What is Fellowship?
Greeting my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The topic of today’s podcast is Fellowship.
What is Fellowship
Fellowship is often times overlooked in the life of a Christian. If you grew up in the church, you might associate the word “fellowship” as something your church family did by bringing a pot-luck style of lunch for all to share after a special Sunday service. But fellowship is not an event; no, it should be part of our life as a Christ-follower. Maybe the strongest and most pointed passage about fellowship is from Hebrews 10 when the author says that some have stopped meeting and are neglecting fellowship. This is important for all men and women of faith.
Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews is probably the second most important letter written by Paul, just after his letter to the Romans, but Paul, although divinely guided by Jesus in visions, was not one of the original 12 apostles.
As a new christian, I prefer to look first to the gospels of the apostles for guidance. We see in:
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
Fellowship Makes Us Stronger
No matter where we are in our faith, fellowship provides us with strength. Being around other believers gives us the chance to learn and grow in our faith. It demonstrates to us why we believe and sometimes is the excellent food for our souls. It’s great to be out in the world evangelizing to others, (giving testimony is the 4th wheel in our car to growing spiritually close to God, and will be discussed in detail in the future) but it can easily make us hard and eat away at our strength. When we deal with a hard-hearted world, it can become easy to fall into that hard-heartedness and question our beliefs. It’s always good to spend some time in fellowship so that we remember that God makes us strong.
Matthew 18:20 ESV
20For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
We see in this verse the promise of support directly from Jesus when we gather together in his name. What better way to grow closer to God than to have his spiritual presence among us?
Fellowship Provides Encouragement
We all have bad moments. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a failed exam, money problems, or even a crisis of faith, we can find ourselves down. If we go too low, it can lead to anger and a feeling of disillusionment with God. Yet these low times are why fellowship is important. Spending time with other believers can often lift us up a little bit. They help us to keep our eyes on God. God also works through them to provide us what we need in darker times. Coming together with others can aid in our healing process and give us the encouragement to move forward.
Several bible passages give us direction on how to stay strong in our faith, including:
Galatians 6:2
2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
Romans 1:12
12 That is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.
Psalms 55:14
14 We used to take sweet counsel together; within God’s house we walked in the throng.
Fellowship is not just something that we should try to fit into our Christian life after we get everything else together. No, fellowship is important. Fellowship will challenge us, encourage us, help us stay accountable, and fellowship is showing obedience to God and his word. Don’t neglect this part of the Bible. By associating with other Christians, it provides us a network of support so that we may let those who are in our lives that may be a bad influence fall away.
This is such an important idea, that Paul mentions it in BOTH letters to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 15:33
33 Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.”
2 Corinthians 6:14
14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Fellowship is an important part of our faith. Coming together to support one another is an experience that allows us to learn, gain strength, and show the world exactly what God is.
Fellowship Gives Us a Picture of God
Each of us together shows all of God’s graces to the world. No one is perfect. We all sin, but each of us has a purpose here on Earth to show aspects of God to those around us. Each of us has been given specific spiritual gifts. When we come together in fellowship, it’s like us as a whole demonstrating God. Think of it like a cake. You need the flour, sugar, eggs, oil, and more to make a cake. The eggs will never be the flour. None of them make up the cake alone. Yet together, all those ingredients make a delicious cake. It is like that will fellowship. All of us together show the glory of God.
Fellowship Reminds Us We’re Not Alone
Coming together with other believers in worship and conversation helps to remind us that we are not alone in this world. There are believers everywhere. It’s amazing that no matter where you are in the world when you meet another believer, it’s like you suddenly feel at home. That’s why God made fellowship so important. He wanted us to come together so that we always know we’re not alone. Fellowship allows us to build those lasting relationships so we’re never by ourselves in the world.
1 Corinthians 12:21
21 The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you.’
Fellowship Helps Us Grow
Coming together is a great way for each of us to grow in our faith. Reading our Bibles and praying are great ways to get closer to God, but each of us has important lessons to impart to one another. When we come together in fellowship, we teach each other things. God gives us a gift of learning and growing when we come together in fellowship we show each other how to live as God wants us to live, and how to walk in His footsteps.
