As a general rule fellowship is a key to spiritual growth. Ther is strength in numbers, Satan roams about seeking whom he may devour. Fellowship yields strength, growth, companionship, comradery, and a community of believers all moving in the same direction.

Why is Fellowship Important.

Fellowship is a word we hear often in the Body of Christ. It is facilitated by churches through small groups of believers who mostly meet in their homes. Believers have many kinds of fellowship meetings depending on the ministry they find themselves in. One thing we can agree with is that fellowship helps us grow spiritually, and connects us with other believers. In this article, we will look at why fellowship is important to our spiritual growth.

What is the Power of Fellowship?

Why is Fellowship Important – Fellowship helps us connect with other believers, and we get to share our journeys of faith and what God has done for us. It gives us a group of people who are like our family and are there for us during different seasons of our life. Fellowship gives us the opportunity to share the Word of God together and learn more about our faith in Jesus Christ.

What is the Purpose of Fellowship in the Bible?

Bible Fellowship is a term used to describe the mutual support, encouragement, and accountability shared by brothers in Christ. Bible Fellowship is illustrated in the book of Proverbs: “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)

This concept of fellowship was also illustrated during the ministry of Jesus:

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given TO ME. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to So Christ’s followers are encouraged to share their faith with others (Matthew 28:19-20) and to fellowship with other brothers in Christ (Matthew 18:20), because both actions strengthen the faith of each brother.

What is Vision Casting – Proverbs 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish

Check this vision – I would follow this – Greg Gaines

The New Testament begins with a scene that illustrates Bible Fellowship at work:

“One night, while they were meeting together to fast and pray, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3)

The early church met together in homes for fellowship (Acts 2:46; 1 Corinthians 16:19), encouraging one another in the faith (Acts 20:24), and serving in various ways (Romans 12:4-8; Galatians 5:13).

Many of the New Testament letters were written to instruct believers on how they should fellowship with one another.

The Bible also teaches a strong focus on encouraging fellow Christians in spiritual matters, rather than focusing on physical needs. This is illustrated in the book of James, which emphasizes that one’s primary approach should be to encourage fellow believers through both encouraging words and deeds (James 1:27; 2:14-17).

The apostle Paul emphasized how important it was for Christians to share spiritual burdens with other brothers in Christ (Galatians 6:2). He also taught that when one brother in Christ has a need, the body of Christ (the church) should meet that need. This is illustrated in Paul’s “one another” passages in Ephesians 4:29 and Romans 12:9-10, and in James 2:15-16.

Bible Fellowship

In Acts 2:42 we see that the early believers had fellowship, broke bread, and prayed together. This is the purpose of fellowship for us as believers. Fellowship is an avenue that God uses to bless us and connect us with others who are growing in their faith. In fellowship meetings, we learn more about God and each other. We find people we can laugh with and share our lives.

We grow spiritually when we share our faith journeys with others in the Body of Christ. This is because we get to hear different perspectives of Bible stories and how we can apply them to our lives. We get to see how others have understood the Scriptures. This is why fellowship is important to our spiritual growth.

What Does it Mean to have Fellowship?

Fellowship is the Greek word Koinonia which means Communion. It implies living in partnership with others. It also means to hold all things in common; it suggests sharing of activities, possessions, and burdens, as well as sharing feelings and thoughts mutually.

Spending time, eating together, sharing our lives with one another is a big part of what it means to have koinonia. To be in fellowship means that we are willing to share ourselves and our resources with others. It is the willingness to come alongside another person and say I am going through a similar circumstance, here’s how I see God working in my life, here’s what I am doing about it, and here is how you can get involved if you want. It is the willingness to say God has given me these resources that He wants me to share with others just like me. Being in fellowship means we are a team working together with a common goal of helping one another succeed in our walk with Jesus Christ.

The early Church shared common meal and lived as a true family:

The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles (Acts 2:42).

Fellowship is when we spend time with other believers and share the Word of God with them. It is a time when we pray and seek God together, and get to see what God is doing in the lives of others. Fellowship meetings happen in churches, ministries, homes, and places where Christians have gathered to share the Word of God. You can also have fellowship with a friend over a cup of coffee or on phone.

What does the Bible say about Fellowship with other Believers?

According to 1 Thessalonians 5:11, we are to encourage each other and build each other up. When we meet, we are to listen to others and offer godly advice where we can. Life has its ups and downs, and sometimes we need encouragement from others. Those we fellowship with will be there for us and give us the help we need.

In Matthew 18:20, Jesus told us that when two or three are gathered in His name, He is there. This means that we should fellowship for godly purposes, and know that God is present with us. Fellowship can be between two or more people and gathered in a quiet place where they can read the Bible, and share God’s Word with each other.

Hebrews 10:24 tells us that we should stir one another to love and good works. As we fellowship with others, we are to encourage each other to walk in the love of Christ and live righteous lives. We are to sharpen each other just like iron sharpens iron because this is how we grow spiritually.

