In Hebrews 13:16, the word "communicate" is derived from the Greek word "koinonia", which means to fellowship, to associate, to join in participation, to contribute. In essence then, all of these verses are saying the very same thing; and that is that some form of spiritual fellowship is important for us to explore and apply for our deeper understanding.
Fellowship is an important part of our faith. Coming together to support one another is an experience that allows us to learn, gain strength, and show the world exactly what God is. Fellowship Gives Us a Picture of God Each of us together shows all of God's graces to the world. No one is perfect. We all sin, but each of us has a purpose here on Earth to show aspects of God to those around us. Each of us has been given specific spiritual gifts. When we come together in fellowship, it's like us as a whole demonstrating God. Think of it like a cake. You need the flour, sugar, eggs, oil, and more to make a cake. The eggs will never be the flour. None of them make up the cake alone. Yet together, all those ingredients make a delicious cake. It is like that will fellowship. All of us together show the glory of God.
Romans 12:4-6 "For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ, we though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith." (NIV)
Fellowship Makes Us Stronger No matter where we are in our faith, fellowship provides us with strength. Being around other believers gives us the chance to learn and grow in our faith. It demonstrates to us why we believe and sometimes is the excellent food for our souls. It's great to be out in the world evangelizing to others, but it can easily make us hard and eat away at our strength. When we deal with a hard-hearted world, it can become easy to fall into that hard-heartedness and question our beliefs. It's always good to spend some time in fellowship so that we remember that God makes us strong.
Matthew 18:19-20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” (NIV)
Fellowship Provides Encouragement We all have bad moments. Whether it's the loss of a loved one, a failed exam, money problems, or even a crisis of faith, we can find ourselves down. If we go too low, it can lead to anger and a feeling of disillusionment with God. Yet these low times are why fellowship is important.
Spending time with other believers can often lift us up a little bit. They help us to keep our eyes on God. God also works through them to provide us what we need in darker times. Coming together with others can aid in our healing process and give us the encouragement to move forward.
Hebrews 10:24-25 "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near." (NLT)
Fellowship Reminds Us We're Not Alone Coming together with other believers in worship and conversation helps to remind us that we are not alone in this world. There are believers everywhere. It's amazing that no matter where you are in the world when you meet another believer, it's like you suddenly feel at home. That's why God made fellowship so important. He wanted us to come together so that we always know we're not alone. Fellowship allows us to build those lasting relationships so we're never by ourselves in the world.
1 Corinthians 12:21 "The eye can never say to the hand, 'I don’t need you.' The head can’t say to the feet, 'I don’t need you.'" (NLT)
Fellowship Helps Us Grow Coming together is a great way for each of us to grow in our faith. Reading our Bibles and praying are great ways to get closer to God, but each of us has important lessons to impart to one another. When we come together in fellowship, we teach each other things. God gives us a gift of learning and growing when we come together in fellowship we show each other how to live as God wants us to live, and how to walk in His footsteps.
1 Corinthians 14:26 "Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you." (NLT)
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