What Is True Fellowship?

(This document is available on the web at http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~evers/fellowship.htm or http://www.csua.berkeley.edu/~evers/fellowship.doc [Word 97 format])

  1. The Foundation of Fellowship: active relationships with one another which are founded in the power and work of Jesus Christ as our Savior
    1. The meaning for the Greek word for fellowship ("koinonia") is best expressed as "joint participation." The New Testament uses this word in various contexts.
      1. Believers meeting together and interacting with one another (Acts 2:42)
        1. "And [the new believers] were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ doctrine and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Acts 2:42, author’s translation)
      2. The relationships of believers to each other (1 John 1:3,7; 1 Cor. 10:16)
        1. "but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:7)
      3. Sharing material things to meet other believers’ needs (Romans 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:4, 9:13; Php. 1:5; Heb. 13:16)
        1. "For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution (koinonia) for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem." (Romans 15:26)
      4. The believer’s relationship with God (1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 13:14; Php. 2:1; 1 John 1:3,6)
        1. "God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." (1 Cor 1:9)
        2. "If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;" (1 John 1:6)
      5. Joint ventures in sharing the gospel (Gal. 2:9)
        1. "…and recognizing the grace that had been given to me, James and Cephas and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we might go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised." (Gal. 2:9)
    2. A good definition: "As those who are united with Christ, we are to share the life of Christ with one another in a way that results in individual and corporate spiritual growth." True Christian fellowship has two key ingredients.
      1. The centrality of Christ in the lives of believers – where Christ is Lord and Savior, there is the potential for true fellowship (1 John 1:7)
        1. It does not exist between those who are Christians and those who are not (2 Cor. 6:14)
          1. "Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?" (2 Cor. 6:14)
        2. It cannot flourish where sin is tolerated, either at the individual level or at the corporate level (1 Cor. 5:4-5,9-13)
      2. Active sharing of Christ’s life with one another with a view to the spiritual growth of all involved
        1. It’s not simply meeting together in the name of Jesus (Mt. 18:20) – there must be interaction (a.k.a. "participating" in one another’s lives)
  2. The Focus of Fellowship: the building up of the Church
    1. "The Body of Christ"
      1. Crucial to a proper outworking of fellowship in our midst is a proper understanding of the nature of the believer as a member of the body of Christ, not merely (the individualistic notion of) the body of Christ as a mere collection of separate believers. Inasmuch as an arm is useless when severed from the body, so too the life of a believer cannot be rightly understood if not integrally connected to the life of the Body! (Romans 12:4-5; 1 Cor. 12:27)
        1. "4For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Romans 12:4-5)
        2. "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. … Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it." (1 Cor. 12:27)
      2. Key example: our individualistic & self-centered (though in some ways rightly so) understanding and mindset toward the Lord’s Supper
        1. "16Is not the cup of blessing which we share in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread we break a sharing ("koinonia" = fellowship!) in the body of Christ? 17Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread." (1 Cor. 10:16-17)
        2. What does 1 Cor. 10:16-17 have to say? It says that the Lord’s Supper is also a symbol of the fellowship that exists between saints. Yet how come we rarely even look at each other during that time, let alone talk? "The purpose of the Lord's Supper was not only to commune with Christ, but [to do so in] fellowship with … brothers and sisters around the body and blood of Christ." (from http://www.solidrock.net/publications/sermons/Lords.supper.html)
        3. The implication of this verse is simple: the Lord’s Supper is not only to commemorate and to proclaim Christ, but also to remind us of our oneness as the Church – His figurative "body" on earth. So we see that the physical death of Christ as represented in the Lord’s Supper is not only one of dying for sins and thus paving the way for sinners to be forgiven; but also a means of symbolizing the oneness of all those who would believe in Him! In our zeal to rightly recognize the necessity of a personal relationship with God, we’ve lost the sense of the context of Christ’s saving work: the Church, which is all of the redeemed together!
    2. "The People of God"
      1. Fellowship cannot properly function if believers merely see themselves as a bunch of people with a common goal. Rather, each believer must understand that God has saved him/her to be a part of a people (and not that God is simply saving a bunch of people). (1 Peter 2:9-10)
        1. "9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Pet. 2:9-10)
        2. This is Old Testament language! It’s a reference to the fact that Israel was a foreshadowing of the reality that is the Church; that is, an entire people, rescued by the hand of God by grace, except that the Church is a "people" who have been rescued in an entirely spiritual sense (Heb. 8:6-12), except from every earthly tribe, tongue, nation, and race (Rev. 5:9-10); rather than simply from the earthly lineage of Jacob.
