If you were to go to a movie or a sporting event or watch a parade going down the street, you would have fellowship with others who are seeing the same thing as you. Fellowship literally means a sharing in common. The word communion is a synonym. Fellowship is not a Christian word. There are various clubs or organizations in which members have fellowship with other members; the fellowship is having a common membership and participating in the same activities of the club or organization. When you go to school, you have a type of fellowship with the other students. But the type of fellowship you should be most interested in is the fellowship with others who are true believers in Jesus Christ.
There is much that true believers share in common. First and foremost, we have the same Father in heaven and the same Lord Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1-3 “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life – the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us – that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” John and the other apostles declared unto us Jesus, the Word, so that we could have fellowship with them. Because of our common faith, we share God as our common Father and Jesus Christ as our common Lord. We also have fellowship with God and Jesus in that we are part of their family.
Christians have Jesus Christ as their common savior. He came to this earth, suffered and died for each of us. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” We share a common belief, a common salvation, and everlasting life. When we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we share in the body and blood of Christ. 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread.” The Lord’s Supper is an act of fellowship. That is why we should wait for one another and partake together. 1 Corinthians 11:33 “Therefore, my brethren, when you come together to eat, wait for one another.” Participation in the Lord’s Supper together is a means of reinforcing the common bond that we share with each other in that we all are dependent upon Christ’s sacrifice for our common salvation (see Jude 3).
As true believers, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. He lives within each of us. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?” We share having the Holy Spirit within us. We each belong to God and the Holy Spirit guides us. 2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.” Philippians 2:1-2 “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.” Since we share the same Spirit, we should make every effort to be like-minded, have a strong bond of love for each other, and seek to be of one accord and one mind.
With the Holy Spirit in each of us, we will naturally bear the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” We have the same Bible with the same principles and commandments for living and worshiping God. I can go anywhere in the world and find other believers who have God as their Father, Jesus as their Savior, and the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. I know how they are living their lives; they will bear the same fruit of the Spirit. We may have different cultures, but we live our lives the same and we have love for each other. What a wonderful fellowship I have with other believers who have the Holy Spirit of God!
Enjoy the fellowship you have with other true believers. As the Apostle Paul wrote in Philippians 2:2 “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”