In 2018, the US National Spelling Bee was won by Karthik Nemmani, an eighth grader from McKinney, Texas, who correctly spelled “koinonia.” Koinonia is a word that has been transliterated into our English language from the original Greek. It means fellowship and appears nineteen times in the New Testament. Karthik carefully spelled out k-o-i-n-o-n-i-a. We, for our part, might spell out f-e-l-l-o-w-s-h-i-p as follows…
F-aithfully – The first mention of “koinonia” is in Acts 2:42. Faith is seen in Acts 2:41 where we read that they “gladly received his word.” To receive is to believe. That is what faith is —taking God at His Word. Faith is required to come into fellowship with God. Two verses come to mind in the initial call to fellowship. First, John opens his epistle with wonderful words of life in 1 John 1:1-3, “…that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” Then, 1 John 1:7 tells us, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” What a fellowship is ours with life and light when we walk faithfully with Him.
E-njoying – Did you notice how they listened to the message in Acts 2:41? “Then those who gladly received his word.” The Lord Jesus offers us His joy. He said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). The joy that He gives is not based on outside circumstances, but it is within. That is why we can enjoy the Lord by His Word that we treasure in our hearts.
L-iving – Fellowship is a life-changer. To this unique body of believers, living this life was brand new. Acts 2:41 also tells us that to demonstrate their new life, they obediently followed the Lord in baptism. Baptism is the dramatic form of expressing that as Christ died, we died; as He was buried, we were buried; as He was raised, we too have been raised to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4).
L-oving – Love is the grand motivation for all we do in Christ. This was apparent in the fellowship of the early church, and we are exhorted throughout the New Testament to walk in love. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, wrote in 1 John 3:18, “My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.” James 2:15-16 reminds us to show our love and faith by noticing and meeting the needs of fellow believers. Acts 2:44-47 pictures for us the model church and it is love in action. They cared and shared all things in common, which was anything but common in their day and ours. Jesus said, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
O-ne Another – This is a favorite phrase found in conjunction with fellowship. It is used in about twenty different ways in the New Testament. Unlike the similar expression, “each other,” which would apply to only two people, “one another” looks at all fellow believers on the larger scale of the whole Body of Christ. This fellowship is made up of a variety of people groups, with different cultural backgrounds, personalities, and physical characteristics. This is the beauty of the Body of Christ. We are going to spend eternity together with people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation (Rev. 5:9). In light of this eternal viewpoint, God calls us into this fellowship where we should receive, love, comfort, forgive, and pray for one another. The books of Romans, Galatians and James all tell us that how we treat one another as brothers and sisters in Christ fulfills the law and love of Christ.
W-hile – The book of Hebrews also reminds us, “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37). What should we be doing while we wait for Him? While away the time? Not at all. Beginning in Hebrews 3:7, there is an exhortation given by the Holy Spirit saying, “exhort one another daily while is it called “Today”” (Heb. 3:13). We should fellowship together and encourage one another while we wait for Him.
S-erving – This is one of those “one another’s” and is a major part of our fellowship. We are not here to live as individuals and think only of me, myself, and mine. That is the very lifestyle we have been saved from. Paul writes to our hearts saying, “for the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Cor. 5:14-15).
In Philippians 2:1-4 he pleads with us as he expresses the very heart of fellowship. “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Phil. 2:1-2). Then, he adds, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Phil. 2:3-4). We are saved, not to serve ourselves, but to serve others.
H-im – It’s all about Him! “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9). What love God has shown to us through the Son of His love. Everything we consider in our fellowship is because of Him. He is the very ground of our fellowship which connects us together in an eternal bond. By Him we have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7).
I-n – We were in sin. Now we are in Him, saved out of this world. The only true fellowship that we can have is in Christ. We are warned not to have fellowship with that which is outside of Christ, such as idols (1 Cor. 10:14-16), darkness, or demons (2 Cor. 6:14-16). What kind of fellowship is that?
P-artnership – Fellowship is defined as partnership. As often humorously stated, fellowship is three fellows in a ship. That is not far off. We are fellow workers together with God (1 Cor. 3:9), fellow citizens and fellow members with the saints (Eph. 2:19), and fellow heirs of the same body (Eph. 3:6). James, Cephas, and John met with Paul and Barnabas and extended the right hand of fellowship to acknowledge both men and their ministry to the Gentiles (Gal. 2:9).
In our partnership, we share in the work financially. About one fourth of the references to New Testament fellowship have to do with sharing in financial help (Rom. 15:26; 2 Cor. 8:4; 9:13). In Hebrews 13:16 we are told, “But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” The word “share” is from the same Greek word “koinonia” and refers to our giving. The KJV translates the word for fellowship as communicate. Our giving communicates well the truth of our partnership in the Lord and thus our fellowship includes working together to meet practical needs as the Lord provides.
So, how do you spell fellowship? Not f-o-o-d! There is so much more to fellowship than just sharing a meal. The Scriptures spell out for us what New Testament fellowship is all about.
Now may “the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen” (2 Cor. 13:14).