When we place our trust in Jesus, we become participants in the life of the church. Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many 1 Corinthians — Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it 1 Corinthians The image of the church as the body of Christ is a beautiful metaphor, but it represents a significant reality. Jesus is present in and expresses Himself through the church. Every Christian becomes a participant in the body of Christ. To better understand what fellowship is and how it works, let's examine how the term is occasionally used in Scripture.
The word that often gets translated as "fellowship" is koinonia. They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship koinonia , to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who 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. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts , Greek added. Luke tells us what the church looked like in its infancy. One of the things they dedicated themselves to was fellowship. In this passage, Luke breaks down what that looks like. For one thing, being committed to fellowship meant that they were committed to being in one another's presence.
We see that "all the believers were together" and "every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. But we also see that fellowship went farther than simply being around each other.
Luke tells us that part of that commitment was they had everything in common. In fact, this included selling off both property and possessions to share with those in need. Their commitment to fellowship went so much deeper than devotion to being together. They saw it as a responsibility to share their lives. For Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution koinonian for the poor among the Lord's people in Jerusalem.
They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings Romans —27, Greek added.
As Paul's letter to the church at Rome winds down, he informs them that he hopes to visit them soon, but first, he's on his way to Jerusalem to distribute gifts donated by the church in Macedonia and Achaia. A form of koinonia makes it into this passage, but most English Bibles translate it as "contribution.
But in modern culture, a contribution isn't something someone needs to be personally invested in. Sometimes we make contributions out of obligation or even to get a tax break. The use of koinonian here tells us that when these churches heard about the rough time their brethren in Jerusalem were experiencing, they wanted to participate. Even though they couldn't be with them physically, they saw it as their responsibility as part of the body of Christ.
No one is perfect. We all sin, but each of us has a purpose here on Earth to show aspects of God to those around us. Each of us has been given specific spiritual gifts. Think of it like a cake. You need the flour, sugar, eggs, oil, and more to make a cake. The eggs will never be the flour. None of them make up the cake alone. Yet together, all those ingredients make a delicious cake.
It is like that with fellowship. All of us together show the glory of God. Reading our Bibles and praying are great ways to get closer to God, but each of us has important lessons to impart to one another. When we come together in fellowship, we teach each other things. God gives us a gift of learning and growing when we come together in fellowship we show each other how to live as God wants us to live, and how to walk in His footsteps.
When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
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Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Share Flipboard Email. Matters of choice are those issues that fall outside of explicit biblical commands. These are things on which Scripture is silent and about which believers must exercise discretion and discernment. In this case, believers are dealing with preferential and permissible matters. These include both issues of no serious consequence and things that are minimally to moderately important, but are not concerns that rise to the level of doctrine Col.
These include basic lifestyle decisions and personal issues of taste. Included in these matters of choice might be some selections of clothing, hygiene and grooming, personal appearance, Halloween participation, the role of Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny in holiday celebrations, civic involvements, dietary choices, and various advocacy efforts. These are all things about which some believers have strong opinions, yet they remain matters of choice and, as such, they have been historically considered areas of Christian liberty.
Biblical Christian fellowship is an important issue for Christians and the leaders who equip them. But in any case, the unity of believers around the truth should always be sought and maintained. Melanchthon, and the Bible itself, say that the means to that end is charity — Christian love for one another John Because of the centrality of their biblical office, deacons play an important role in developing the spiritual strength and maintaining the Christian unity of the congregations they serve.
Becoming equipped in both the threats to and principles of biblical fellowship will enable you to be an effective leader who equips your church to make an impact on the kingdom of God for the glory of God.
If you are interested in further study of Biblical Christian fellowship while experiencing the blessing of partaking in it, check out our seminary degree programs — all taught by Biblical scholars who deeply care about fostering a classroom marked by relationship.
This is the way of Grace. Freddy oversees the faithful execution of the mission and vision for the School of Ministry Studies. He is committed to advancing the Kingdom of God by expanding the size, reach, and impact of the school, faculty, staff, and the dynamic programs they offer.
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