True Christian Fellowship

(This blog post is taken from a recent Ladies Bible Study lesson I gave here in Katherine. If it doesn't flow like usual, it's because I couldn't write in all the little extras and rabbit trails I took. It is long, so grab a cup of tea, your Bible, a teachable spirit, a heart excited to learn and read on. God Bless xx)

FELLOWSHIP- This word gets thrown around a lot in Christian circles as we have ‘fellowship’ lunches and ‘fellowship’ meetings, ‘fellowship’ greetings in a church service. I think sometimes we use the word a bit too flippantly without really grasping the true meaning of the word.

The word fellowship, in the Greek, is the word ‘koinonia’ which by definition is communion, joint participation, sharing, having something in common.

The root of this word is Koinos. There are 2 main ideas with this word:

a. “To share together and take part together” in the sense of partnership or participation, and

 b. “to share with”, in the sense of giving to others.

True Christian fellowship involves getting together for spiritual purposes, for sharing needs, for prayer, for discussing and sharing the Word, for encouraging, for comforting and for edifying one another. (Group Bible studies, prayer meetings etc)

These are all important aspects of Christian fellowship and areas that are often lacking in the church today, but even this does not fully comprehend the full meaning of ‘fellowship’ in the New Testament.

In Acts 2:42, we read of the new believers fellowshipping.

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Acts 2:43-44 KJV - And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

Notice that it says they continued stedfastly in fellowship. Stedfastly means to persevere, to be constantly diligent, to adhere closely to.

So, they devoted themselves not only to the apostles teaching but also to fellowship. And in breaking of bread (so there’s the Baptist lunches!) But they also devoted themselves to prayer. There were some serious prayer meetings going on with these new converts. Fellowship was a priority to these early Christians.

So, let’s look at what fellowship means in our everyday language.

According to the Websters dictionary, fellowship means:

1.    Being a part of a group, a body of people (so, there is our church. A body of people. A group)

2.    It means having or sharing with others certain things in common such as interest, goals, feelings, beliefs, activities, labour, privileges and responsibilities, experiences and concerns.

3.    It can also mean a partnership that involves working together and caring for one another as a company of people, like a company of soldiers or members of a family.

And I think this is where the rubber hits the road. As Christians and fellow believers, we are in a partnership working together towards a common goal, that of reaching the lost with the gospel. We are to be a family. Looking out for one another, caring for one another, exhorting, serving, loving one another.

As we see in the 2^nd definition of fellowship, we are drawn together because of common interests or experiences or activities. There will be people in your circle of Christian friends who you are drawn to because of your commonalities. They like the things you like. They have experienced similar things in life as you. But then there are others that you have nothing in common with. You’re different as chalk and cheese. Or so you think!

Fellowship is firstly a relationship.

In the New Testament, the first thing they had in common was a relationship with Christ. And in a church, it is the one major thing we have in common. Despite all our differences, we have in common our salvation. We are a family because of being a child of God.

Ephesians 4:2-6 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Koinonia or fellowship, was an important word to the apostles and their new converts. It was never used in a secular sense. It always had a spiritual significance. The idea of earthly fellowship, as we seem to know and define it, founded only upon common interests was foreign to the apostles.

Fellowship is firstly a sharing together because of our relationship with God. Fellowship is first and foremost a relationship, rather than an activity. Any activity that follows should come out of that relationship.

I think sometimes we get it backwards. We are drawn to someone because of common interests and we ‘fellowship’ with them and then one day we realise that we have a relationship with Christ in common that really should have been at the forefront. The relationship with Christ should have been the glue, not just the common interests.

Now there is nothing wrong with getting together with friends and sharing together, but when we meet together in the name of fellowship and there is no mention of God’s goodness, then we really shouldn’t call it fellowship.

Yes, we are Christians, so we are a part of God’s family, but if we are not sharing what God has done in our lives and using our time to build each other up in our Christian walk, then we are just having a friendly get together, not a time of fellowship.

1 John 1:3 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.

1 John 1:7 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.

Our fellowship is with the Father, and with each other.

In Philippians 1, we read a letter from Paul and Timothy to the believers at Philippi.

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 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: 

Here we see mentioned the words ‘fellowship in the gospel’. In this case the fellowship is distinctly connected with the gospel and Paul and Timothy are thanking the Philippians for their fellowship in the gospel. But what does that really mean? Fellowship in the gospel?

How are we as Christians to enjoy this kind of fellowship?

Firstly, we can’t have fellowship in the gospel unless we have Christ in common. We also have to be on the same page when it comes to our goal of seeing others come to Christ and preaching the gospel.

To have true fellowship, we are to be comrades, working together. Fellowship requires participation. It requires our time our energy and our resources. Each person bringing to the table what God has enabled them to do.

