I Need Your Fellowship

The word koinonia in the Greek language is often translated communion or fellowship. It involves the idea of sharing something in common. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines it as “the share which one has in anything, participation.” You have probably heard it described as joint participation. As members of the family of God, being sons of God through the putting on of Christ in baptism, we are to have fellowship (Gal. 3:26ff).

Philippians 2:1,2 — “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.” The phrase “if there is” is to be understood as saying “since there is.” The idea is that we are to be unified in the encouragement we have as Christian, the comfort we have in God’s love and our love for one another, the fellowship we have in the Spirit (meaning we have fellowship as we follow the Spirit’s direction through the inspired word), and we have affection and mercy as brethren. Additionally, we have attitudes and actions that demonstrate our unity in having the same mind, love and harmony because we love God and follow His word.

In order to gain this kind of fellowship, we must not be selfish, divisive, or cause factions in our false pride. In fact, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Prov. 16:18). Our attitude must not be of selfish ambition or conceit, but bust esteem others better than ourselves in humility. With this kind of lowly attitude we will look out for the needs of others above our own (Phil. 2:3,4). To have the fellowship that we need, we must be humble (Rom. 12:3) and we must have an unselfish concern for others (Rom. 12:9,10). Jesus exemplified the right attitude in that He gave of Himself, came to this earth and was executed at the hands of His creation (Phil. 2:5-11). He gave of Himself willfully because He loved us (1 John 3:16).

It is quite obvious that our world is far from being a place of fellowship, humility, love and support. The world is a difficult place to be at times with its cruelty, darkness and sin. The good news is that we can overcome because “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “For whoever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:4). On our own we are lost and will fail, but with Jesus we have victory. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).

The world isn’t going to get any easier, folks. Life is hard. People are going to get sick. Some are going to die. Some will lose jobs. Some will lose possessions in tragedies. Even when things are going “good” we are faced with moral decline and a bombardment on many sides by the sinfulness of the world. It becomes tough for us to want to keep fighting. Sometimes we feel like the mother in the old Calgon commercials saying, “Calgon, take me away!” Sometimes we feel like Elijah saying, “It’s enough! Now, Lord, take my life...I alone am left; and they seek to take my life” (1 Kings 19:4,10). As Zig Ziglar used to day, “We have a case of stinkin’ thinkin’ and we need a check-up from the neck up.” Life is hard. We can’t run away from our problems as Jonah found out. While a bath sometimes can wash away more than just the physical dirt and can leave us refreshed, that isn’t the real answer to life’s problems. The truth is the solution is to realize we aren’t alone. We are not the only ones left who are trying to do what is right. We aren’t the only ones in the church who care. What we need is to trust in God and spend more time in fellowship with one another.

I need your fellowship. I need you here in Bible classes as we grow closer to God, closer to one another and grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. I need you here for worship on every occasion where we can praise God together and stir up one another to love and good works. I need you here to encourage me on Wednesday nights to help me have the strength and courage to fight the Christian fight the rest of the week. I need your love and support in my daily life as we work together for the Lord, as we reach out to the community, as we help those who are suffering and as we help our families reach the shores of heaven. Folks, this is not a battle we can fight on our own. We need each other. I need you here. The elders need you here. The Lord needs you here. Your brethren need you here. We can make a difference in this world. Won’t you share in the love and fellowship that is in Christ Jesus?