"Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity."
"Fellowship" is not really an Old Testament word, but this Old Testament text defines it well for us. The Greek word in the New Testament that is translated "fellowship" has the root meaning of "partnership." A partnership is a welding together of people for a common purpose, and that is certainly what Chritian fellowship is. We have come to think of fellowship as a get-together. We call it "having a fellowship." Those of you who know me, know that I am not opposed to "having a fellowship," especially if fried chicken is involved, but that does not get to the heart of what Christian fellowship is. I want to share with you what I think Christian fellowship is and what it means to me. First, I think of Christian fellowship as uplifting. During my recent protracted illness, I discovered that this is really true. For one thing, Mary and I were not able to go to church for a few months. While there is some good preaching on television, it cannot take the place of being with the people of God. (We listened to four or five sermons every Sunday.) Christian people are like all other groups of people. There are some who are outwardly loving and caring, and some do not appear to be loving and caring. But when it really matters, they rise to the occasion and share Christ's love. Second, I think of Christian fellowship as enlightening,i.e., we learn from each other through study together and by example. Young people should see examples of Christian loving and caring, but often they do not experience this. We should be careful to show them what Christian fellowship really means. I entered the ministry at the ripe old age of 21. At that age, I thought that there was not much that I did not know. In retrospect, I realize that the people in my first church taught me more than I taught them. In fact, as I look back, I realize that they showed great tolerance toward a young fellow who had a lot to learn. Third, I think of Christian fellowship as encouraging. The author of Hebrews described it well: "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is; but exhorting (encouraging) one another: and so much the more as you see the day approaching." (Hebrews 10:24-25) During my aforementioned illness, I discovered the value of this encouragement. Let's just say that during this time I was glad to be a Chrisitian in fellowship with other Christians. Of course, I have a personal relationship with Jesus, but my relationships with hundreds of Christian friends was a big help too. This fellowship helped me to go through that trying period without feeling sorry for myself; therefore, I learned a lot from the experience. I'm sure that some of you reading this have had a negative experience with church, and you might have just given up on it. In a way, I understand, because there have been times that I have really wanted to "scrub some heads," so to speak. But I'm sure that there were times when my fellow Christians have wanted to "scrub my head" because of my density. Everything considered, I treasure the fellowship of Christian people, and highly recommend it - warts and all. Bro. Joe
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AuthorDr. Joe Beauchamp is the author of this blog and website. Categories
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