Definition
Fellowship happens when two or more believers are gathered together in oneness of Spirit (1John 3-4) for the purpose of encouragement in the Body of Christ. To be a Christian, then, is to share life together. Ultimately, we are called into fellowship with each other because we have been called into the “fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1Cor. 1:9)
Who: A person is saved and called into Christ’s church, thus we could say a person is saved into a community. It is in this community where I “bear one another’s burdens” or “love one another.”
Why: First, out of obedience to the Lord I choose to fellowship with other believers. We experience complete joy when we see others living in unity, we seek to encourage each other, to comfort, to exhort, to correct, and to meet needs.
How: By the Spirit’s leading, we pray for on another, and this can bring us closer to each other.
What: When fellowshipping we learn and practice to accept one another, serve one another, forgive one another, comfort one another, teach one another, build up one another, and many more.
When: Regularly, to gather together in a group, even a group as small as two or three people, wherever that may occur. The occasion or situation that draws us together may be when such things as suffering in another, the needs of another. We often come together in a larger community as we do in the local church to celebrate such things as the ordinance of communion and baptism, among other reasons.
Where: In the church building, in homes, outdoor locations, just anywhere that accommodates two or more meeting for purposes outlined above.
Scripture List: 1John 1:3-4; 1Cor.1:9; Rom.15:26; 2 Cor. 8:4; Philemon 1:6; 1Thess.5:11; Rom.14:19; 1Thess.3:12; 1Thess.3:12,4:18; 1Cor.12:25; Eph.4:25; Gal.5:15; Col.3:9; Rom.12:5; 1Pet.3:8; Heb.10:25; 1Pet.4:9; Gal.6:2; Rom.11:36; Rom.12:10; Rom.12:16; Col.3:16; Gal.6:2; Eph. 4:2, 32; Col 3:13; Eph. 5:19; Eph 5:21; 1 Peter 5:5; Phil. 2:41; 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 1Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:24;1Peter 4:9; James 5:16.