The Importance of Fellowship
We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 1:3
When I find a good restaurant, I want to take people there. And not only do I want to take them there, but I want to let them in on the best thing to order. I want them to discover what I have discovered.
In the same way, when we are being taught from God's Word and being blessed, we want to share it with others. Fellowship is more than just socializing. We may talk about all kinds of things when we come to church, but our primary purpose is to talk about the things of God.
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When the Bible says the first-century believers "devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching, and to fellowship" (Acts 2:42), the word "fellowship" comes from the Greek word koinonia. It can be translated, "partnership," "communion," or "fellowship." The idea being communicated is that the early Christians were being taught the Word of God, and they wanted to share it with others.
When you are walking with God, you will want to be with God's people. And if you are not walking with God, you probably won't want to be around God's people. I have found that when you are in fellowship with God and getting into His Word, then you will want to share it with fellow Christians. You will want to be around fellow believers.
I have also found that people who are out of fellowship with God are almost always also out of fellowship with other believers. A lot of times, the problem is not with the church; the problem is with the person. Someone with covered sin in his or her life always will be trying to uncover sin in others' lives.
Fellowship is praying together. It is serving together. It is growing and aging together. These are the fibers of fellowship. Fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers go together.
