Fellowship (Greek – koinonein (verb) or koinonia (noun) ) ~fellows-in-a-ship depicting the idea of a group of people in a ship. One definition according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is “to engage people for service on a ship” Relating this to the family of Christian believers, each and every one of us are on board the “Jesus ship”, on the journey- Christ-likeness “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ”—(Ephesians 4:13, NIV). While on this journey, we are to serve because like Jesus said to His disciples in Luke 22:27(NIV), “…But I am among you as the one who serves”. The one who serves will be honoured by the Father. Such an opportunity to be honoured by the King of kings. It is important to note that we are to serve one another in the family of believers as Paul says in Galatians 5:13(NIV) , “…serve one another humbly in love”.
Just like the believers in Acts 2:42 who devoted themselves to life together, Christians must live life together. This actually means that they shared life together and had things in common. Everyone who professes to be a Christian ought to belong to a family like a church family or a body of believers who are also living by faith in Christ Jesus, because when we got saved, we were adopted into God’s family (the body of believers).
Living life together implies that we involve each other in our lives. The Christian life is not meant to be private but a shared one. It is an interdependent kind of living, meaning, others in the body of believers play a critical role in our lives. For example, because Christians are embarking on a spiritual journey with some having weights pulling them down, it is essential to live life together in order to help each other. Like Paul uses the word “us” in relation to running the race, which is the Christian journey, a person’s retrogression can affect someone else’s progress which is why Paul admonishes in 1 Timothy 4:16(NIV) “watch your life and doctrine closely…because if you do, you will save both yourself and hearers”.
Living life together revolves around circumstances and people. God uses circumstances which involve obviously people to shape us into Christlikeness, His ultimate plan for every child of His. The attitudes and behaviors of people are distinct and unique and we have to recognize that. People will not always act or react the way we want. In a Christian fellowship, you meet different people with different needs which cannot all be met and different personalities But often times, when these needs, be it physical, mental, social, psychological are not met, we get offended. Now here is the catch; we get offended because of our own lack of understanding, immaturity, unrealistic expectations and selfish desires (the idea that you should be treated the way you want or given what you think is due you). This is not possible.
Our desires are not the same because each of us are, fearfully and wonderfully made; we are unique. When people fail to live up to our standard in every capacity such as not giving us the maximum attention, keeping us company, not being appreciative of our physical presence and behaving as if we were non- existent and stuff like these, we get offended. This sometimes lead us in feeling unworthy and unimportant and ultimately, we isolate ourselves from the particular group of believers.
Point is, the devil wants us isolated so that he can destroy us. When we are alone, we do not have the support of other believers in prayer and in our growth and journey into Christlikeness. People around us, have been put around us by God in His wisdom, to play a part in His purpose for us in Christ.
Living Life together, also involves sharing life. That is, fellowshipping indeed thrives when we open up to each other. That way, we feel closer to each other. But when someone shares something with us, we should not go talking about it with someone else without the person’s knowledge. That is gossip and God warns us about that. He says in Proverbs 16:28(CEVUK) “Gossip is no good. It causes hard feelings and comes between friends”. This is one of the things that fights against fellowship. Fellowship cannot thrive in an atmosphere or environment where there are hard feelings or tensions between people- “… Without gossip, quarrelling stops”—Proverbs 26:20(GNTD). So we need stop the little gossips, because our little gossips will create tensions between people and I am not sure we will be happy to be the cause for fellow believers quarrelling. Do not be the reason why God’s fellowship suffers. Also, when we open up aspects of our lives and share them, there should be mutual respect for each other and we must not step on each others’ toes because it also causes divisions among believers. It is a simple thing. He or she does not like this thing or that, just stop for the love of God!
The one most important thing as prioritized by Jesus for fellowship is LOVE. In our fellowship, our love for each other must not be based on what we get from the other person but on the condition that Christ loved us. He says in John 13:34,35(NIV), ” Love one another. As I have loved you, so must you love another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples…” . Jesus loved us in spite of our sins. We must love others “in spite of” and not “because of”. An attitude closely related to love within fellowship is suffering. Jesus demonstrated this act of sacrifice by dying on the cross for all of us. If we need to love, it means we should be ready to sacrifice. Jerry Bridges, thus, adds that “there are many elements that go into the total concept of fellowship, as it is described in the new testament, but the sharing together in suffering is one of the most profitable. It probably unites our hearts more than any other aspect of fellowship.”
We are sinful people, you and I, who have been saved by God’s grace and we have been called to love other people. We must not discriminate in loving. We must love one another genuinely. If we are finding this hard to do, we have to pray to Jesus Christ and ask Him to help us love others we seem not to be loving. Like Charles Rozell Swindoll said, “If you are having difficulty loving or relating to an individual, take him or her to God. Bother the Lord with this person. Don’t you be bothered with him—leave him at the throne.” Remember loving one another is a command given to us by God. We can only do this if we rely on God to help us. The Christian journey is a life dependent on God. Paul says in Galatians 5:25(NIV), “since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit”.
We need to know that fellowship with Christian believers is very crucial as the scripture in Hebrews 10:25 admonishes “…let us not neglect meeting together as some people do…” but rather, “think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works”—Hebrews 10:24(NLT) We are called to fellowship and we must respond because we are also called to obey- not partially but fully and with all integrity.
In summary, fellowship therefore must happen among believes who believe Jesus came from God, is the Son of the living God, died and rose again on the third day and is seated at the right hand of God the Father. Remember, we have been called to love one another and fellowship “in spite of” and not “because of”. Let us be encouraged to “not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.”—(Hebrews 10:25 AMP). Shalom!
Inspired To Inspire! 
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