The word ‘fellowship’ means ‘a joint participation in a common interest and activity’, and thus it refers to something that belongs to us all, that we share together. (What Every Christian Should Know by Rev. Francis Dixon). Consider the following scriptures on fellowship: Acts 2:38-47 and Hebrews 10:24-25
From the scriptures above, Christian fellowship is focused on a joint participation of Christians with the ultimate goal of worshiping God and edifying one another for growth in walk with Jesus Christ, and the core value of fellowship is love-Love for God and fellow brethren. Some of the fundamentals of fellowship include:
- Edifying one another for spiritual growth-Love for God and love for others (Acts 2:42-43; Hebrews 10:24-25).
- For communion in the Lord’s super (Acts 2:42).
- For prayers (Acts 2:42; James 5:14-16).
- To build a bond of unity and support fellow believers (Acts 2:43-47).
- To serve God and the others with spiritual gifts (Acts 2:43; James 14:14-16).
- For encouragement of one another (Hebrews 10:24-25).
- For cordial decision making (Acts 15:1-35).
- To spread the gospel to unbelievers (Acts 2:41; John 13:35).
Fellowship is essential for fostering unity and building of the body of Christ. Fellowship is also a venue for service to God and fellow brethren. Nevertheless, sometimes, some Christians in the guise of serving God or exercising their faith cause divisions in the body of Christ or lead people away from the faith in God. Some examples of ways which bring this division in the body of Christ or lead people away from the faith are highlighted below.
- Using the Gospel to seek personal followers rather than followers of Jesus Christ. It is true that while spreading the Gospel, God may place people who listen to you and are mentored by you but the primary goal of this is not that you become an idol to these people, drawing them to self and leaving them far from faith in God. The primary motives of fellowship as seen above include encouraging one another’s spiritually growth, supporting one another, spreading the gospel to unbelievers and the end goal of all of this is for everyone to be led to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It is not to become famous and have many followers. Rather it is to lead them to the path of salvation in God through Jesus Christ. Paul urges his followers not to end at following him but to follow him on the path of following Christ. The end point of influencing people is towards Jesus Christ.
- Envy over the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Out of our relationship with God, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we bear the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22). On the other hand, the gifts of the spirit are specific abilities bestowed on us for Kingdom service. We are not to use these gifts to lord it over others because this can cause divisions in the body of Christ. Rather, responsibly use these gifts to serve God by serving his people and for building up the church-the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-15).
- Undermining the uniqueness of brethren in the body of Christ. We all are called to serve God and because we have unique God-given abilities, we serve God in unique ways. For instance we all in the body of Christ are to uphold the great commission of spreading the word of God to the ends of the earth. While some travel on missionary evangelism trips, others are called to spread the gospel by writing books, others through music, others through the social media, some may be there to clean church buildings where people congregate for fellowship etc. Nevertheless, the foundation of walking in God’s plan and kingdom service is the word of God and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Undermining another person’s genuine service (which is out of love, faith in God and a good conscience) may result in minimizing some services which are of essence in the church of God and may discourage those who are called to these offices of service. Despite our uniqueness, the focus should be on encouraging one another to becoming more like Christ and understanding our uniqueness in attaining same goal should be a force for unity rather than division in the body of Christ.
- Overlooking younger believers. It is common to see young believers struggling to grow in faith because of inadequate guidance by the older ones in the faith who may overlook the nascent level of a young believer’s spiritual journey and expect them to understand and act just as other Christians who are more advanced in their walk with God. Without proper follow-up of younger believers, they may end up backsliding from the faith. Those who are advanced in their walk with God have a duty to carefully help the younger ones in the faith to grow.
- Teaching fake doctrines. The focus of teaching should be on the truth in the word of God and living by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. False doctrines only result in disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Let us heed to Apostle Paul’s advice to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:3-7 “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.”
- Ungodly Character. Our character conveys a message about our faith and will either attract people to yearn more for Jesus Christ or lead them away. For instance, some Christians bring division in the body of Christ by spreading malicious information about servants of God. Our Christian duty which is an act of our faith is to pray for our leaders and if we are opportune, correct them in love. (2 Thessalonians 3:1-2). In other instances, say at the jobsite, some Christians will despise authority or neglect work, or are rude to people. Our Christian duty is to respect our superiors and serve them sincerely as serving Christ. (Ephesians 6:1-7). Other times we see men despising their wives at home; women disrespecting their husband; children dishonoring their parents etc. Other times, in the guise of working in the spirit, some have become so arrogant that no one can correct them and are even blind to the promptings of the Holy Spirit showing them their weakness. Sometimes when corrected about wrong approach which are contrary to Christ-like character, the perpetuators will say “it is an attack on their faith”. These mentioned attitudes are contrary to godly character of love, kindness, gentleness, self-control, patience etc. The evidence of a Christian who is born again is the Character which is increasingly being transformed to resemble the character of Jesus Christ. This character can be nurtured with constant meditation on the word of God, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and with intentional efforts. (2 Peter 1:3-11). Beware, your character either draws others to know Jesus Christ or it discourages them from knowing Christ. Your Character will either contribute to building the body of Christ or dividing it.
In these last days, the body of Christ needs to be united. We are not perfect beings but with the help of Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit, we can submit our wrong ways and weaknesses to God, who will fix us and make us valuable vessels and servants for His kingdom’s course.
God bless you.
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