Devoted to Fellowship
Groups are the intentional way in which people can experience true fellowship.
When you hear the word “devotion,” what comes to mind?
Someone who is devoted will give their time, money, and energy to pursue their devotion. A simple example would be devotion to a sport. It is easy to identify a truly devoted fan. Devoted fans spend time in preparation before their team’s season, they research the next recruiting class, they listen to commentators, and buy all the fan gear. Those who are devoted to their team, of course, watch the game, and then they watch highlights of that same game. Finally, they talk about the highlights of the game they just watched, enough to make those listening wonder if they are even fans at all. A person who is devoted is “all in” and committed.
In the time and space in which we live there are countless other tribes, teams, clubs, groups, and families a person can give their devotion to. Here’s a question I have often had: If true devotion is clearly identifiable, What would people say I am devoted to?
In the book of Acts, Luke, an eyewitness and participant in the early Christian church, identified what the earliest followers of Jesus were devoted to, and it looked like this:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” - Acts 2:42
There are a few devotions that Luke identified, but let’s take a look at one in particular, the devotion to fellowship—the Greek word Koinõnia.
Fellowship, like devotion, is a word we do not often use, but it is rich in meaning and describes the relational experience of the early church. Koinõnia (Fellowship) literally means partnership. These followers of Jesus didn’t just see each other once a week from afar; they were in partnership with one another. The word Koinõnia does not show up in the Gospels but shows up when Jesus sends the Holy Spirit, and the Church is started. One more fun fact: there are other places in the Bible when Koinõnia is used as it describes the connection/partnership that a person has spiritually with our Father in heaven (1 John 1:3). Fellowship speaks of a deep level of spiritual connection and is a partnership that only exists with those who share the same Spirit.
The church at its start was not made up of those who just attended but of those who were devoted participants relationally with one another and in the mission and movement of the church.
Groups are the intentional way in which people can experience true fellowship. Not all groups look the same; some meet around a life need or shared experience, some around a season of life, and some around a discussion of a book of the Bible. The goal of these groups is the same: that people would connect, belong, and grow in the life of the church by becoming devoted to fellowship.
Some questions to think about:
What would people say I am devoted to? How does a life devoted to fellowship look? Personally, how would life devoted to fellowship look over the next month for me and my family?
