"They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer."
Acts 2:42
What does the word fellowship mean in this passage? The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, and this word is translated as contribution (2), fellowship (12), participation (2), and sharing (3) (NASB Dictionary). This fellowship meant that they belonged to each other, nothing was held back from each other. They shared each other's joys and sorrows. This is how the early church functioned. "And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need." Acts 2:44-45. They didn't regard anything as their own because everything they had was God-given. They took care of each other. I personally believe that we have lost this beautiful picture of community in the church today.
We regard fellowship today as meeting together, hanging out and eating. It always involves eating... :) But they believed that fellowship went deeper than just being with each other. According to Wes Hall, "The meaning of fellowship implies more than simply meeting together or participating jointly in events. It is a strong word that means the early believer shared their lives together in deep intimacy. They regarded themselves as belonging to each other."
So, what is the Biblical foundation/definition for fellowship?
Psalm 55:14 "We who had sweet fellowship together walked in the house of God in the throng" (crowd).
2 Corinthians 13:14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all."
Philippians 3:10 "...that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."
1 John 1:1-4, 7 "What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life-- and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 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. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete... 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."
From these four verses (although there are many more) we can gain that the basic biblical definition of fellowship begins with God and ends with God. We love Him with our whole hearts and then He cases us to love others also, caring for them and loving them just as God loves them. It's the power of the 1st and 2nd commandments (Matthew 22:36-40) in each believer's heart, working together to accomplish unity in the body of Christ. "But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired... But now there are many members, but one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you'; or again the head to the feet, 'I have no need of you.' ...And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." 1 Cor. 12:18-26.
Fellowship in the church should look like wholehearted love for God, resulting in loving our brothers and sisters in Christ just like Jesus loves them. True fellowship and community is a group of people who are wholehearted in their pursuit of knowing God and loving Him. They have put the 1st Commandment in first place. They know that they cannot go this way alone, and so they come together in unity like Jesus prayed in John 17 and encourage each other and strengthen each other so that each one can run the race with perseverance and endurance (Heb. 12:1-3). They share each other's hardships and rejoice in each other's victories.
The church has drifted far from this picture of fellowship since the early days of the Church in the first century BC. To see this restored will look like laying down our rights, our selfishness, our "entitlements" and trusting our hearts and well being to the community around us. But first and foremost, it means getting right with God again and putting Jesus back in His rightful place in our lives: First place. It is absolutely right for Him to be the first priority in our lives. Without Him there we will lose, and we will miss out on the most beautiful, dynamic relationship that this life has to offer.
"For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts..." Isaiah 54:5
"We will rejoice in you and be glad; we will extol your love more than wine. Rightly do they (we) love you [Jesus]." Song of Solomon 1:4
No comments:
Post a Comment