Weekend, February 18, 2023
Why We Need 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 NLT)
When I find a good restaurant, I want to take my friends or family there. I also like suggesting the best things to order because I like to see them discover what I’ve discovered.
In the same way, when we’re learning God’s Word and receiving a blessing from it as a result, we want to share it with others. Fellowship is more than socializing. We may talk about all kinds of things at church, but our primary reason is to talk about the things of God.
Acts 2 tells us that the first-century believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer” (verse 42 NLT).
The word “fellowship” comes from the Greek word koinonia, which we could translate as “partnership,” “communion,” or “fellowship.” Its meaning is quite expansive. But the idea is that as these followers of Christ learned the Word of God, they wanted to share it with others.
God likes it when we talk about Him together. Malachi 3:16 says, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said” (NLT).
God pays attention when we speak His name. He bends down and listens.
Fellowship is praying together. It is serving together. It is growing and aging together. These are the fibers of fellowship. The apostle John wrote, “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 NLT).
When you’re walking with God, you will want to spend time with God’s people. But if you are not walking with God, then you probably won’t want to be around God’s people.
Fellowship with God and fellowship with other believers go together.
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