The fellowship we
enjoy with other believers is a wonderful blessing of the Lord, but
often we take a rather shallow view regarding what fellowship is.
To many, fellowship is basically viewed as friendship and having fun
with other believers. In many churches, fellowship is almost always
associated with the idea of food. Many churches have a “fellowship
hall” in their building; and what is almost always connected
to this fellowship hall? A kitchen! We speak of “fellowship breakfasts”
or “fellowship dinners” as if the two ideas naturally go
together. There is certainly nothing wrong with believers enjoying
a meal together, but fellowship is much more than friendship, fun
and food. In this lesson, we will examine the Scriptural concept of
true, spiritual fellowship.
In the opening verses of his letter to the Philippian saints, Paul
writes:
“I thank my God upon
every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making
request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel
from the first day until now.” (Phil. 1:3-5)
What a love Paul had for these
saints at Philippi. Every remembrance of them and every reminder he
had of them caused him to give thanks to God. They were constantly
in his prayers, making request for them all with joy. It is interesting
that, even though Paul wrote this letter from a prison house in Rome
(Acts 28, Phil. 1:7,13), the tone of the entire letter is one of joy
and rejoicing. One of the key reasons is found in Philippians 1:5.
His joy was “for”
their “fellowship in the gospel from the first day unto now.”
The Greek word translated “for” is a word that literally
means “upon” or “based upon.” Thus, the basis
for Paul’s joy regarding these saints was their “fellowship
in the gospel.”
The word “fellowship”
is translated from the Greek word “koinonia.” Vine’s
Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words gives the meaning of
this word as “communion, fellowship, sharing in common.”
To have fellowship means to have a common bond, to have something
in common with someone else, to share together with another. What
did Paul have in common with these saints at Philippi? The gospel!
Their fellowship was “in the gospel.”
The word “gospel”
means “good news.” It was clearly an important bond he had
with the Philippians for he mentioned the gospel 5 times in the first
chapter alone (vs. 5, 7, 12, 17, 27). What was the gospel that Paul
referred to? It was “the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:7): “that
Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He
was buried, and that He rose again the third day, according to the
Scriptures.” (1 Cor. 15:1-4). It was “the gospel of the
grace of God” (Acts 20:24): “For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of
God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). It
was this glorious gospel message that Paul had in common with the
brethren at Philippi.
How did they “share”
in this gospel? First, they had a common salvation. They believed
the same gospel message. They trusted in the same wonderful person,
the Lord Jesus Christ, as their Savior (Acts 16:31). They enjoyed
the same glorious position, spiritual blessings, and hope “in
Christ” (Eph. 1:3-14, Phil. 3:20-21). What a wonderful fellowship
we have, as believers in Christ, rejoicing together in a “common
salvation.” These are joys that can’t be understood by those
outside of Christ. As we read further in Philippians 1, we find that
Paul’s idea of their “fellowship in the gospel” went
beyond just their common salvation.
“Just as it is right
for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart,
inasmuch as both in my chains and in the defense and confirmation
of the gospel, you all are partakers with me of grace. For God is
my witness, how greatly I long for you all with the affection of
Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:7-8)
Paul also enjoyed fellowship with
these believers in the ministry of the gospel. They were “in
his heart,” for these saints shared with Paul in his preaching
and teaching of the gospel, “from the first day until now”
(Phil. 1:5). How did they share with Paul in this work?
To begin with, they
shared with Paul by helping supply his needs. When Paul departed from
Macedonia after visiting Philippi the first time, theirs was the only
church who consistently shared with Paul and supported his ministry,
sending “aid once and again” for his necessities (Phil.
4:15-16). Even in his chains, as he wrote this letter from prison
in Rome, the Philippians were still supporting Paul, having sent a
gift by the hands of Epaphroditus (Phil. 4:10,18). Paul spoke of the
Philippians’ sacrificial giving when he wrote to the Corinthians.
“For I bear witness
that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability,
they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we
would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to
the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves
to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.” (2 Cor. 8:3-5)
These saints also shared with
Paul in being willing to suffer and endure the same type of conflict
he experienced, all for the sake of the gospel of Christ (Phil. 1:28-30).
Sharing a common suffering often brings people closer together, even
unbelievers. For instance, people who have a serious illness, such
as cancer, often feel close to someone who has shared the same experience.
The bond is even closer when the sufferings are for the cause of Jesus
Christ. In a very real sense, as we suffer in the ministry of the
gospel, we are sharing in the sufferings of Christ Himself (Phil.
3:10).
Finally, the Philippians
also stood with Paul “in the defense and confirmation of the
gospel” (Phil. 1:7). The ministry of the gospel involves preaching
or proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ and Him crucified so
that people may believe and be saved, but it also involves much more.
In preaching the gospel, there is often much opposition, fueled by
Satan himself. The apostle Paul was “set” or “appointed”
by God, not only to preach the gospel (1 Cor. 1:17), but also to defend
it (Phil. 1:17). As he stood firmly for the truth of God’s Word
against the adversaries of the gospel, the Philippian brethren stood
with him, “striving together for the faith of the gospel”
(Phil. 1:27).
The church at Philippi
also shared with Paul in the confirmation of the gospel. The word
“confirmation,” according to Strong’s Lexicon, means
“to make firm, to establish, or to make sure.” After people
hear the gospel and believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they
need to be established in the truth of the gospel and God’s Word.
Though often neglected, this is an important part of the gospel ministry.
After Paul preached the gospel in a city, he would often return, “strengthening
the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith”
(Acts 14:22). This is one of the key functions of a local church,
and a wonderful work to share together in; seeing believers grow and
mature, and become “rooted and built up in Him (Christ) and established
in the faith, as they have been taught” (Col. 2:7).
Paul’s relationship
with the church at Philippi is a wonderful example to us of true,
spiritual fellowship. What was the secret of their continuing and
consistent fellowship in the gospel? They were all “partakers”
together “of grace” (Phil. 1:7). God’s grace not only
saves us from our sins, it also sustains us and supplies our every
need. It is sufficient for us (2 Cor. 12:9). As we yield to the Lord
and the strength of His grace (2 Tim. 2:1), He will work in and through
us to accomplish His will (Phil. 2:13). We can be confident, as Paul
was, being fully persuaded, that “He who has begun a good work
in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil.
1:6).
When we recognize
that true, spiritual fellowship with other believers is centered in
the gospel of Jesus Christ, it causes us to have a genuine longing
and affection for one another (Phil. 1:8). As we share together in
the blessings of our salvation in Christ, stand and suffer together
for the cause of Christ, and spread the gospel of Christ to others,
we experience a unity and closeness that brings real joy to our hearts
and great pleasure to our Lord.