We are to pray together, to suffer together, to share together. Everyone carrying the load together by doing their specific jobs in order to get the gospel message of Jesus Christ out to the lost world.

Philippians 1:3-6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; 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: 

Fellowship begins with God’s love,

 overflows from God’s love, 

is centred on God’s love and expresses God’s love.

Fellowship in the gospel expresses itself in love. 

Philippians 1:7-8 Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. For God is my record, how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of Jesus Christ.

Notice here in these verses that Paul said that he had these Christians in his heart. Not just in his head or on his lips, but in his heart. Sometimes we lack this simple expression of the fellowship of the gospel. Love. We are often critical of one another and judgemental and harsh. But God commands us to love.

John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

How often do we truly love the brethren? And as Christ loved? The Bible clearly states that by our love shall all men know that we are Christ’s disciples. So, when we have love and we show this in our fellowship, we are obeying God’s commands. And this means loving the unlovely. Those Christian sisters and brothers who we find it a struggle to be around. The world is looking on and watching how we treat each other.

One of the most well-known passages of scripture on love is found in 1 Corinthians.

1 Corinthians 13:1-8 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

Fellowship in the gospel also expresses itself in thanksgiving. Paul tells the Philippians that he is thankful for them.  All of them. Despite his rebuke to a couple of women in the church that were out of sorts, he was still thankful for them. (See Phil 4:2)

It’s hard sometimes to be thankful for certain people in the church or other Christians we know casually. There’s a lot of prickly people out there and a large percentage of them are Christians! But being thankful for other brothers and sisters in the Lord helps save us from wrong attitudes like jealousy, resentment, irritation. It’s hard to thank God for someone, sincerely, and be resentful in the same breath. Love the unlovely. God does!

Fellowship in the gospel expresses itself in ministry. What is the ministry to which we are all called? To advance the gospel. 

Philippians 1:12 But I would ye should understand, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel;

When we live our Christian life according to the Bible, we advance the gospel through our testimony. When people around us see our reactions to circumstances that come into our lives, they are either drawn to or drawn away from God. Paul was tested and tried and yet his reactions glorified God and advanced the gospel.

But it’s not only our lives and how we live, it’s also our lips and what we say.

Notice the words “speak” and “preach” in these verses.

Philippians 1:14-18 And many of the brethren in the Lord, waxing confident by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: The one preach Christ of contention, not sincerely, supposing to add affliction to my bonds: But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the defence of the gospel.What then? notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.

When we testify to others of God’s saving grace, we advance the gospel. By what we say, we can be a testimony and a shining light in a dark world.

And how is it possible to show the fellowship of the gospel? Through the help we are given by the Holy Spirit. To work together for God’s glory, we need the Lord’s help. We are sinful creatures, and we don’t love others as we should, but in order for us to truly fellowship with each other, we need the Holy Spirit working in our lives.

I love that fellowship has no age barrier. Age doesn’t matter in the body of Christ. We are able to fellowship with believers of any age and any season of life. Fellowship can also be enjoyed with people of different cultures. It’s amazing how you can sit through a service in a language you can’t understand, yet still feel a sweet spirit and have fellowship with the believers. It’s Christ we have in common. Our relationship with Christ is what joins us together.

I mentioned that fellowship is firstly a relationship. A relationship with Christ. Fellowship is also a partnership. The Greek word also means to share together in the sense of a partnership. We are automatically co-partners in God’s work here on earth.

” Relationship describes what we are: a community of people bound together by our common life and the blessings that we share together through our relationship with Christ.”

“Partnership describes how we are related to each other in that relationship: we are partners in a calling in which we are to work together in a common purpose to obtain common objectives for the glory of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ”

Look at these verses in relation to fellowship being a partnership:

Philippians 1:27 Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel;

Philippians 2:1-4 If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Acts 2:46 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,

The partnership these Christians had, saw them continuing daily of one accord, which translated, means unanimously or of one mind. They had one mind, one spirit. Wouldn’t that be great if people could say that of our churches? Oh, that we could be of one accord and of one mind.

We have to develop the art of communication. We need to be able to share our burdens and also our passions and dreams with other believers and we need to learn to listen to what others are saying so we can minister to each other. We also need to be able to communicate on a spiritual level.

Sure, it’s great to have common interests but we really need to communicate about spiritual things and reach a deeper level of fellowship built on our relationship with Christ.

In order for us to have true Christian fellowship, we need to be first devoted to God’s Word and to his will and then we need to be devoted to caring for one another.  We need to be willing to share with each other what we have learned and what Christ means to us.

Fellowship is firstly vertical. Our relationship with Christ. And then it is horizontal. Our relationship with others. We need to strive towards developing a deeper level of fellowship that goes beyond earthly commonalities and reaches upwards towards Christ then outwards to our brethren.

 

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same tuning fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So, one hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” A.W.Tozer