What does fellowship mean?

In Christian circles the word fellowship, and its Greek equivalent (koinōnia), is used for all kinds of things. There are fellowship meals, fellowship events, fellowship coordinators, fellowship halls, and even internship experiences called fellowships. Additionally, you have a ministry called Bible Study Fellowship, which labors to distinguish themselves from being a church, even as some individuals treat that ministry as their church. At the same time, there are churches who go by the name Bedrock Baptist Fellowship, or something like that. And you can find all sorts of resources aimed to improve fellowship.

With all its various uses, “fellowship” is the equivalent to Bubba’s endless array of Shrimp Dishes. Indeed, like shrimp kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo, etc., fellowship goes with everything. Yet, by going with everything, its utility has permitted Christians to do many things with fellowship that go beyond the bounds of the Bible.

Again, what does fellowship mean?

If we open our concordances, we find the word koinōnia (fellowship, partnership) 19 times in the New Testament: Acts 2:42; Romans 15:26; 1 Corinthians 1:9; 10:16 [2x]; 2 Corinthians 6:14; 8:4; 9:13; 13:14; Galatians 2:9; Philippians 1:5; 2:1; 3:10; Philemon 6; Hebrews 13:16; and 1 John 1:3, 6, 7. From these uses, we might begin to see what God says about fellowship.

Clearly, any time we restrict ourselves to a word to form a doctrine or a practice we miss related concepts, metaphors, stories, and more. Yet, because this word is used so often to justify so many types of Christian activities, we would do well to examine the word. Do we have a faithful understanding of the word? And do we abide by it?

A Biblical View of Fellowship: Five Truths

In what follows, I want to offer five propositions of what fellowship is and isn’t, as well as, how fellowship should lead us to a greater commitment to Christ and his church. Indeed, if there is any recurring error in seeking to pursue fellowship today, I think it is this: many well-meaning Christians, create parallel ministries outside the local church which unintentionally compete with the church. Under the name of “fellowship,” Christians make friendships in all kinds of places, and without even recognizing it, they diffuse their energies to such a degree that God’s ordained “platoon,” the local church, is weakened as a result.

This is not to say that Christians can only have friends in their church. Hardly. It is to say that many have not thought about the ways in which the blessed gift of fellowship spread across three counties, two churches, and four Christian home-schooling programs negatively impacts the local church.

Add to this the spirit of American independence and ingenuity, combined with all manner of resources to do things individually that previous generations had to do together, and you have a myriad of ministries that parallel the local church. Sometimes these ministries are harmless, sometimes they are heretical. In between are countless “good works” that could better serve God’s people if they were rightly grown in and from God’s local church.

Yet, such a vision for Christ’s local church will only come into focus when we rightly understand how fellowship is used in Scripture, not just in today’s Christian parlance. And so, here are five truths about Christian fellowship. They begin with the location of fellowship in the church and they conclude with our need for God’s grace to repair fellowship when we sin against him and others.

1. Fellowship happens within the church.

The first place that koinōnia shows up in the New Testament is in Acts 2:42, when Luke describes the church gathering as a result of the Spirit’s outpouring. Speaking of the 3000 souls who were baptized, he writes, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” This verse, and what follows (Acts 2:42–47), have often been taken as a paradigm for what Christians do, and rightly so!

Created by the Spirit, these children of God, baptized in the name of Christ are now ordering their lives by means of their public assemblies. Yet, importantly, it is critical to see that the fellowship is not simply what individual Christians do whenever individuals join together, however they join together.

Rather, fellowship in this context (and throughout the New Testament) is what happens when the church, composed of baptized members gather to hear God’s Word, pray, and participate in the Lord’s Supper. In other words, fellowship is not just a feeling that happens when two Christians, or 200, get together. Fellowship is what happens when 200 Christians, or only 2 or 3, gather in Christ’s name to worship, baptize, and participate in the Lord’s Supper.

Indeed, fellowship with Christ is not defined by self-identified Christians spending time together, even as fellowship in the church depends upon a Spirit-given fellowship with God. Fellowship, therefore, is defined in Scripture as a gathering of the saints in a local church, who are joining themselves together at the Lord’s Table.

2. Fellowship is centered around the Lord’s Table.

As noted in Acts 2, when the new covenant church was born, it immediately began to gather with one another to “break bread.” Though breaking bread may involve more than taking the Lord’s Supper, it is not less. And thus, very early on, the church both celebrated the Lord’s Supper, as Christ commanded, and experienced difficulties in celebrating the Lord’s Supper.

Why are we surprised when churches struggle with unity today? Division between Christians is a problem as old as Corinth, and thus God’s Word has much to say about the factions dividing the faithful. And one point that Paul makes in 1 Corinthians 10, is that the Lord’s Table is the center piece of Christian fellowship.

