Fellowship; with God and Man

Among the 5 basic purposes of the church – Evangelism, Ministry, Worship, Discipleship, and Fellowship, Fellowship is the one that I favor. It is one of the purposes that can be fulfilled while doing evangelism, while ministering to the community, while worshipping and while discipling new believers. Fellowship is what brings the body together.

The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia, – “communion". Acts 2:42-47a – They (the early church – the 3000 that were added to the number of believers on the day of Pentecost) devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” These people knew how to fellowship and it was far more that just eating meals together. The scripture said they had all things in common.

So what does it take to have this kind of communion? What does it mean to have all things in common?

1.) Fellowship with God is the Foundation. For friendship to turn to fellowship we have to start at the foundation of all fellowship and that is with a relationship with Jesus Christ. For our church to experience true fellowship we are first called to fellowship with Jesus Christ. I John 1:1-4 – “This which was from the beginning, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We write this to make our joy complete.”

2.) Fellowship with Man Flows out from Fellowship with God. Once we have fellowship with God, our relationship with Him is growing and we are walking with Him daily, then out from that relationship should come a natural expression of love for His creation – all of mankind and the church. I John 1:5-7 – “This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies is from all sin.” --How fellowship is expressed: Read Romans 12:9-21--

In closing, remember, first of all that God prayed that we would experience fellowship. The words of Jesus found in the book of John are in your bulletin today. Jesus prayed that we would be one. That we would be one with God and that we would be one with each other – united so the world would know why Jesus was sent: Because he loves them.

Without fellowship with God there can be no fruit – John 15:4 – “No branch can bear fruit by itself. It must remain in the vine.”