Shortly before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus spent time with His disciples in what has come to be known as the Upper Room Ministry, recorded in John 13-17. Several disciples asked questions of the Lord, but the one that drew forth the longest and most detailed answer focused on a difficult subject for those men. The Lord was going away, and yet, somehow, would meet with them so that the fellowship they had come to love might continue. His answer to them involved two great teachings that have profound significance for our subject. First, in order for the Lord to manifest Himself, His followers must show their love for Him by obeying His commands, and, second, His presence in and among them would become possible through the coming of His Spirit, the Holy Spirit of God.
To understand the significance of all this, we must remember that virtually every account of the Lord’s time with His disciples was spent with them as a group. In a few instances, He took a smaller group, but we do not read of Him spending time with each person individually. This is important because when they spoke of seeing Him again after He departed, they had to be thinking collectively: a meeting of themselves as a group with Him in the midst. Herein is the essence of fellowship.
New Testament fellowship
The book of Acts begins with the fulfillment of His promise to come to them! The Holy Spirit was given, and the church was now a reality: a company of individuals called out of the world, gathered together to enjoy His presence and to express their love for Him by doing what He asked. Luke sums up the activities of those early Christians in Acts 2:42. It is interesting that in the final chapter of his earlier book, the gospel of Luke, all four of these activities were present.
The Greek word for fellowship, koinonia, refers to something shared in common and always implies the existence of a relationship. To really understand the word, one should not begin with Bible commentaries or present day church social functions, for it is clear in both that many are confused about what fellowship is. Often the impression is given that fellowship is merely a catch-all word for miscellaneous religious social activities.
If we study the early chapters of Acts, we will note that the key to fellowship is centered on the disciples’ coming together around the Lord and then working together in harmony on the mission He had assigned to them. The key word is harmony. Everything depended on relationships, as shown by the expression “with one accord.” Through fellowship, the Holy Spirit worked powerfully to “convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment” (Jn. 16:8), with dramatic results.
Next, we should observe that the order of the items listed in Acts 2:42 is significant. God speaks first (teaching), and the result must first be in relationships—both to God and among people (fellowship). Once loving unity is a reality, worship can go up to God (the breaking of bread). (Incidentally, the Lord Jesus endorsed this order in Matthew 5:23-24 when He taught that relationships must be restored before worship could be real.) Finally, the church expresses its dependence upon the Head (prayer).
Fellowship Today
In this simple order, not only are the joys of life in Christ found but also the key to evangelism. The disciples would remember the strong connection between unity and outreach made by our Lord in His great prayer for His own in John 17. Has this truth been adequately grasped by the church today?
In my travels, I occasionally come into contact with small, struggling assemblies, often dwindling in numbers. When enquiring of the elders what they believe to be the greatest need to bring hope and new life in their situation, the answer is always the same: “We need more evangelistic outreach into the community.” Now this is a good thing. But I have never once heard anything like this:
“If we had a more practical grasp of fellowship, just like in the early chapters of Acts, there would be an attraction to the Lord stemming from the love of His people.”
Let me illustrate. Years ago, a small assembly we knew was discussing ways to encourage the work. The suggestion was made to gather some tables into a square downstairs and put chairs around them. When the people came down for coffee after the Breaking of Bread, they were encouraged to sit and share what was going on in their lives: what people they were working with, needs for prayer, exciting events in the lives of their children, etc. It would be a family time. The idea caught on and worked well.
One time when we were visiting, I saw a man I didn’t know enjoying the whole thing. Clearly he had not been at the breaking of bread. Later, I mentioned to the elders that I had not seen him at the Bible hour. The reply was interesting. “Oh no, he doesn’t come to the meetings yet.
Somehow he found out about the family time and is starved for fellowship, so he comes just for that.” It was not free coffee and cake he was seeking but someone to care that he existed, someone to listen. I never forgot it. The incident brought to mind a quotation from a small book I had been given many years ago. “We will win the world to Christ when we learn that fellowship is the key to evangelism.” That quote summarizes the early chapters of the book of Acts, and it changed my life and my ministry.
Think again of the story of the Lord Jesus meeting the woman at the well in John 4. He did not immediately pronounce her a sinner and preach at her. He began where she was. Her present interest was in water. He spoke about that.
Her longing was to be needed, as she was an outcast. He asked her for a drink. What grace!
With this same thought in mind, go back and read again the record of the earliest days of the church. Men were empowered to speak the Word with conviction. When persecuted, the witnesses went immediately back to the gathered church and brought it to the Lord “with one accord” (Acts 4). When problems arose over material things (Acts 5, 6), these were dealt with swiftly and decisively. In both cases, the presence and work of the Holy Spirit are specifically mentioned and critical to the outcome.
Fellowship, then, is much more than a catch-all term to describe informal social functions in the church. It is laboring together in God’s work. It is the healing of marriages, of families, of once warm friendships soured by pride and unforgiveness. It is the thawing out of frozen traditions so that the flexibility of softened hearts can work together and the needs of people be heard.
Finally, since the other three activities in which the early Christians continued steadfastly were often expressed as meetings of the church, it might not be a bad idea to think about the practicality of a meeting for fellowship! Would that assemblies, who have been known for solid preaching and spiritual worship, might also become known, in these dark days, for warm and living fellowship!