God has intended for us to experience life together. The Bible refers to this shared experience as fellowship. These days, “fellowship” usually refers to a casual conversation, socializing with friends, sharing a meal, or having a fun experience together. The question of, “where do you fellowship?” means, “where do you attend church?” To “stay after for fellowship,” usually means, “wait for refreshments.”
Real fellowship is so much more than just showing up for a church service or a Bible study. It is truly experiencing life together. It will include unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other “one another” commands found in the New Testament.
The Body of Christ, like your own physical body, is really a collection of many small cells. The life of the Body of Christ is like that of your physical body. Life is found in the cells. For this reason, every Christian needs to be involved in a small group within their church. Whether it is a home fellowship group, a Sunday School class, or a Bible Study. If you were to think of your church as a ship, the small groups are the lifeboats attached to it. It is only in the safety and closeness of these small groups where have real opportunity to share life more openly and can experience real, true fellowship.
The Bible says, “If we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other… If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:7-8) The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. Darkness is used to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we can bring them all out into the open and admit where we are in our life.
So, friend, you and I were truly intended for community. For fellowship. Real, true fellowship. Fellowship with God and with one another. Because we need God, and we need each other.
You are loved!
Pastor Mark
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