When I was a child, I enjoyed immersing myself in fictional books. This was where I could dream to be an adventurer, a detective, or even a superhero. One book that I particularly liked was JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings – The Fellowship of the Ring. It tells the story of a group of diverse individuals coming together with a singular goal – To save the world! Of course, this is merely a narrative from a fantasy novel. Fast forward to almost 2 decades later, I find myself to be in an actual fellowship – To be with my fellow Christians. So, what is the meaning of Christian fellowship?
The Inner Unity
Our English word, “fellowship” is the translation of the Greek word, “koinonia”, derived from the root word, “koinos”. Adding this prefix to the word “living'', we will get the meaning “living in community together”. We observe that the meaning of “fellowship” means “to have something in common”. From the usage of the Greek word, “koinonia”, it also denotes a relationship that involves more than one individual. This fellowship begins as an inner unity where the inner (personal) aspect of fellowship with Christ can be seen in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord”. Since our fellowship as Christians begins with Christ, we need to spend quiet time reading the Bible so as to understand God’s command to us as individuals. We can also seek solace by communicating to God with our prayers.
The Outer Unity
There are words in the Greek dictionary which have similar, but not identical, meaning to the word, “koinonia”. The four synonyms of koinonia in the New Testament are “philos”, which means “related by love for outward characteristics”; “hetairos”, meaning a sharer in a common enterprise; “sunergos”, meaning a fellow-worker; and “metochos”, a participant. Each of these words denotes a unity which is expressed outwardly. Fellowship is about participating in activities together. This outer aspect of fellowship can be seen in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “ Therefore encourage one another and build another up, just as you are doing”. There is a saying, “You are the summation of the 5 people closest to you”. Are we only “part-time” Christians, seeing our fellow Christians only during worship service or are we actively participating and contributing to events organised by the Church? As the saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”. Simple activities such as having meals or playing games together serve as an opportunity for us Christians to connect and understand one another on a deeper level.
Unity of Accomplishing God-given Purpose
Our fellowship with others is only as good as our fellowship with Christ. We can only fellowship with Him by following God’s will. In other words, fellowship involves actively doing God’s will. A Christian’s main purpose is to show God’s glory and purpose to the world as instructed in the Bible. This command can be seen in Ephesians 3:8-11, “ To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord”. It is evident from the verses that God has an eternal plan and the church plays an important part in accomplishing that plan.
Conclusion
Fellowship is a relationship of inner unity with God and His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, that expresses itself in outer co-participation with fellow Christians in accomplishing God’s will. Working together to accomplish God’s will will be continued in the church with the practice of worship, planning of activities, supporting of mission work, giving to the needy and many other ways in line with God’s command.
PS: For readers of this article, kindly say “Hi” to me in church so that we can start to know each other!