“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer,” (Acts 2:42).
“Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,” (Acts 2:46).
Fellowship is built on something. And fellowship takes effort. If you remember, we have defined fellowship as partnership and sharing, especially in the gospel. You can have a friendship with people who are unbelievers. In fact, I encourage you to develop friendship with those who do not know Christ, so that you will have the opportunity to be a witness to them of their need for salvation.
But we possess fellowship with other believers, and we can only experience fellowship with other believers. This is because biblically “koinonia” or “fellowship” is a bond that occurs in the mutual pursuit of following after Christ. We are a fellowship; we are not just “in fellowship” with one another. So, when we speak of being devoted to fellowship, we are not speaking of being devoted to something, but to someone. Specifically, to one another.
If you want to know how to pursue fellowship, then a good word study through your Bible on the phrase “one another” would be helpful. Fellowship is one of those things that is hard to define but is obvious when it is seen or experienced. To make it more tangible we can look at the following commands.
- Be devoted to one another (Rom. 12:10)
- Honor one another (Romans 12:10)
- Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16; 1 Peter 3:8)
- Accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- Serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13)
- Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
- Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)
- Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13)
- Spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
- Offer hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
- Love one another (1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11-12)
These are commands we can sink our teeth into. When we faithfully practice these “one another” commands, we can know we are being devoted to one another. This is how we express our devotion to the fellowship we share because of what Jesus has done for us, to us, and through us with His death, burial, and resurrection.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
