What is Christian Fellowship

7/28/2019 What is Christian Fellowship

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What is Christian Fellowship?

Fellowship with the family of God and with God Himself is one of the greatest blessings of being a Christian.Fellowship is something that is shared by all faithful Christians the world over. It is comforting and encouraging to

know that we have wonderful Christian brothers and sisters from all over the world most of whom we will never meetuntil that great day we are united with them for eternity in Heaven!

The word fellowship comes from the Greek word koinonia. It is elsewere translated in the King James Version ascommunion (1Cor.10:16; 2Cor.13:14); communicate (Heb.13:16); or contribution (Rom.15:26). All three usages of theword koinonia suggest commonality of purpose, partnership and interest. This commonality is illustrated by the words

of the prophet Amos, Amo.3:3 Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

True Christian fellowship is not just pot-luck dinners, youth activities and social get-togethers. True fellowship goesbeyond mere social activity. True fellowship is found in unity of the heart, spirit and understanding which can only

come from a mutual acceptance of Biblical authority and a mutual love for the truth. Christian fellowship is not a club tobe wielded in order to bend others to our will, as some attempt to misuse it by witholding it from those who differ from

them in things that are strictly matters of opinion.

Fellowship is not something about which we can arbitrarily make decisions. One does not decide to fellowship oneperson or another. Such conflicts with the Biblical definition of fellowship. Fellowship with other Christians is a by-

product of our fellowship with God. Our fellowship is not so much with each other as it is with God. 1Jn.1:3 That whichwe have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with

the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

That fellowship with the Father and the Son is conditioned upon our continued faithful obedience to the gospel i.e.walking in the light. 1Jn.1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do notthe truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of JesusChrist his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we do not walk in the light we have no fellowship with God. If we have no

fellowship with God, then we have none with those who walk in the light!

If we are in sin, we can have no fellowship with God. Isa.59:1-2 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that itcannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Hab.1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil,

and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue whenthe wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?

Since it is impossible for God to be in fellowship those who are in sin, it would stand to reason that a Christian alsocould not possibly be in true fellowship with those who are in sin. When an individual or even an entire congregationcommits sin the chain of fellowship with God and with faithful Christians is broken. Eph.5:11 And have no fellowshipwith the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. 2Cor.6:14-17 Be ye not unequally yoked together withunbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light withdarkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And whatagreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell inthem, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them,and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you...

Howbeit, this does not mean that fellowship cannot be restored, but there must first be repentance on the part of thetransgressor.

The question remains as to how we determine who we are to fellowship. We have already noted that we cannot be infellowship with the works of darkness or unrighteousness. So, in determining fellowship we need to begin bydifferentiating between darkness and light and between righteousness and unrighteousness. The Bible clearly definesrighteousness and godliness. 2Pet.1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain untolife and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: The secret to understandingwhere lines of fellowship are drawn is discovered by a diligent study of Gods Word. 2Tim.2:15 Study [give diligence-ASV; be diligent -NKJV] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightlydividing the word of truth.


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Discovering lines of fellowship requires careful study and righteous judgment on our part. 1The.5:21-22 Prove allthings; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. We must be very careful not to give theimpression that we fellowship error or that we fellowship those who practice error. To do that would be the same asbidding them God speed (2Jn.1:9-11).

True Christian fellowship is a wonderful blessing, but as with all of Gods blessings, it is incumbent upon us to remainfaithful. Only then will we be able to share in Gods fell

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the bloodof Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Fellowship comes from the Greek word, KOINONIA, which means to share in common. Christian fellowship is morethan attending Church it is assimilating into the body of believers, becoming one in worshipping, loving, caringand sharing.

According to the scripture, fellowship is not an optional matter for believers. It says, if walk in the light [in fellowshipwith God]... this causes us to have fellowship with one another. And from the outcome of this fellowship, the blood ofJesus, His Son, cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

The Body Needs Proper Blood Circulation

What does fellowship with the brethren have to do with cleansing us from sin? As we know, the Bible says the life isin the blood (Lev. 17:11). This is a fact, both biologically and spiritually. The blood in your body is a cleansing agentwhich purges the toxins and bacteria in our system, and supplies oxygen to vital areas necessary for our survival.Each minute, your heart pumps and circulates blood through miles of inter-connected veins and arteries, passingthrough the kidneys for filtering, and back into the same circulating cycle. However, in the event that a part of yourbody were to be severed from the flow of blood, the absence of blood circulation would cause that part to become

infected it would develop gangrene and would die. Survival is not possible without continual circulation of the blood.

So it is within the body of Christ, the Church (1 Cor. 12:27). For the blood of Jesus Christ to have its continualcleansing effect over our sins, we must remain attached to Christs body. If we sever fellowship with His body, werisk cutting off the circulation of the cleansing blood!

