What is fellowship? It is the coming together of believers to communicate together with God in His presence.
There are people who believe in Jesus as Lord and Saviour- Christians- who don’t gather with other believers to have fellowship. And it didn’t start today.
In the book of Acts, we were told that the followers of The Way “continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine, in breaking of bread, in FELLOWSHIP and in prayer.” (Acts 2:42), but later, some people began to abandon the practice, leading the writer of Hebrews to counsel, “not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25)
It is not about the church building or rituals; it is about coming together to encourage each other in a common goal, and celebrate Christ together. Here are some benefits of meeting with other believers.
1. We get a chance to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Iron sharpens iron; you become more effective in fulfilling God’s assignment for your life. (Hebrews 10:24, Proverbs 27:17)
2. We receive encouragement to resist temptation and avoid sin, protecting ourselves against lukewarmness and backsliding. (Hebrews 10:25, 26, Eccl 4:11, 12)
3. We are able to partake of the Bread and the Cup, in remembrance of Christ as he commanded us to do. (Luke 22:19-20)
4. We are able to pray together, and there is strength in numbers. We experience the power of synergy and the corporate anointing; one shall chase a thousand and two shall put ten thousand to flight. (2 Chronicles 7:14, Matt 18:19, Col 3:16)
5. It provides an opportunity to learn from and be built up by other believers, especially those whose responsibility it is to equip us; “So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ…” (Ephesians 4:11, 12)
Over and over again, we are encouraged to gather together and strengthen each other.
Is it possible to be a Christian and not have fellowship with other believers? Yes. Is it healthy? No. It is in fact dangerous to be so separated from the Body. People who live in places where they are not allowed to meet in large numbers (if you’re free to do so in your country don’t take it for granted!) look forward to being able to gather in threes and fours, just for the converse of God’s saints; they long and thirst for it. The more you come to know and love Jesus, the more you’ll want to be with others who know and love Him.
Perhaps the most important reason we gather is that we experience the presence of Christ in a different way. How? He gave us a promise; “because where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.” He is with us when we gather as his followers. He is there!!
Get together with other Christians and be conscious of the reason why.
Know what you believe!
About the author: Joy Ehonwa is a writer, editor and online proofreader who is passionate about relationships and personal development. She runs Pinpoint Creatives, a copy-editing, ghostwriting and transcription business, and blogs at www.anafricandiva.wordpress.com and www.girlaware.wordpress.com
