"Fellowship"

We need to desperately understand God's idea of fellowship. Maybe somehow our gatherings have blinded us to what the Lord means by fellowship. I just want to give some food for thought, encouraging you to study it for yourself. I often here brethren, when they get up in front of an assembly, asking for people to find a place to sit and hated to disturb all the fellowshipping.

Many have defined fellowship as seen in social activities with other Christians. While one might want to make an argument for that, that is not God's concept of fellowship. There is nothing wrong for brethren to get together and eat, enjoying the company of others. Paul was looking forward to that if he came to the brethren at Rome (Rom. 15:32). But Paul did not call that fellowship. What we need is to recognize the difference between fellowship and just plain social time enjoying the company of other Christian's.

Fellowship has a purpose! It is intended to strengthen faith, renew the spirit and encourage each other to the Lord. Without true fellowship, strength is lost, the body is weakened and it our lives become nothing more than fun and games with each other. The biblical term "fellowship" literally means a sharing in common, to share together with or participate with. That sounds like social, doesn't it? Wouldn't that be "date night" or "parents night out?" For fellowship to be a gain, it begins with sharing in the things of God. In I John 1:1-3, John and the apostles "fellowshipped" or shared in God's life. They fellowshipped God and Jesus and he is writing to the saint so we can fellowship in the same thing. If they were going to fellowship with the apostles, they needed to share in the same life of God. The same with us! The apostles experienced the life (v.1-2). They touched the life of God through Jesus. They saw, heard, beheld and proclaim the life that was with God they contacted through Jesus Christ. Fellowship is drawing and participating in the life of God! Without God and Christ, there is no fellowship, only "socialship."

What do we learn? When we fellowship with one another, it means we share the life of God in common and work in and off of His life. That's where the encouraging comes in. That's where the talk comes about. There is no fellowship apart from God and Jesus! If we fellowship with one another, what do you think our minds, hearts and lives will be centered around?