A Word From The Word: Fellowship
When I came to the Lord in the Jesus movement, there was a hunger in that movement—and in the traditional church—for Christian fellowship. There were churches, coffee houses, outreach ministries and bookstores all using one word as their name—“Koinonia”. We were told the word meant fellowship—which of course is a word no one used outside the church. So, we basically didn’t know what this fellowship was supposed to be.
But the Bible is very clear about fellowship. It described the lifestyle the earliest Christians led literally hours after the forming of the Church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). But we still don’t know what this word means. We just use it as though everyone knows–when in fact everyone just reads their own thoughts into the word. So we don’t understand the lifestyle of the early church—arguably the lifestyle that should describe the Church today!
The word fellowship is translating that same Greek word, “koinonia” so common in the Jesus Movement. The word indicates one end of a continuum of possession. The Greeks had two words that were opposite of one another. One (idios) indicated something that belonged to one person and no one else (for example, Ephesians 5:22, “Wives to your own husbands as to the Lord. (emphasis mine)” indicating that the husband is hers and no one else’s. This word would mean if you own clothes, property, livestock, etc. it is yours—no one else has any right to it. On the other end of the continuum is koinonia—which basically means something shared. Nothing is mine alone–just mine to manage for the Lord. That property, livestock, wealth, etc. isn’t mine, it belongs to all of us, because we all belong to the Lord.
This is the core of fellowship—shared life. This faith was the opposite of private—it was shared by all who belonged to the Lord. But not just their faith. Their very life was shared. They lived together, shared possessions—even selling private property so they could distribute to others in need (Acts 4:36).
So, what should our fellowship look like? Do we have to all sell what we own and move into a compound, living in a commune? I think not. That lifestyle is consistent with the early church, but not exactly how they lived in fellowship. Many of them still had their own homes, though they shared them with others in need, and often gathered together in those homes for worship, or just to share a meal together (at which they would celebrate the Lord’s supper). They shared their new life. They shared their faith experiences. They shared their questions, doubts, and victories in faith. They served their community together and shared in the Apostles’ teaching.
In short, fellowship was sharing life.
Fellowship isn’t a program. It isn’t an event. It isn’t an activity. It is a lifestyle where disciples of Jesus open themselves to others. The concept of a “private faith” is the opposite of fellowship—and will kill any attempts made to experience true fellowship. Instead, it is living with the understanding that these other people are the purest form of family, and people with whom we will share eternity! This doesn’t come natural to us. It takes effort. It takes decisions to step out of our comfort zones. But it is the natural state of the Church. It is the way we were created to live!
Know Jesus and Be Faithful!
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