1 Corinthians 14:26
26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
What is the history of Christian fellowship and why is fellowship so important?
The early Christians clearly emphasized the importance of fellowship.
Acts 2:42
42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
In the early church,
Acts 2:46-47
46 day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people
But why is Christian fellowship important?
The New Testament word for “fellowship,” in Greek: koinonia, expresses the idea of being together for mutual benefit. Two reasons fellowship with other believers is important are because it helps express love to one another and it encourages good works.
A third important reason for Christian fellowship is its impact on unbelievers. Jesus told His disciples,
John 13:35
35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another
The love Christians have for one another can influence others toward faith in Jesus Christ.
Still another important reason for Christian fellowship is the ability to pray together. Early believers were committed to prayer, both individually and in groups. In James 5:14-16, elders were called together to pray for the sick as well as for those who had sinned. This required being together.
Christian fellowship is also important for church decision-making. In both Acts 6 and Acts 15, the early church gathered together to make important decisions about the future direction of the church. These required community, prayer, and close discussion.
Christian fellowship is required for baptism. A new Christian cannot baptize himself or herself because it is not a public profession of faith. Christians gather together to celebrate a person’s baptism and serve as witnesses of the person’s commitment to a new life in Jesus Christ.
Christian fellowship is required for communion, or the Lord’s Supper.
Many people have abandoned going to church in favor for listening to sermons and reading the bible online. The Lord’s Supper doesn’t quite work the same for an online church. This ancient practice requires time together with other believers to remember the blood and body of Christ.
Though many believers today do not recognize the importance of fellowship or local church involvement, Christian fellowship is essential to spiritual growth. Many aspects of our spiritual lives depend on being together with other believers to encourage, teach, serve, and share life together.
We are not surprised that the early church devoted itself to “the apostles’ teaching” and also “to prayer.” Apart from the ministry of the Holy Spirit, these are the two most important means of growth, power, and effectiveness in the Christian life and this is everywhere evident in the rest of Scripture.
But Luke tells us these early Christians also devoted themselves to fellowship. They just didn’t have fellowship; they devoted themselves to it. This means that fellowship was a priority and one of the objectives for gathering together. They made fellowship a priority.
Today, however, we often view fellowship as what we do in “fellowship hall.” It’s the place where we have casual conversations and savor coffee and donuts. This is not bad and can contribute to fellowship, but it falls far short of fellowship according to biblical standards and according to the meaning and use of the Greek words for fellowship, which we learned earlier was koinonia.
Interpersonal relationships are so desperately needed to keep our faith glowing and growing. If you drop off your associations with other Christians and disassociate yourself from them in worship and service, you’ll run out of spiritual fervor and dedication in a short time. There is no substitute for “going to church and worshiping with others of like precious faith.”
You may be thinking, “My view of fellowship is much richer and deeper than mere social activity. True fellowship involves getting together for spiritual purposes: for sharing needs, for prayer, for discussing and sharing the Word to encourage, comfort, and educate one another.” And you are right. This certainly is an aspect of Christian fellowship, and one much more important than the first idea. It is an area of fellowship that is often lacking in the church today and one that needs to be remedied. But even this does not comprehend or grasp the full and rich meaning of “fellowship” in the New Testament.
To this end, Mary and I hold a fellowship meeting every Tuesday night in our church starting at 7 pm. We start with prayer, then sing worship songs, followed by bible study, and end with a prayer and more worship. We often stay afterward to catch up with everyone’s lives outside the church, having coffee, tea, hot chocolate and some snacks. We invite you to join us this coming Tuesday night and each following Tuesday night,and encourage you to invite a friend who wants to know more about Jesus and how to be saved for eternal life. For that matter, please invite your friends and fellow Christians to join us here on Sunday afternoons at 6pm for this service.
And remember, God loves you, and we love you too!
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