host to this kind of fellowship in your home then you are blessing your children more than you know. If you are not then I strongly encourage you to seek it out like a thirsty man seeks water.  Like the ancients before us, gathered round the campfire telling the stories of our great God in action, we need to remember, together in fellowship, everything that God is and has done.

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

As Christmas approaches, next time we’ll look at remembering God through our traditions and memorials.