From Gospel Translations

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Chapter Two: Fellowship Rediscovered

John Loftness

<< 1. Before you read further, write a definition of biblical fellowship in the space below using your own words.>>

     In the heart of Charleston, South Carolina stands an old church building. Bright stained glass offsets the solemnity of heavy red brick. Inside, pictures of Jesus and other biblical figures etched in glass filter the light of the worship place. A handcarved altar piece reaches to the vaulted ceiling. Someone gave great attention to detail in designing and building this house of worship. Above the entrance, inlaid in the brick, is a cross—the symbol and heart of Christendom for 2,000 years. But times have changed, and the need for a house of worship has been replaced in Charleston’s tourist district by the need for prime restaurant space. So today the former Church of the Redeemer has been
transformed into the Mesa Grill. The church’s name, carved in a marble placard at the sidewalk entrance, looks as if someone has tried to sand-blast it away.  In the glass case that once announced activities and the weekly sermon, there now hangs today’s menu. Where hardwood pews once filled the worship space, upholstered booths sit among potted plants. Rock music pulsates through the atmosphere; Sting has replaced Handel as nachos have replaced communion bread. None of the patrons seem particularly aware of the incongruity of the place.

Rediscovering Biblical Fellowship

     As the title of this chapter announces, this is an essay about fellowship, and the Mesa Grill is an apt metaphor for what has happened to the practice of Christian relationship in the church today. We’ve kept the term and turned it into something that doesn’t even vaguely represent what it means to the one who defined it. Fellowship is like that old church building. People have started using the term to describe ways of relating never intended for this precious communion of the saints. And because God created the practice, we’d better make sure we use it in the way he designed it–because God isn’t putting fellowship up for sale. Remember what happened when Jesus found the Temple being used as a place to turn a profit?

     What fellowship is not. In its neglect, Christians have redefined fellowship to mean any warm human interchange— especially when we make connection with someone and discover that we have common interests, experiences, or viewpoints. I enjoy the outdoors. Hiking, canoeing, and fishing are among my favorite leisure activities. When I meet someone who knows the joys of the Rose River Trail in Shenandoah National Park, or has canoed the rapids of the lower Youghegheny River, or thrills at the first yank of the line signaling the strike of a smallmouth bass, our conversation is inevitably animated and friendly. But it is not fellowship. If I spend time with a brother in Christ playing volleyball, talking about shared political views, or following the ups and downs of an NFL franchise, we may have a wonderful
time and deepen a friendship. But in none of those things will we have had fellowship. Let me press the point further. Fellowship is not (at
least not necessarily) going to a Bible study with someone, or sharing doctrinal commitments, or attending a Christian men’s rally where emotions run deep and passions are high. Fellowship is not found in a “group therapy” session where participants reveal their darkest thoughts—even if everyone in the group is a Christian and brings a Bible. In fact, two Christians can be married to one another and still not
experience fellowship. I have heard Christians complain that their relationships seem superficial and they don’t know why. What they often fail to see is that, while all Christians have relationships, not all relationships include fellowship. In fellowship, God offers us a precious but neglected gift—a type of human relationship created exclusively for his children. If God thinks it’s that important, we had better find out
what it is.

For Further Study:

Even if you have neglected biblical fellowship, God can restore what you have lost—a principal seen in Joel 2:25.

     What fellowship is.Fellowship is a uniquely Christian relational experience. No one but those born of the Spirit of God can have fellowship—which makes its neglect all the more tragic. The word “fellowship,” as it is found in the English Bible, is a translation of the Greek word koinonia. Saying the word aloud brings to mind our word “community,” and so it should, for koinonia is its root. But sadly, politicians and sociologists have effectively redefined “community” to mean “special-interest group,” so we need additional words to get at its meaning. Here the Revised Standard Version of the Scriptures can help. It translates koinonia as “fellowship,” but also as “participation,”
and “sharing” (in the following verses, these words are italicized for emphasis). And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Ac 2:42). So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy... (Php 2:1). ...and I pray that the sharing of your faith may promote the knowledge of all the good that is ours in Christ (Phm 1:6). What is fellowship as defined in the New Testament? Just this: participating together in the life
and truth made possible by the Holy Spirit through our union with Christ. Fellowship is sharing something in common on the deepest possible level of human relationship— our experience of God himself. Participating together... life and truth...sharing in common...human relationship...experience of God—these phrases capture the essence of the unique Christian experience of fellowship. Opportunities to fall in love, get married, procreate, pursue a career, go bungee jumping, play baseball, or go to school are all open to humanity in general.
But only Christians can experience fellowship. For this reason alone, this unique quality of Christian existence should be exceedingly precious to us. We should eagerly explore its meaning so that we can fully mine its treasure. My sincere hope is that this chapter will compel you to seek a deeper experience of fellowship.