To be certain, the Lord’s Table evokes many feelings, but ultimately the Lord’s Supper is an objective reality. It is not to be celebrated by whoever feels like they should; it is to be celebrated by baptized members of a local church. The Lord’s Supper is not given to an individual Christians, as some kind of Five Hour Energy. Paul doesn’t say, “Break out the bread and cup when you are looking for a spiritual pick me up.” No, the Lord’s Supper is given to the church. Or to turn it around, when a group of Christians take the Lord’s Supper, they are (knowingly or ignorantly) identifying themselves as a church. And this brings us back to our word.

Because the Lord’s Table is the place where Christian fellowship is defined, we need to realize that abstracting the word fellowship confuses what Scripture says. As Paul says to immature Christians struggling to submit to the full counsel of God’s Word, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ?” The word for participation is koinōnia.

In short, if we are following the teaching of the New Testament, fellowship is not something that happens when Christians meet for backyard barbeques, baseball games (even if they get their own box seats), or Bible studies. Technically speaking, fellowship is what happens when Christians participate in the bread and the cup, for this ordinance, with the ordinance of baptism preceding it, is what turns a group of Christians into a church.

Importantly, the difference between Christians worshiping together and a church worshiping together is the fellowship that comes at the Lord’s Table. To miss this point is to open the door to all sorts of confused and confusing fellowship practices.

3. Fellowship comes with responsibility.

If true fellowship is found at church and centered on the Lord’s Table, it is also a partnership that comes with responsibilities. Just as becoming a partner in a law firm comes with the responsibility of advancing that law firm and only that law firm, so too fellowship in a local church comes with responsibility to advance Christ’s cause. This is seen in at least two ways.

(1) The Responsibility to Be Holy

First, in 2 Corinthians 6 Paul urges the church at Corinth to conduct themselves as a holy temple of God. Previously, Paul had addressed them as a part of God’s temple (1 Cor. 3:16–17; 6:19), and now he does the same. And specifically, he challenges the children of light who walk in the presence of God to refuse partnership with unbelievers. He writes, “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers” (v. 14). This certainly applies to marriage: believers should not marry unbelievers. But this verse may have other applications too, including partnerships in business, leisure, or anything else. Christians should be wise about who they binds themselves too.

Certainly, the message is not one of radical separation from the world (see 1 Cor. 5:11–13), but it is a call to reject all fellowship with others who might lead you astray. As Paul continues, “For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” The Christian is to seek fellowship with those pursuing righteousness and light. And the church, which is the temple of the living God, is to be the place where such righteousness is pursued. Equally, any and all fellowship with people seeking lawlessness should be avoided. This most clearly addresses unbelievers, but it could also include those who identify with Christ who walking contrary to his Word. The former may be easier to see (Tim. 1:3–7; 6:2–10); the latter is often more difficult (Rom. 16:17–20). And yet, Scripture addresses both.

Nevertheless, Christians are responsible for seeking fellowship at the Lord’s Table with other believers, and to avoid those who cause them to sin or be suspicious of taking the Lord’s Supper.

(2) The Responsibility to Evangelize

Then second, Paul assumes that Christians will be partnering with others to bring the gospel to the end of the earth. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul gives thanks to God for a church who has partnered with him in the gospel. The word “partner” is the same word, koinōnia, and it tells us that true fellowship is more than gathering in the name of Christ; it is also partnering to send people out for the sake of the name. Here’s what Paul says, “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now” (1:3–5).

Later, Paul will state that no other church had helped him like the Philippians, sending him aid once and then again (4:15–16). In short, he could testify of their faith (1:6), because of their partnership in the gospel (1:5). Such is the responsibility we have in going, giving, and sending others to go. In fact, in 2 Corinthians 8:4 and 9:13, Paul again uses the koinōnia to describe the “part” and “contribution” that the saints played in collecting funds for those in need. Clearly, then true fellowship does not come from potlucks, game nights, or Christian feels. Fellowship is a shared labor to bring goods and good news to others.

4. Fellowship is God-centered.

Thus far, the focus of fellowship has been somewhat man-centered. Yes, the Lord’s Table turns our eyes to Christ, but Acts 2 is looking at what men and women did when the Spirit formed a church in Jerusalem. Equally, the call for holiness and evangelism are also pointing to what men and women do. Yet, no fellowship that is Christian can exist unless God is at the center.

Certainly, the Lord’s Table makes this fact plain. We are to eat the bread and drink the cup as often as we meet together, so that we will remember the Lord. Our greatest vulnerability as a church or individuals is that we would forget God. Wonderfully, his Spirit moves us to remember the Christ who prays for us, so that we would pray to the Father in his name. But truth be told, if we are focusing on fellowship, it can very quickly devolve into spiritual sociology, instead of biblical theology.

