·
The Church is the fellowship of ministry (Phil.
1:5,7; Phlm. 1:17; 2 Cor. 8:23; Eph. 4:11-16).
Paul often spoke of people as being “partners” (it’s the koinonia
term) in his ministry. For example, the
Philippian Church partnered with him; they were in fellowship with Paul even
though he was in Corinth or Ephesus or even in prison in Rome, and the
Philippian believers were helping him financially. We need to keep this in mind: financial involvement
with what we call “missionaries” is not simply a transfer of funds; it makes
you part of the ministry. You share the
same ministry with them. Furthermore,
the above passage from Ephesians shows how every member of a church has a
ministry, and is thus in a partnership with the rest of the body so as to build
up the local body and reach out to their community. We are partners in ministry.
·
The Church is the fellowship of obedience (1
John 1:6-7). We walk the path of the
Christian life, not as “Lone Rangers,” but as partners with the rest of the
Body. “IF we walk in the light, as He is
in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” It is part of being the fellowship of Christ:
all who walk with Him are sharing together the obedient life to which He has called
us. There is a strong negative emphasis
on this in the NT. Consider 2 Cor.
6:14-16a: Do not be yoked together with unbelievers … what fellowship can
light have with darkness! Paul told
Timothy not to “share in” (koinonia term) the sins of others (1 Tim.
5:22). In the same way sharing in the
ministry of God’s servants brings us into fellowship with them, so sharing in
the ministry of the false teachers means we share in their wicked work (2 John
11). Think about this. There are many false teachers these days,
who, through slick advertising methods, are able to con well-meaning Christians
out of God’s resources. We are a
fellowship of obedience; there is no place for fellowship with the disobedient.
·
The Church is the fellowship of suffering. There are twin aspects to this. First, we share in the suffering of Christ,
as both Peter and Paul pointed out (1 Peter 4:13; Phil. 3:10). We have taken up our cross to follow Him;
thus we are on the same path. But because
this is true of all believers, we also share in the trials of the rest of those
who are carrying their cross as they follow Christ. The Philippians shared in the suffering of
Paul (Phil. 4:14). Others stood side by
side with those who were persecuted (Heb. 10:33). If we happen to be in a period of rest, we
still must be willing to come alongside those who are suffering (Rom. 12:15); if
one part suffers, every part suffers with it (1 Cor. 12:25-26). When we realize this, we also realize that
fellowship is not just about times of enjoyment together; we seek by fellowship
to help others carry their burden of suffering.
·
The Church is the fellowship of resources (Rom.
12:13; Gal. 6:6; Heb. 13:16; Phil. 2:3-4).
In each of the preceding four passages the koinonia term is
there. Hospitality is an act of
fellowship. Supporting the teachers in
our local body is fellowship. In the NT
a major aspect of this part of fellowship is the sharing of material
goods. Look at the connection between
sharing money and sharing ministry: when the believers in Macedonia and Achaia
made a “contribution” to the poor of Jerusalem, Paul said, if the Gentiles
have shared in the Jews spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share
with them their material blessings (Rom. 15:26-27). Closer to home, in the local body, you will
remember that the earliest believers in Jerusalem had all things common,
meaning they shared material things so that all the needs were met (Acts
4:32-35). Paul told Timothy to “command”
the rich to be generous and willing to share (koinonia).
How can you increase your partnership in your
local fellowship? How can you encourage
your local fellowship to better share together the life of Christ?
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