MEMORABLE MOMENTS IN SMALL-GROUP HISTORY
A last-minute phone call informed me our musician couldn’t attend the small-group meeting that evening. I grabbed a CD of worship songs as we went out the door to go to the meeting. When I put on the CD, soft music drew some people directly into worship. Their eyes closed, they lifted their hands, expressing tender love toward God. Others, however, were breaking into fits of laughter. I thought the Holy Spirit had fallen on the group. But the musical interlude was way too long. It suddenly dawned on me that at home we’d mixed up our CDs and cases, and that for the past few minutes some of us had been worshiping to John Tesh Live At Red Rocks.
— Mario Stemberger (Holly Hill, FL)

Start with God

     Fellowship with God is the prerequisite to fellowship with others. This is the explicit message of John in his first biblical letter:

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so
that you also may have fellowship with us. And our
fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus
Christ....If we claim to have fellowship with him yet
walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the
truth. 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, purifies us from all sin
(1Jn 1:3, 6-7).

The flow of John’s argument may not be as straightforward as modern readers prefer, but his logic is clear. John and his fellow teachers ( the “we” of the passage) have come to know truth through the life and teaching of Jesus. This has allowed them to have fellowship with God the Father and with the ascended Christ. This fellowship exists not only with God but between and among those who “live by the truth.” Sin
(“walking in darkness”) not only pollutes our fellowship with God but hinders our fellowship with one another. “Walking in the light”—obeying God’s word and confessing our sins when we disobey—should result in fellowship. In short, fellowship with others begins with an honest,
open, obedient relationship with God rooted in the truth of his Word.

"Fellowship is a sharing with our fellow-
believers the things that God has made
known to us about himself, in hope that we
may thus help them to know him better and
so enrich their fellowship with him.
...Fellowship is, secondly, a seeking to
share what God has make known of himself
to others, as a means to finding
strength, refreshment, and instruction for
one’s own soul."
— J.I. Packer

For Further Study:
Read Psalm 15:1-2; 51:6. How important are honesty and truthfulness to maintaining a right relationship with God?

How we share that relationship with others—how we wrestle with understanding truth and struggle to apply it to our lives—is the essence of fellowship. Thus, fellowship has one source and two channels. The one source is God. The two channels—both to be understood in the light of Scripture—are the work of the Spirit directly in our hearts, and the work of the Spirit through other believers. Some, upon hearing this, might be tempted to get off the bus that takes them to fellowship. Relationships, even between believers, come packaged with problems. To pursue relationships is to open ourselves to hurt, misunderstanding, and inconvenience, for our relationships are inevitably influenced by our sin. You may think fellowship with God is all you need. After all, doesn’t the Bible teach that God and his Word are sufficient for all our needs pertaining to life and godliness? Yes, it does. But the error comes in limiting the means God uses to help us apply truth to our lives. Only the Spirit can illuminate Scripture to our minds and give us the power to obey it. Yet the Spirit often chooses to employ other people as a means of communicating his truth to our ears and heart. Who are we to argue with him? He will of course use teachers of the word through sermons, books, and tapes. But he will also use the regular guy in your small group—and there’s the rub. We can ignore teachers, close books, and turn off tapes. When we do pay attention, we can conveniently misapply teachings. But the people
closest to us, if they’re doing their job in fellowship, are not likely to let us ignore God’s urgings so easily. We’re like the Israelites trudging through the wilderness, like the disciples huddled in the upper room after Jesus’ ascension, like the pilgrims on the Mayflower. The
negative view is that we’re stuck with one another—confined by a desert, a hostile Jerusalem, or a stormy sea. But “stuck” is not the biblical attitude. Rather, we belong to one another. We are pilgrims on our way to the promised land, called to help one another along on the journey. God has chosen fellowship to be a primary channel of life in his body.

Meditate on Romans 12:5.

What does it mean to belong to one another?

<<2. Have you used any of these common techniques to try to “turn off” God’s voice?
o The Technical Foul: Presuming that God will never speak to you through anyone who is not at a specific level of maturity and holiness.
o The World’s Oldest Excuse (see Genesis 3:11-13): Presuming that, if several people are involved in some sin, then what you did is somehow less serious than if you had acted alone.
o The Jonah Method: Running away from God’s direction in your life because you think you might not like
the outcome.

o The Peter Problem (see Mark 14:27- 31,66-72): Placing more faith in what you say about your strengths than in what God says about your weaknesses.

**break*