What is True Biblical Fellowship?

Fellowship is something we often talk about as followers of Christ, but what is true biblical fellowship? Not only that, why is it so important in the life of a believer?

The word fellowship denotes participative sharing and mutual encouragement towards Christ. It can often be a forgotten part of the spiritual disciplines of a believer but it is so important that as God’s people we continue to spur one another on towards Him each day through true biblical fellowship. We need each other every day to walk alongside each other and help one another to continue persevering in the faith.

But what does this really look like biblically? Is it just gathering with other Christians for a game night or going to the movies together? Does it just happen in church or does it happen all throughout our daily lives as we interact with one another? Will fellowship cause us to look inward too much and forget about the mission we are on to share Christ?

I think a great place to start is by looking at the example of the early church.

True Fellowship in the Early Church

In Acts 2, we get a beautiful picture of what fellowship looked like in the early church. At the beginning of this chapter, the Holy Spirit comes and then Peter preaches an epic sermon of the gospel. Then, directly after this, we get verses 42-44:

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common.“

Here (and all throughout the New Testament) we see an incredible gospel community! They are devoted to a fellowship of mutual encouragement towards knowing, following, and worshipping Christ together as one family of God. And as they lived a life of worship together, we get a picture of an incredible witness this type of fellowship had as the chapter ends with saying that “the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.” v.47b

Wow! So, they not only were growing in intimacy with Christ as one body of believers, but their love for one another and for Christ was so contagious that many were saved every day! They were living for the same purpose as God’s people to glorify Him and make His name known! We continue to see this all throughout the New Testament as the gospel message spreads through God’s people who are living for one common purpose and goal: to love God with all their hearts and to love their neighbor as themselves.

What does true biblical fellowship look like today?

There are so many places we could go in the Bible to get a picture of what true biblical fellowship looks like in the life of a believer. Here are just a few examples:

• Fellowship begins with God’s love, overflows from God’s love, is centered on God’s love, and expresses God’s love.

“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.” 1 John 4:11-12

• Fellowship involves each other’s encouragement and constant pointing back to Christ in order to keep Christ the center of our hearts and actions. We can’t do this alone, nor were we meant to!

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:24-25

“Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11

• Fellowship includes sharing the Word of God with one another through teaching, accountability, and praising our great God together with one voice.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.”
Colossians 3:16

• Fellowship means we not only share the gospel with one another, but we also share our lives with one another because we have a deep care and love for one another.

“So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” 1 Thessalonians 2:8

• Fellowship involves walking into the hurt and burdens of one another’s hearts, and helping each other physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It means we mourn, rejoice, and listen well to one another.

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” Romans 12:15

• Fellowship means we generously give to one another, sharing mutually with one another when we are in need.

“For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, “Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.” 2 Corinthians 8:13-15

• Fellowship involves the body of Christ all coming together as ONE people with ONE voice to serve one another with our individual giftings, and to care for/honor one another above ourselves.

“But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” 1 Corinthians 12:24b-27

• Fellowship involves vulnerability with one another as we honestly confess our sins to one another and diligently pray and keep each other accountable to deal with the sins we are struggling with.

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

• True fellowship causes those around us to see that we are Jesus’ disciples as the love of Christ pours out of our hearts and into each other’s lives. This type of love draws others to want to know this great God of love that we serve!

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35

Why is fellowship so important in the life of a believer?

As you look at all of those examples above of what true biblical fellowship looks like, I hope it is obvious why we desperately need one another as the body of Christ!

Because God made us as the body of Christ, we all have different roles to make the body work together. We desperately need each other!!

We need each other to spur one another on towards Christ and towards love and good deeds.

We need each other to continue to choose to pursue the Lord each and every day.

We need each other to lean on when things get tough and to rejoice together when we are rejoicing.

We need each other to call us out when we are sinning and to help point us back to the gospel.

We need each other to share our lives with one another, to challenge one another, to bear one another burdens, and to be the hands and feet of Christ to one another.

We need each other in order to represent the love of Christ together as one body to the world around us.

We need each other to daily walk alongside one another so that we keep walking with Christ and persevering in the faith to the very end.

“See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.” Hebrews 3:12-14

I pray that as we seek to grow in fellowship with one another, that God would bless those relationships as we step out in faith to be vulnerable with one another, and as we seek to serve the good of others more than ourselves. May we be a people who are so filled with the love of Christ that we would pour it out to the body of Christ and exemplify the mercy of God to a hurting world around us.

*This resource is meant to be shared! If you found it helpful, please share it with family and friends, use it as you disciple your children or others in your life that you are discipling, and continue passing on a love for fellowship with the body of Christ!*

Check out my other resources in my “Getting Started” series:
Spending Time with God in His Word: How to Get Started
Prayer: A Helpful Tool to Get Started
Getting Started with Family Bible Time
Discipling Children: Where Do We Start?