Devoted Fellowship
1 John 1:3-4, “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. 4 These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.”
Entering church on a Sunday morning should be a time that is full of joy. Look at verse four above. What makes joy complete? Being in fellowship with God through His Son Jesus, which puts us in fellowship with one another. Fellowship is deep within us because of our relationship with Jesus. But it is expressed outward and on the surface.
What we possess inwardly comes out in ways that do not seem all that deep. A smiling face at the door as you enter for Sunday School or Worship. A brief conversation at the coffee station about the ball game the day before is fellowship. Chatting about the weather as you walk down the hall headed to the worship center is fellowship. Stepping across the aisle to say hello to the person who always sits near you, but you never see between Sundays is fellowship. Grabbing lunch on the way home after worship is fellowship.
Of course, a fellowship can be planned as well. Sunday School classes having a get together during the week or on a weekend is a way to fellowship. Having other church members at your home for a cookout is another way to fellowship.
The Greek word, “koinonia,” has a deep and rich meaning. The word occurs twenty times in the New Testament. The first time it occurs is in Acts 2:42, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” It means “sharing in common or communion.”
What we share most deeply in common is our faith in Jesus, which brings us in relationship to God as our Father and one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. And we should desire to add to our family, as 1 John 1:3 expressed above, “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may fellowship with us.”
We can overcomplicate fellowship by focusing on the evangelistic thrust or the deep spiritual meanings. We should acknowledge the deep spiritual roots of our fellowship to one another, and we pray for the evangelistic fruit of others coming into fellowship with us through faith in Jesus. But we should put our efforts into living out the expressions of fellowship.
What can “koinonia” or “fellowship” look like? A study of the phrase “one another” in the Bible is a wonderful way to get to the heart of what it looks like when a church becomes devoted to fellowship.
- Devoted to one another (Romans 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).
That is what devoted fellowship should look like. If that is our heart toward one another, then surely the hallways, classes, and worship center will sound like family gathered for a big celebration. And when a guest enters that kind of environment. They will want to be part of a fellowship like that.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
