Sharing with you just an excerpt from the “Sum of My Call” workbook. It is taken from the closing section called “Inspirational Notes.” I love this chapter because it radically shakes up and disrupts our traditional thinking, definition and meaning of fellowship gatherings, ie “church.” I think you’re going to enjoy reading this…who knows, you just might be set FREE!
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The word of God encourages the believer to fellowship one with another as a responsibility of their faith because as a principle of God, it is certain to add “Sweetness” to their life. This sweetness causes us to walk in the spirit – exchanging blessing and spiritual gifts that ONLY comes from God. This sweetness adds value to our lives; it builds us up in love, provides accountability and creates a blessed unity among believers. Fellowship of this kind also develops a sense of culture and spiritual courage through strength in numbers.
Every believer needs the life and spirit of God to keep them united and walking in faith, hope and love. This life and spirit of God is organically imparted through the bonds of Fellowship. Yes, the REAL joys in life truly come from a thriving relationship with God and with others. This lifestyle of fellowship fulfills the two greatest commandments Jesus spoke of in Matt. 22:36-40 which commands us essentially to “Love God” and “Love One Another.” How we do that is within the construct of our relationships and how effective we are in our relationships will be determined by how well we nurture them through FELLOWSHIP. Lastly, as prayer intercessors and spiritual warriors the bible is clear that a united prayer force is powerful and invokes an even greater response from God. This is a benefit exclusive to fellowship.
Matt. 18:19-20
“Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Joshua 23:10
One of you routs a thousand, because the LORD your God fights for you, just as he promised.
While it may seem as though fellowship only provides the simple joys in life, the truth is, these “simple joys” are not easily obtained because relationships are complex. Relationships are often compromised by pride, selfishness and sin. This is why fellowship must be embraced as a command of God if its blessing is going to be realized. If we were to consider for a moment what the various keys of the kingdom were that Jesus spoke of to Peter in Matt.16:19, I would say that the “Key of Fellowship” might have been one of them. The call to fellowship is clearly a spiritual principle and if we are not in regular fellowship with other believers or experiencing healthy relationships through fellowship then our walk of faith can become seriously compromised and slowly depleted of God’s life, love and spirit.
Healthy fellowship, like relationships is hard to find and many may opt to not be a part of one or become selective in their participation due to bad experiences. While their reasons may be valid, the fact still remains that it is a biblical principle strongly encouraged by God and anything God desires for His people is not only good for them it is a blessing to their lives that must be sought after. The bible has much to say about fellowship.
Hebrews 10:24-25
“and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
Philemon 1:6
“and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective through the knowledge of every good thing which is in you for Christ’s sake.”
1 Corinthians 14:26
“What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation Let all things be done for edification.”
Psalm 55:14
“We who had sweet fellowship together Walked in the house of God in the throng.”
So the critical question becomes, what constitutes a suitable fellowship? Let’s consider the words of Jesus in Matt. 18:19-20 19″Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. 20“For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”
Let’s take a moment here to clarify a long standing misconception. The weekly religious experience of believers meeting in a specific facility for worship is not “CHURCH.” The bible defines the “collective people of God” as the Church and the Body of Christ. Therefore, wherever they gather, outside, online, in a house, in a tent, in a building, in a school, a restaurant, or a warehouse they are THE CHURCH. They are not defined by their bare or beautiful walls that confine them. More importantly, whether they are 2 or 20,000 wherever the people of God are gathered in the name of Christ Jesus, God will be present among them to bless, edify, heal deliver and set them free.
I’m sure it is easy for those of us who are “church cultured” to consider that in the days of King Solomon, the beauty, holiness, craftsmanship and royal and priestly regalia that was a part of honoring God in the temple was right and appropriate for the house of God then, and should be our example for the house of worship today. This is indeed a wonderful concept, if that were truly what we see in churches today, but let’s be honest, its not! Furthermore, this order of worship is an Old Testament practice and since that time the prophet Joel has declared a coming new era and the resurrection of Jesus has confirmed and announced that this new era has indeed come. As New Covenant Believers we also know that the temple of God is no longer an Ark, it is not a building made with stone, wood or iron, it is a temple made with flesh and blood; it is our living bodies and our walk of faith have become a daily living sacrifice unto God (Rom. 12:1, 1Corn. 6:19). This is why the Church could be considered a “church without walls.” She is a living, breathing, growing organism belonging to God. She is a mobilized presence of God all over the world. This is an image of the Church that can only be realized when the people of God come together for fellowship.
When we consider more deeply what a church without walls looks like it is clear that wherever an individual believer is, God is present. When they collectively come together…God has the ability to be even more present. God is not present in just music, preaching, celebration and pageantry; He is most present through a living word expressed through a collective people of faith that believes they have the power to be a light in ills of darkness. God is present in the working of miracles, testimonies, corporate prayer and prophetic revelation. He is present in the Church through their love and unity and as an agent of change within the communities they are called to. God is present in a Church that is missional and focused on life transformation, not for the sake of worldly success but for the sake of divine purpose and representing God in the earth. God is present in the compelling truth of sound doctrine and the fundamentals of practical Christian living. God is present in the Church through the motivating words herald from His passionate messengers and prophetic music and dance. God is present through the empowerment of Christ-centered education, mentoring and spiritual parenting and the dynamics of family as a culture for cultivating the next generation of godly leaders. God is present in a Church without walls through the network of believers who are increasingly alert, ready and watchful as they await Jesus’ second return. This is what the Fellowship of Believers should look like. This is the image and mandate of the collective body that is called “The Church of Jesus Christ.”