Keep in mind, salvation is based on faith, and is not earned by performing works such as attending Church (Eph.2:8-9). But fellowship with Christs body, the church, is critical in helping to sustain your faith by providing ministry,encouragement, and an atmosphere of spiritual cleansing and growth.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is obviously the basis for the forgiveness of our sins, but the Bible indicates that wecannot have a proper relationship with Christ without a proper relationship with His body. For instance, the scriptures

indicate that our worship to God is unacceptable unless we make things right with our brethren. Therefore if you bringyour gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before


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the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift (Matt. 5:23-24).

Fellowship is the Practice of Loving the Brethren

Not only does the Bible say that fellowship is the evidence of walking in the light (1 John 1:7), but it also says thatloving the brethren is evidence of that walk. He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause forstumbling in him (1 John 2:10). This shows that there is a strong, inseparable relationship between fellowship andloving the brethren. Consequently, it appears that fellowship is intended to be the practice of loving thebrethren, which helps keep us in a right relationship with Christ so that His shed blood can continue its fullcleansing effect!

Many passages of the Bible confirm that love toward the brethren is proof of our salvation. We know that we havepassed from death unto life, because we love the brethren... (1 John 3:14). In essence, we need brethren to have aright relationship with God. We are able to see our relationship with God from the reflection of our relationship with ourbrothers and sisters in Christ. ...for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whomhe has not seen? (1 John 4:20).

Fellowship with the brethren is an exercise of love bringing us toward spiritual maturity. Your relationship withthe brethren is the barometer that measures your spiritual temperature. Your degree of love toward the brethren is thegauge that shows our love for God. ...If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected inus (1 John 4:12).

Fellowship with the body of Christ is where love is tested and proven. It is the opportunity to learn how to love oneanother it is Gods great classroom of the development of Christian character. We are benefited by both, thestrengths and weaknesses of the fellowship. The mature ones help to strengthen and encourage us, while theweaknesses in the less mature give us the opportunity to practice to test our spiritual growth in such characteristicsas patience, long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, etc. (All spiritual virtues must be challenged and tested to bringforth progress.)

At some time you may meet a few rude, offensive, immature believers in the body. They need someone like you toshow them love and patience (so theyll grow up), and you need them in order to practice and develop your love forthe brethren. When you can remain loving and steadfast, even if brothers say negative things about you, letyou down, or do offensive things, your love is being perfected youre growing up as a Christian andbecoming more like Christ!

Rejecting Fellowship Leads away from God

How much much love do you have for your brethren? The Bible says that were supposed to be ready to lay down ourlife for our brothers. But do you suppose you would really lay down your life for them if youre not willing to even cometogether with them a few times a week for worship? By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. Andwe also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16).

Jesus expressed that we must be committed to the love of the brethren in the same way that He was. He stated thatthis love toward the brethren was the necessary evidence to prove our authenticity as Christians to the world. A newcommandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By thisall will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).

It is essential for every believer to be an active part of a Christian fellowship. Willful rejection of fellowship isevidence of not walking in the light. A famous preacher once said show me a professing Christian who seldomattends Church, and Ill show you a backslider who needs to get their heart right before God.

All through the New Testament, Jesus shows us that He takes personally, how we relate to His body. Our love,expressions of kindness, and ministry to any of our brothers and sisters in Christ are received as though they weredone unto the Lord, Himself. ...inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.

(Matthew 25:40). Therefore, would we refuse to gather with Jesus when the opportunity is given? If we refuse togather with our brethren, we have, in reality, refused to gather with Jesus. For where two or three are gathered


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together in My name, I am there in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20).

Fellowship with the body of Christ is not just an option, but is critical to our continued survival as Christians.We need the preaching and teaching from Gods Word, the atmosphere of worship and praise, the encouragementwhich we draw from our brethren, the opportunities of Christian service, and we need the opportunity to practice lovetoward other Christians.

Get involved and stay in faithful fellowship with the body of Christ! Dont run off if something disappoints you or you getyour feelings hurt this only demonstrates immaturity and places you in further danger of losing out with God.

If you alienate yourself from fellowship, you will restrict the life-giving blood flow of the body of Christ, and will beregressing down a path that leads away from God.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselvestogether, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Dayapproaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains asacrifice for sins (Heb. 10:24-26).

Christian Fellowship - Christian CompanionshipChristian fellowship occurs when two or more Christians are in one another's company. The dictionarydefines fellowship as "friendly association with others; companionship." Christian fellowship, then,involves friendly association with other Christians. It means you choose Christians to be yourcompanions.

Christian Fellowship - What Does it Mean for Me?Christian fellowship begins through a process of adoption. Are you a Christian today? If you are, youhave been adopted by God. You may have heard it said that we are all God's children, but the truth is,

we don't become God's children until we are adopted, through faith in Christ.

He predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with hispleasure and will. (Ephesians 1:5)

If we were all God's children by virtue of being His creation, then adoption wouldn't be necessary. Askany parents of adopted children and they'll tell you the process is long, hard and painful! Why wouldGod choose adoption if we were already His children? Because God longs to have you as His child,He sacrificed Himself, in the person of Jesus Christ, on the cross in order to purchase your salvation.

So if you've received Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, congratulations! You are now amember of God's family.

