Did You Know? The term “fellowship” is
used often in churches. We get together for a planned fellowship (a noun), we
have fellowship (a verb), we go fellowshipping (a participle) and we even name
our buildings “Fellowship Hall.” Most often the term is used to signify people
getting together to talk, relax, play sports, or eat meals together. But as
enjoyable as these kinds of events can be they are not a reflection of what
true biblical fellowship really is.
The New Testament was originally penned in Greek, yet nowhere in the Greek text do any of the Greek words translated “fellowship” ever involve fun and games. What they do involve is participation in something spiritual. In 2 Corinthians 8:4 the Greek term is used in relation to participating in giving financial relief to other Christians. The book of 1 Timothy says as much in 1 Tim. 6:18 when it speaks of being rich in good works and showing generosity in giving financially ready to “share” (fellowship).
The Apostle Paul thanked the Philippian Christians for their “fellowship in the gospel” (1:5) because they were participating with him by continuing to preach the gospel – even though Paul was in prison for preaching Christ at the time (1:7). So it appears that the kind of fellowship Paul spoke of in this context, namely preaching Christ, was the kind that brought severe persecution. Now that’s a far cry from church members playing softball together!
It is the Christian’s responsibility to imitate Jesus Christ’s humility and his self-sacrificial love (Philippians 2:5-8) through the “fellowship of the Spirit” (Philippians 2:1). This kind of fellowship concerns a common participation in the fruits of the Holy Spirit which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23), and these can be shared together in many contexts. When is the last time you had fellowship in your church regarding those nine traits?
Christians have the incredible
privilege of knowing in some small way the “fellowship of Christ’s sufferings, becoming
like him in his death” (Philippians
The Bible is clear as to what true
fellowship is. It ought not ever be taken lightly or misunderstood. Biblical fellowship
should always be accompanied by Bible teaching, submissive prayer, and even ministry
to the poor (Acts
Biblical fellowship pleases God and
adds new believers to the fold. Actually the answer to “How to Do Church” is
wrapped up in one single passage: "And they devoted themselves to
the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to praying”
(Acts
Harvest Bible Church is a conservative
evangelical church where the Bible is not only believed but taught
verse-by-verse. From the children’s Sunday School and
Awana program (Sunday nights at