Last time, we looked at the earliest description of the church (Acts 2:42-47) and noted how they “devoted themselves to … the fellowship.” We said that it’s hard for us as Canadians because we love our privacy and our independence. I think it’s made even harder by the fact that we’re fuzzy on the word itself. I mentioned that I used to think that fellowship was just the Christian version of hanging out. Today, people use the word to describe a grant given to someone to do advanced studies (e.g. a research fellowship). We use the word to describe a loose association of people with a common interest or cause (e.g. The National Schizophrenia Fellowship). But none of these gets at the word that’s used in the Bible. Fellowship translates the Greek word koinonia. It was used to refer to friendships, partnerships and even marriages. The main idea always has the sense of active involvement in a relationship. Let’s look at what we can learn from how the word is used in Scripture.

1. Fellowship with others flows out of a relationship with God.

In the letter of 1 John, the apostle writes to tell about what he has “seen and heard” about Jesus “so that” he might have fellowship with the people to whom he’s writing (1 John 1:3). Then he adds that “our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” When we believe the good news about Jesus, we enter into a personal relationship with God. We learn to share our lives with Him and He with us. That deep connection we share with God then spills over into our relationship with others who know Him. Other Christians get where we’re coming from. We share the same hope, the same forgiveness, and the same calling. And so even if we’re from different cultures, and have different interests and political beliefs, we share something vital together. What John shows us in his letter is that the spiritual life we share together is something to be pursued. We’re to go after it and the closer we get to God, the closer we’ll grow toward one another.

2. Fellowship is learning to treat the family of God like family.

Paul also connects our fellowship with God with our fellowship with one another. So, for instance, after telling the Corinthians that they were “called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus,” he makes the appeal that “all of you agree, and that that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:9-10). He expects that since we’re partnered with Jesus, we’ll be able to develop a oneness and unity in our relationships with each other. But that takes effort. We share something vital in common with other believers, but we’ll never experience it if we focus on our differences or fail to get close to one another. Fellowship is about learning to treat the family of God like family. Families are made up of parents and siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. There’s incredible diversity but also something powerful that unites a family when it’s nurtured.

3. Fellowship is about learning to share yourself with others.

There are many references to fellowship in the Bible that are hidden from plain view. That’s because the word fellowship isn’t used. Instead, koinonia is translated as “share,” “sharing,” or “contribution.” A big part of fellowship is learning to share ourselves and what we have with others. In the same way that Jesus gave Himself for us, fellowship is about giving ourselves to meet the needs of others in the family of God. When you give your time or your resources to meet the needs of a fellow Christian or the church as a whole, you’re doing fellowship. When was the last time you gave part of yourself away to meet the need of another believer?

4. Fellowship pleases God.

The final thing we learn about fellowship from the Bible is that it pleases God. In Hebrews 13:16, it says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” The word “share” here is that word koinonia again. When we share in fellowship, it pleases God like one of the Old Testament sacrifices. It shows our gratefulness and love to the God who adopted us into His family.

If you’ve experienced fellowship in a relationship with God, you’re called to fellowship with other believers. Share who you are and what you have to bless others as you learn to treat the family of God like your own family. This pleases God because it’s His family that you’re blessing.

In awe of Him,

Paul