    3. If we act as not merely a collection of individuals who’ve been saved by grace, but rather, in a God-centered fashion, as individual components who are part of a larger fabric that He is forming – the people for God’s glory who form a "body" with Christ as the head – then we can begin to see that fellowship is not ultimately for "you" and "me," but rather, for "us" – and most finally for God and His glory. (Eph. 4:15-16)
      1. "15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." (Eph. 4:15-16)
  3. The Functions of Fellowship: spiritual gifts and "one another" commands
    1. The exercising of spiritual gifts
      1. A spiritual gift is an ability or strength in a person which comes from the work of God’s Spirit in that person, with a design for the building up of the Church. Spiritual gifts can be those which happen to be listed in the New Testament explicitly (i.e., Ro. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:8-10; 1 Pet. 4:10-11), or a particular ability or strength of a believer which is exercised in the power and leading of the Spirit of God in a way which builds up the Church.
      2. Unlike the typical birthday gift (i.e., a stereo), a spiritual gift is not given by God merely for one’s own benefit, but rather primarily for the benefit of God’s people. (1 Cor. 12:7)
        1. "1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. … 4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5And there are varieties of ministries, but the same Lord. 6And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." (1 Cor. 12:1, 4-7)
        2. There are pros and cons to "spiritual gift surveys." The best way to "survey" one’s spiritual gifts is simply to be active in Christian fellowship; your gifts will be those means of serving which result in particular blessing of the body. However, watch out for the tendency to equate gifting with office/recognition of formal ministry (i.e., "gifted in overseeing and pastoring spiritual needs" ¹ "should be a pastor").
        3. We’re not called only to serve in areas we’re gifted, but if we do have special gifts from the Lord (as we all do) then we are to exercise them for the building up of the Church (as opposed to one’s ego or sense of self-worth).
    2. The "one another" commands of the NT, all arising out of Jesus’ command to us to love one another (Jn. 13:34), including:
      1. Encourage one another (1 Thess. 5:11; Heb. 3:13; 10:25)
      2. Admonish one another (Col. 3:16; Rom. 15:14)
      3. Confess your sins to one another (Jas. 5:16)
      4. Forgive one another (Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13)
      5. Accept one another (Rom. 14:1; 15:7)
      6. Serve one another (Gal. 5:13; Rom. 12:10)
      7. Give to one another (Ro. 12:13)
      8. Build up one another (1 Thess. 5:11)
      9. Be hospitable to one another (1 Pet. 4:9)
      10. Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21)
      11. Honor one another (Ro. 12:10)
      12. Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:1-2)
      13. Pray for one another (Jas. 5:16)
  4. Key Application points:
    1. Recognize and resist the overwhelming influence of our culture to put self at the center not only of need (i.e., "looking out for number one") but of worldview (a.k.a. individualism). Adopt a Biblical worldview with God at the center instead of self/the individual.
      1. With God at the center, we recognize our identity as Christians within the context of the larger people of God. Then we’re less likely to try to "go it alone" in the Christian life, recognizing that God has not intended us merely to walk the walk as individuals, but to be a part of God’s people being purified for His glory!
        1. "[Christ Jesus] gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds." (Tit. 2:14)
    2. Learn both to give and to receive the expressions of Christian fellowship from our brothers and sisters, thus experiencing the mutual interdependence on one another that God has intended for the church.
      1. Being willing to receive rebuke and to confess sins to others (as opposed to hiding them)
      2. Being willing to ask for prayer, and not feel ashamed
      3. Being willing to admonish others according to God’s Word
      4. Being willing to give and ask for help in financial or other material need and not being ashamed
    3. Avoid the compartmentalization that makes some activities "spiritual" and others "secular." This inevitably makes some of our times together more "okay" for goofing around to no good use, and other times so sanctified that they fail to affect the whole of our lives. Always seek to build other believers up according to the need of the moment, whether it be through word or deed.
      1. "15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil." (Eph. 4:15-16)
      2. "12And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; 13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. 14And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Col. 3:12-17)
    4. Regularly meet with other believers in contexts that permit the "one another" commands and the exercise of spiritual gifts (typically smaller settings) – which means Sunday Services plus strictly Bible Study groups won’t cut it (though they do serve critical purposes). Don’t meet for meeting’s sake, but gather often for the sake of edification!
      1. "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." (1 Cor. 14:26)
      2. "24and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25)
      3. "We enjoy getting together with fellow Christians. We may even enjoy times of Bible study and prayer. But we usually do so with people of our own income bracket and with little sacrificial love. Such meetings are okay, but they don't really fit the meaning of the Greek word koinonia, translated "fellowship" in Acts 2:42. Genuine fellowship involves costly sharing – helping one another financially, bearing one another's burdens, and rejoicing over one another's blessings." (from http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q0706/point1.html)
    5. Remember that Christian fellowship is not an end in itself; the goal of fellowship is the glory of God in the building up and maturing of God’s people.
  5. Sources
    1. All Scripture references from the NASB translation unless noted otherwise
    2. http://www.realtime.net/~wdoud/fellowship.html
    3. http:/www.xenos.org/classes/um2-7.htm
    4. http://www.gospelcom.net/rbc/ds/q0706/point1.html
    5. http://www.solidrock.net/publications/sermons/Lords.supper.html