Galatians 6:2 says we should bear each other’s burdens, and by doing so we fulfill the law of Christ. Jesus wanted us to love one another, and sharing others’ burdens shows our love for them. We experience difficult times in life and we need others to help us make it through to the other side. The storms of life can leave us broken and we need the help of others to overcome our challenges.

Colossians 3:16 shows us that we are to teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. This Bible verse describes what we do when we meet for fellowship. We listen to the Word of God, have a praise and worship session, and help each other grow spiritually.

What does it Mean to have Fellowship with Someone?

When we fellowship with someone, we meet with them and share the Word of God. We learn from each other and thank God for the good work He has done in both our lives. If the person is an unbeliever and wants to learn more about your faith, this becomes a moment to share the Gospel with them. Fellowship with another person is a special moment because we are meeting to talk about God and His greatness.

What does the Bible say about Connecting with others?

Hebrews 10:25 tells us not to neglect meeting with others but encourage each other. Fellowship is important because we get to connect with others and grow spiritually. We may not always feel like meeting others for fellowship but we should make the effort so that we continue to grow in our faith.

In Romans 1:12 we see that we ought to encourage others in their faith and also be encouraged by their faith. We don’t always think about it, but our faith encourages others who are growing or going through a difficult time. Others also encourage us when they teach us things in the Bible we didn’t know about.

What is Fellowship with the Holy Spirit?

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is having time alone listening to Him and what He has to say about your life. It is a time when we spend time reading the Bible and praying. God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. When we get quiet and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us, we will fellowship with Him in a special way.

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is an opportunity to converse with God. When we spend time alone listening to Him, He will speak to us and guide us in our lives. If you feel like you need direction for your life, then this is a sure way of getting it. The Holy Spirit helps us to live the Christian life. We are commanded to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit daily, so why not start today!

Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is important because it builds a deep connection between God and His children. When we take time out of our day to spend time listening to Him through prayer and reading His word, He will guide us and speak to us. The Bible says that the Holy Spirit is a Comforter who comforts us in our time of need.

We grow spiritually through fellowship with the Holy Spirit. It helps us overcome battles against sin. When we have quiet time away from anything sinful, it can be hard at times. But God rewards our hard work. He loves and cares for us and will help us succeed in our path to salvation.

What is the Spiritual Purpose of Fellowship with Non-Christians?

When do we spend time on the ultimate goal of fellowship with non-Christians? Is it to win them to Christ? Is it to convert them? Is it for evangelism?

The answer is: Fellowship with unbelievers is beneficial as a means towards the end, but not as an end in itself. The ultimate purpose of fellowship with those who are not Christians is sanctification. Fellowship with non-Christians is sanctifying. For the Spirit conforms us more into the image of Christ.

Paul said he was all things (sinful) to all people (believers and unbelievers) so that he could win some for Christ. But we cannot be like the unbeliever in order to win them over. Paul was not trying to be like the unbeliever; rather, he said:

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings (1 Corinthians 9:22-23).

It was interesting in Jesus life the time he spent with the lowly tax collector, Zacchaeus. He was a hated man by his people. But Jesus became like him so that he could save him.

Then Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:8-10).

He spent time with common people to share with them the good news of God’s love and forgiveness.

On another occasion, Jesus was spending time with a man named Matthew (keeper of the common purse, likely government hired). When he met him, he didn’t say: “Matthew, give me some money so that I can use it to win others”. But instead, he said: Follow me and I will make you a fisher of men (Matthew 4:19).

Fellowship with unbelievers should result in the ability to share the Gospel more effectively. Caring about someone else’s spiritual matters is an effective way to convey spiritual matters.

He went to a wedding feast to eat and drink, and the people there had not known him (John 2:3).

Our Godly influence in society will show others, whether believers or unbelievers, what God is like. When we are in the world, they won’t see Christ; but when they see us it will help them to understand that there is something worth knowing about our God (1 Peter 2:12).

Fellowship with unbelievers should display love and care for others. People living in sin need someone to show them love rather than condemnation.

For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:14).

Sharing your blessings with others is an excellent way to show that you love the Lord. When they see you give away your food, clothing, or money to help someone else, it will be evident that you are filled with God’s love by seeing how much concern you have for other people (John 13:35).

Not only does fellowship with unbelievers produce fruit of the spirit in our lives, it also makes us more useful to God. We are not producing fruit just for ourselves but so that others may see and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:16).

We can use fellowship with people who don’t know Christ as a way of being prepared to help them when they come to faith.

Final Thoughts

We have seen that fellowship is important for our spiritual growth because we get to connect with other believers. Fellowship is a time when we get to learn more about our faith and hear testimonies of God’s miracles in the lives of others. We can fellowship with others in the Body of Christ in our local communities. Ask God to connect you with a group of believers who will help you grow spiritually.