Joel 2:28-29New Living Translation (NLT)
The Lord’s Promise of His Spirit
28 [a]“Then, after doing all those things,
I will pour out my Spirit upon all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy.
Your old men will dream dreams,
and your young men will see visions.
29 In those days I will pour out my Spirit
even on servants—men and women alike.
Jerimiah 31:33
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the LORD. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
1Corinthians. 6:19
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
The principle of fellowship should not be blanketed with a shallow definition of merely being a Christian gathering. When we view fellowship as “the church without walls” we are able to remove our religious perceptions of fellowship and allow the fellowship of believers to be more rightly defined by its people, power, love, faith, community and work. A church without walls does’nt have to meet on any particular day of the week or meet a set number of days of the week to be a legitimate fellowship. Remember, “wherever 2-3 are gathered in my name”…Matt. 18:20. This means a fellowship can be 2-3, meeting every day, once a week, once a month etc. The point I’m making here is that a fellowship is defined by the nature of the group and the nature or culture of the group will define the group’s nuances. When believers come together in faith and mission at a set time with a set purpose they are a MINISTRY OF FELLOWSHIP and God has promised to be in the midst of them.
Now, when we view fellowship in the light of scripture as a “church without walls” it then becomes easy to see that the believer is able to be a part of a variety of different fellowships at one time. No longer will traditional church systems have to carry the unnecessary burden of recruiting and maintaining memberships, control the liberties of parishioners from fellowshipping with other groups and coerce parishioners to give financially to sustain the financial responsibilities of elaborate buildings and any number of required staff salaries. The blessing of genuine Christ-centered fellowships is that they are fueled by vision, passion, love, faith and conviction. This means the various needs, projects and goals of a particular group is accomplished collectively among their fellowship family or network. Furthermore, if salaries are necessary they should be few, reserved for most needed full/part-time fellowship administrators and the salaries should be collectively decided upon by fellowship partners.
No doubt this concept of fellowship may break the mold of our traditional concept of church. It might even appear that I’m suggesting that exclusive membership with a local church is not encouraged. I believe the best answer to these questions is MAYBE. This is most certainly an individual choice and the best way to determine what is right for you is to discern what God is speaking to YOU about the matter-right where you are. In any case, the most important thing to understand about fellowship is that the believer’s life cannot and should not be lived without it. This is the framework where the family of God and His kingdom is realized on earth. This is the platform for ministry, discipleship, accountability, counsel, developing friendships and receiving love and support as you weather through the challenges of life and the perplexities of Christian living. The truth of the matter is that no one fellowship has it all, as you are living and growing in Christ as a life long journey. Therefore, every believer should endeavor to be led by God as to what and where to be actively involved. This could be one fellowship or a variety of fellowships where each unique mission and work is effectively transforming your heart, mind and life to the glory of God.
While it may be that you will not backslide by missing a Sunday service or two however, it is for certain if you do not have the ministry of fellowship as an intricate part of your spiritual life you will soon discover the wicked fruits of isolation and the challenges of a stale, handicapped walk of faith slowly consume you. Trying to live without a consistent source of meaningful fellowship is an unwise choice for the average believer and even more for those serving in leadership. Many leaders have learned the hard way that their role does not exempt them from the fundamental disciplines and principles of godly living. In fact, it would be reasonable to say that these standards would apply even more for leaders and their families because of the weight of responsibility that they carry in the work of leading “other people’s lives.”
Embracing the biblical principle for fellowship as a standard for Christian living is no doubt a major component in understanding the Ministry of Fellowship. However, let me suggest that it is only the beginning. While fellowship may be the vehicle to gather the people together, what happens within each fellowship is what characterizes the significance of its work. This work is the “Ministry” that sets Christ-centered fellowships a part from any other fellowship. The following chapters provide a clear and biblical illustration of what this work of ministry should look like.
*(For the sake of this blog, I will just list them with out reflections) Ps.55, Acts 2. 1John 1, Heb. 13, Gal. 2, Philip. 1, Phile. 1, 1 Corn. 14
In conclusion, the ministry of fellowship is not defined by numbers of participants, size and beauty of a building, property or a fellowship with elaborate programs and performances.
The Ministry of Fellowship that God desires, is a simple concept, it is personal and intimate in love, faith, work, discipleship and ministry. It is one where God is present, magnified through His people and where genuine love abounds. The rest that is added to such gatherings could be considered extra, entertaining and inspirational. No doubt all efforts of what we call church today serves a legitimate purpose in worship and fellowship however, if it is truly accomplishing the “Ministry” of fellowship, it is collaborative, prophetic, missional, and most of all, transforming people’s lives through the power of God.
Karen Gaithers-Life Discipleship 