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 2nd
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
