Think fellowship is just small talk and coffee cake? Think again. Discover the deep, life-giving power of koinonia and why your unique role in the Body of Christ is more important than you realize.
Are you a people person or not? God made both, so both are good! But this chapter might be a little easier for those who are energized by people.
In a broad sense, I am an introvert. It’s not that I don’t like people; it’s just that being around them exhausts me. I value stillness. I need a measure of silence in my daily life. However, I also need time with others, which is where fellowship comes into play.
Among several definitions, dictionary.com says fellowship is: friendly relationship; companionship; an association of persons having similar tastes, interests, etc.
Churches use the word in various ways, but the important question to ponder is what God expects when it comes to biblical fellowship.
Acts 2 records specific things the early church did that produced amazing results.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42–47).
Think about it! The leaders did miracles, the believers experienced unity, and everyone helped fulfill the needs of others. They met daily, ate together, praised God, and enjoyed the favor of others. All because the Christians devoted themselves to teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. If we want what the early church had, we should start here.
CONSIDER THE GREEK
The Greek words usually translated fellowship in the New Testament is koinoinia (noun) or koinonein (verb), and they were used in four different situations: In a business partnership, in a marriage or family, in relation to a god, and generosity. The different usages can be seen in the Bible. For example, Luke 5:10 talks about business partners James and John (koinonos), and Hebrews 2:14 calls on the family usage when it says we are people of flesh and blood (koinonein).
To get to the level of what God desires, though—that third usage of the word—we need to look to the apostles John and Paul. Look first at 1 John 1:3–7.
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. We write this to make our joy complete.
This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.
John speaks of a relationship with God but pushes us to think bigger. I love how the Contemporary English Version translates verse 7. If we live in the light, as God does, we share in life with each other!
Paul agrees with John and expands on this concept in several places like 1 Corinthians 1:9 and Romans 6:4. Perhaps the passage with the most clarity is Romans 12:4–5. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. In other words, each of us has a heart, lungs, and hundreds of other pieces, each focused on its own function; yet it is one body. The moment we accept Christ, we join with Him and thousands of other believers. Just like the parts of our body, we each have our own function (passions, talents, assignments), but we are one—in Christ.
The practical reality of this quickly becomes apparent. Considering your body, what good is the foot if the heart is too weak to allow us to walk across the room? It is in this logical extension of spiritual fellowship that Paul writes commands such as Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2). And, share with the Lord’s people who are in need (Romans 12:13).
This type of fellowship values our Christian brothers and sisters and their contributions to the church, the community, and the world. It takes seriously Paul’s statement that each of us is filled with knowledge and competent to instruct one another (Romans 15:14), and believes that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them (Matthew 18:19).
WHAT DOES FELLOWSHIP LOOK LIKE?
Besides what we’ve already talked about, what else does this look like? Remember that God is always after our heart—the motives behind what we do. So it’s important that we have a heart to give and to serve. Here are some verses to consider as you think about fellowship, how God designed you, and where God wants you to join with other Christians.
I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).
For those who are in Christ, going to church is just meeting up with other parts of the body of Christ. Never discount what God can do in your life when you make regular church attendance a priority.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another (Proverbs 27:17).
Being around people can do many good things, but it works best when you take the time to form relationships. Get involved! When you find a group that fits you well, the benefits outweigh the difficulty in finding them.
So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip His people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:11–13).
God didn’t assign people to preach to test our ability to sit still and stay awake. Pastors and other teachers are charged with equipping us to serve. It is our job to serve so that other Christians will be built up. And this all works together so that we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ. From Him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work (verses 15–16).
What does that mean? People like you and me join together as we search to know God and understand the Bible, caring for each other’s needs and working together to fulfill everything Christ wants to accomplish. But it only happens when we come together. Sitting at home watching church on your television doesn’t cut it. Nor does walking into a church before a service and walking out again immediately afterward.
Whether you are an introvert who finds solace in the quiet or an extrovert who thrives in a crowd, biblical fellowship is essential. And it requires we open our hearts and our lives. We were designed to be a body, connected by the same Spirit and fueled by the same love. So, take a step. Find your people, share your heart, and do the work you were uniquely designed to do. When we truly come together, we don’t just attend church; we become the living, breathing evidence of God’s grace on earth.