New Fellowship | All Things New
All Things New
New Fellowship
“Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.”— common wisdom (and painfully accurate)
Soul Tattoo: Healthy relationships don’t just support us — they shape us.
- 1 Corinthians 15:33 – “Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’”
- Proverbs 13:20 – “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
- Hebrews 10:24–25 – “Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…”
- “Relationships are the mirrors we look into to see who we’re becoming.”
- “Community doesn’t just reveal who you are — it reinforces who you will be.”
- “Your circle will either fertilize your faith or slowly starve it.”
New Fellowship does not equal
Perfect People
Acts 2:42 - “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
We don’t gather because we’re strong — we gather so we can become strong.
Small groups are:
- People who still struggle
- People who still doubt
- People who still mess up…but who center their lives around the One who doesn’t.
What do small groups do or offer??
Connection
Protection
Growth
Top 3 Relationship Drainers
Not everyone in your life is sent to walk with you — some are sent to teach you what not to become.
1. The Constant Critic
Proverbs 12:18 – “The words of the reckless pierce like swords…”
2. The Emotional Vampire
Proverbs 11:25 – “A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
3. The Perpetual Victim
Proverbs 19:3 – “A person’s own folly leads to their ruin, yet their heart rages against the Lord.”
This doesn’t mean we abandon people —it means we choose proximity wisely.
Jesus loved everyone, but He didn’t give everyone equal access.
People you cannot avoid
Some relationships aren’t chosen — they’re assigned.
Reframe Work as Mission
Matthew 5:14–16 – “You are the light of the world…”
Be a Thermostat, Not a Thermometer
A thermometer reflects the temperature.
A thermostat sets it.
Romans 12:21 – “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
You don’t have to absorb the environment to influence it.
Ask These Questions This Week
1. Who is forming me spiritually?
2. Who drains me consistently?
3. Who sharpens my faith?
4. Where might God be calling me to deeper fellowship?
New life requires new rhythms.
New rhythms require new relationships.
And new fellowship positions us for all God wants to make new.
2 Corinthians 5:17 –“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here.”
Soul Tattoo: Healthy relationships don’t just support us — they shape us.