Here’s what I mean. If fellowshipping means church-building, group-gathering, seeker-comforting, then the number of people coming easily becomes the focus. And God, while assumed, is a means to an end, not the end of all things! Yet, fellowship in the New Testament is deeply theological, even trinitarian. In fact, we find in multiple places a testimony to our fellowship with God.

For instance, 1 John 1:3 can speak of a sharing a fellowship that comes from knowing God the Father through God the Son. Likewise, 1 Corinthians 1:9 centers our fellowship on the Son. Paul writes, “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” Then again, Paul closes his second Corinthian letter with this famous benediction, “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). And Philippians 2:1 reminds us of the participation we have in the Spirit. Long story short, the Christian’s fellowship is God-centered.

And because our fellowship comes from God and centers on the Father, Son, and Spirit, it will abide in times of trouble. And it will make it possible that when we lose fellowship with one another, the original source of our love, joy, peace, and peace-making has not been lost. The branches of the Lord can be trimmed, but alive in Christ, we will never lose the vine. And knowing that, we discover a final truth about fellowship. It is created and sustained by grace.

5. Fellowship runs on grace.

If the world runs on Dunkin, as the popular donut chain says, then what happens when the coffee runs out? Many are the friendships that have been fostered by coffee shops and their caffeine-laced baristas. In fact, some might get the idea that church has a lot to learn from the local coffee shop, where it appears that fellowship runs over like a caramel macchiato. But such sweet fellowship is surface level at best. It lasts only as long as the caffeine kick.

Christian fellowship, by contrast, was created by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and for this reason, John begins his first epistle like this, “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3).

Christians are not the only ones who enjoy participation with others. Such fellowship is a common grace of God. Yet, for all the followers of Michigan football who experience fellowship in its cult, that fellowship will fracture as soon as the team loses, the coach leaves, or the sins of its past come to light.

By contrast, Christian fellowship is based upon eternal truths secured in time. Christ’s blood is the source of our fellowship and the Spirit’s light is our supply. As John goes on to say, our fellowship depends entirely on the shed blood of Jesus (1 John 1:6) and it continues as long as Christians forgive one another (1 John 1:6–10).

⁶ If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Christian fellowship runs on God’s grace. And when the grace of the gospel is our fixation, then it moves us to confess our sins, to seek peace with others, and to extend the right hand of fellowship. In fact, this is exactly what Peter and James did to Paul, when he came to them in Jerusalem (Gal. 2:9). Previously, a persecutor of the church, Paul had found forgiveness from the Lord, and thus he received forgiveness from the pillars of the church too.

Truly, the grace of God is what creates and sustains our fellowship too, if only we would deal with our sins the way 1 John instructs. Wonderfully, sin does not have to ruin Christian fellowship. In fact, sin is a necessary prerequisite for our fellowship, forgiven sin that is. Grace is the beginning, middle, and end of the Christian life, and life together depends entirely on dealing honestly with sin and abiding in the grace that God gives. When we do that, we walk in the light as he is in the light, and we enjoy fellowship with one another.

Putting Fellowship Into Practice

As we know all too well, sin always separates. And thus, when a fellowship breaks, there is, lurking somewhere, sin unconfessed. In those times, it is tempting to fix the problem(s) with our own wisdom and to work overtime to recreate the fellowship that was had before. Yet, in times when fellowship is lost, we must remember that God alone can “fix” it. And accordingly we should seek him first and all his righteousness.

To put it seasonally, before the Lord gives his church spring rains, he often makes us feel the bitterness of winter’s cold. This coldness may have known sources, or its chilling drafts may strike us without ever revealing the source of their cold. Yet, whatever the source of winter, we should remember that God is working, and that spring is coming. Hosea 6:1–3 tells us, we must remember that the Lord is the one who breaks us, so that he can bind us. And from this fact, we are invited to return to know the Lord.

This is the promise: God will sanctify his people, and he will bring them to confess their sins. And until sin is confessed, joy will be withheld. Yet, when we seek his light and see our darkness, it will prompt confession, repentance, forgiveness, and grace. And this grace will bring a new season of fellowship, all provided by the Lord.

Therefore, when the love of many seems to be growing cold (Matt. 24:12), may we in this day seek the Lord and his grace; may we pray that God would give us fellowship with him; may we approach the Lord’s Table with hope that God will again grant us joy to enjoy him with others. And then from him, let us seek grace-filled fellowship with one another in the local church.

For those in our church, we will begin this Sunday a four-part sermon series on fellowship. We will consider John’s epistles and Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. So, please pray for God’s Word to conform us to the image of Christ, and may we give ourselves to the fullness of his Word.

Soli Deo Gloria, ds