Fellowship

Common

We tend to think of things that are common as ordinary. Common things are not considered special or exciting things. Things that are common occupy a place among the regular or mundane aspects of life. 

In our hypersensitive and over stimulated culture we tend to crave things that are new and exciting. We may think that modern experience is unique but the Bible tells us that the Athenians also spent their time seeking after the next new thing (Acts 17:21). So, maybe it is not just our modern age but rather the joint inheritance of this age of sin following the exile from the garden of Eden that attracts us to the next new thing.

If that is the case then we should expect that those of us who have been rescued from the tyranny of this sinful state would be free also from this lusting after something new. Is it possible that in Christ we have been given regenerate hearts that have an affinity and appetite for a common experience.

Fellowship

In Acts 2:42, Luke records for us the very first experience of Christians being together after three thousand were saved at Pentecost. In this passage, Luke refers to them being devoted to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. The word that is translated as fellowship is koinonia. The root of this word is koine. You may have heard people refer to the particular dialect of Greek that the New Testament is written in as koine greek. That means it is the common Greek, the word on the street. But the word koinonia means partnership or fellowship. The common part is in reference to the relationship.

Those first converts to the way of Christ were from many different parts of the Roman world and even spoke many different languages, but they had this one thing in common and that one thing is Christ! Human beings are traditionally very tribalistic. By this I mean that we tend to form associations around various shared backgrounds and experiences. But for the Christian our deepest and strongest fellowship must be with the saints who along with us have experienced regeneration (Titus 3:5). We share the common purpose of knowing Christ and making Him known.(Philippians 3:8-11) We share the common joy of worshiping Christ and praising God for the great things that He has done (Luke 1:46-49). We have a common source for truth and the wisdom to apply that truth in the Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16). We have in common the love of God that the Holy Spirit of God has put into our hearts (Romans 5:5). The list could be endless of all the things that we who are in Christ now have in common because we have Christ!

Spectators

So much more could be said about our mutual love for one another. But we will save that for another post. But maybe you are reading this post and you don’t have the experience of grace mentioned above. Possibly as you have read these prose about the joy of knowing and worshiping Christ no affections have been stirred in you. Could it be that to base everything about the way you live on the Bible seems strange or radical to you?  Does it seem impossible for you to love other Christians to a greater degree than your extended family or your friends?

May this be because you are not a Christian? If you do not have any of these common traits that are the normal fruit of the Christian experience then friend let me urge you and exhort you to turn to God from your sins and self and trust full in Jesus to save you by His grace (Ephesians 2:1-10)!

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