Christian Fellowship - Like-minded CommunionAfter adoption, Christian fellowship grows naturally. Because it's natural for us to want to be aroundpeople like ourselves, in time you'll find yourself desiring the companionship of people who think likeyou do. As a Christian, depending on where you live on this planet, your beliefs may now be in starkcontrast to the society around you. That desire for fellowship with "like-thinkers" is God-given.

If you ignore it, or think that by hanging around with "Christians" your non-believing friends will thinkyou're not "cool," you deny yourself the companionship of your new family members, stunt yourChristian growth - and worse, you open yourself to risk.

One phenomena common to all believers is the recognition that without Christ, our spiritualunderstanding was dark. Some even say, "It's as if I stumbled in the darkness, and then God threw onthe light switch." Unbelievers are still living in spiritual darkness. While God desires that we liveamong them and share what we have learned with them, we are called to be separate in our choice ofclose companions, and for a very good reason! Paul tells us why:


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Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness havein common? And what fellowship can lighthave with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14 NIV)

If you seek out fellowship with other believers, you will find yourself surrounded by new friends who'llthink you're very "cool" - because God thinks so, too! And through that new friendship, you'll discoverthat the light only gets brighter.

Christian Fellowship - Where Do I Find It?Christian fellowship is critical! Being in the company of people who think like you do is very importantto your growth and survival as a Christian. If you live in a church-wealthy community, you are likely tofind that companionship. Most churches offer some kind of small group experience that you canbecome a part of. If you can't find satisfying fellowship at your church, it's possible God wants to moveyou somewhere else. Consider that option and pray! God will direct your heart.

But what if you don't have great churches around you? Where then do you go to find Christianfellowship?

What is Christian Fellowship?Fellowship with the family of God and with God Himself is one of the greatest blessings of being a

Christian. Fellowship is something that is shared by all faithful Christians the world over. It iscomforting and encouraging to know that we have wonderful Christian brothers and sisters from allover the world most of whom we will never meet until that great day we are united with them foreternity in Heaven!

The word fellowship comes from the Greek word koinonia. It is elsewere translated in the KingJames Version as communion (1Cor.10:16; 2Cor.13:14); communicate (Heb.13:16); or contribution(Rom.15:26). All three usages of the word koinonia suggest commonality of purpose, partnership andinterest. This commonality is illustrated by the words of the prophet Amos, Amo.3:3 Can two walktogether, except they be agreed?

True Christian fellowship is not just pot-luck dinners, youth activities and social get-togethers. Truefellowship goes beyond mere social activity. True fellowship is found in unity of the heart, spirit and

understanding which can only come from a mutual acceptance of Biblical authority and a mutual lovefor the truth. Christian fellowship is not a club to be wielded in order to bend others to our will, assome attempt to misuse it by witholding it from those who differ from them in things that are strictlymatters of opinion.

Fellowship is not something about which we can arbitrarily make decisions. One does not decide tofellowship one person or another. Such conflicts with the Biblical definition of fellowship. Fellowshipwith other Christians is a by-product of our fellowship with God. Our fellowship is not so much witheach other as it is with God. 1Jn.1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, thatye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his SonJesus Christ.

That fellowship with the Father and the Son is conditioned upon our continued faithful obedience to

the gospel i.e. walking in the light. 1Jn.1:6-7 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walkin darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we havefellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we donot walk in the light we have no fellowship with God. If we have no fellowship with God, then we havenone with those who walk in the light!

If we are in sin, we can have no fellowship with God. Isa.59:1-2 Behold, the LORD'S hand is notshortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities haveseparated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.Hab.1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookestthou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the manthat is more righteous than he?

Since it is impossible for God to be in fellowship those who are in sin, it would stand to reason that aChristian also could not possibly be in true fellowship with those who are in sin. When an individual or


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even an entire congregation commits sin the chain of fellowship with God and with faithful Christiansis broken. Eph.5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprovethem. 2Cor.6:14-17 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hathrighteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? And whatconcord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And whatagreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath

said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the uncleanthing; and I will receive you...

Howbeit, this does not mean that fellowship cannot be restored, but there must first be repentance onthe part of the transgressor.

The question remains as to how we determine who we are to fellowship. We have already noted thatwe cannot be in fellowship with the works of darkness or unrighteousness. So, in determiningfellowship we need to begin by differentiating between darkness and light and between righteousnessand unrighteousness. The Bible clearly defines righteousness and godliness. 2Pet.1:3 According ashis divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through theknowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: The secret to understanding where lines of

fellowship are drawn is discovered by a diligent study of Gods Word. 2Tim.2:15 Study [give diligence-ASV; be diligent -NKJV] to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to beashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Discovering lines of fellowship requires careful study and righteous judgment on our part. 1The.5:21-22 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil. We must bevery careful not to give the impression that we fellowship error or that we fellowship those whopractice error. To do that would be the same as bidding them God speed (2Jn.1:9-11).

True Christian fellowship is a wonderful blessing, but as with all of Gods blessings, it is incumbentupon us to remain faithful. Only then will we be able to share in Gods fell

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What is Christian Fellowship