Chapter Five

Fellowship

Acts 2:42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.

1 Corinthians 10:16 The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?

2 Corinthians 6:14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?

1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The word translated "fellowship" in the Bible is the same one translated as "communion", the Greek word koinonia.  Both words in English involve sharing and joining together, but we now associate communion more with the Lord's supper, one of the two ordinances of the church (the second is baptism).  Fellowship begins and ends with Christ, in prayer, praise, and worship.  For the church, unlike social gatherings, all that we do together is in the name of Jesus.  We should take every reasonable opportunity to gather with our fellow church members in fellowship.  It may or may not involve food, but even then it can be a matter of something simple, like soup, salads, and sandwiches.  The point is to spend time with one another, to enjoy one another's company..

Here are some ideas to get you started in the right direction, but you could easily come up with better ones on your own:

• Before Sunday School, share coffee and donuts, or any other combination that most of you enjoy.  It could be bagels and orange juice, or bread and cheese -- what you have doesn't matter.  Leave a small basket or offering plate for a voluntary coffee fund donation.  Rotate responsibility among different people in the church, or among different Sunday School classes.  It shouldn't become a burden for someone.  The point is to sit (or stand) together and share, to form bonds of mutual friendship and concern.  any time we share food together in the Lord's house, we should begin with prayer.  Even if only one or two other people are there at the beginning, say a prayer of thanks to God first.
• Have quarterly meals together.  Again, these can be simple affairs, depending on what people want.  Try using a theme, like an international or Hispanic dinner, and do some decorating for it.  From time to time, invite someone from the community, outside the church, to give a devotional after the meal, or share a word of testimony.
• Don't neglect fellowship times during worship, as mentioned earlier, even if everybody knows everybody else.  If there are visitors, a good sign for your church, everyone, especially adults, should make a point of greeting them, or him or her.  This is also true if you invite guests for meals you share together.  If someone comes and doesn't feel welcome, they probably won't be back..
• Plan special outings together, a picnic at a park, a trip to a museum or a gospel concert, even to a revival service.  Nothing lifts the heart of an evangelist more than seeing a crowd of people come into a meeting from another church.
• Plan activities just for women, and for men, and for youth.  Invite people from outside the church, including friends and family members.  We'll talk more about involving the community in our activities later.  Men love big breakfasts; if one or two of them can fry eggs and bake biscuits, plan a men's fellowship breakfast.  Unfortunately, most failing churches have more women than men, and the women should certainly get together to share.  You could plan a "secret sister" program, where names are literally drawn out of a hat, and each secret sister sends cards of encouragement and special gifts to their "sister" for a year.  The program ends with an annual dinner to reveal the secrets.
• Small churches with only a few young people often neglect them.  This is a fatal mistake; if there are no younger people to carry on the work of the church, it will die.  Don't make another mistake, though, of catering to the youth by using contemporary Christian music (CCM) in your worship.  It's music of the flesh, of the senses, rather than of the Spirit.  We'll talk about Sunday School for young people and children in the next chapter, but there are other activities you can and should plan for them.  They should have a time of their own, on a Sunday or Wednesday evening, or both.  If there aren't enough to have separate children and youth groups, let them do things together.  Do some research; talk to people in other churches in the community with successful youth programs, and find out what they do.  Even if you don't have the facilities to do everything they do, you may at least get some ideas.  Do some research on the Internet for more ideas.  If you can come up with chaperones, plan at least one "big" outing for the young people each year.  It may be a trip to a Gospel concert in another town, a skiing trip, a trip to an amusement park, or whatever works best for you.  Let them know that they matter, and that church isn't just for "old folks".

John wrote that fellowship together is a natural consequence of walking in the light of Christ.  The church is a body (see especially 1 Corinthians 12), and we rely and depend on one another for support.  Like our physical bodies, the church is only as strong as its weakest member.  We're supposed to give one another the honor due as brothers and sisters in Christ.  You might considered honoring some member in particular at each fellowship meal: the oldest, the one who has been a Christian the longest, the one who has been a member of the church the longest. or any other designation you can think of.  If someone cleans the church on a regular basis, make them the guest of honor.  Paul said that the weaker members are sometimes the one that are the most essential.

Remember what happened to the disciples in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.  They were all together in one place, in one accord, or in agreement.  What happened then?  The Holy Spirit descended upon them, and filled them, and the church was born (Acts 2:1-4).  A church that is divided will not survive (Matthew 12:25, and related verses).  Fellowship is what helps build that unity.  We've already seen the power that comes with unified prayer; that's only possible if there is unity.  Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:  25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching..