1. gets together with other CF-ers for spiritual purposes: for sharing needs, for prayer, for discussing and sharing the Word to encourage, comfort, and edify one another.
2. works together with other CF-ers and cares for one another as a company of people, like a company of soldiers or members of a family.
3. manifests the the qualities or spirit of Jesus in their lives: Christlike.
Core components of a Christian Fellowship:
-Relationship
-Partnership
-Companionship
-Stewardship
Relationship: The Foundation For Fellowship
-As believers in Christ, we are related to Christ and to each other in that we have been joined into union with Him; we are members of His body through the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. Fellowship means we share this relationship and it is an objective fact regardless of our spiritual condition (cf. 1 Cor 1:2 with 3:1-3).
Partnership: The Means of Fellowship
- The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit
- All aspects of fellowship are dependent upon the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Before salvation, fellowship with God in the sense of relationship (union) depends on His pre-salvation work, the conviction of truth, followed by His work of regeneration and baptizing accompanied by the Spirit’s indwelling as a gift of the Father and the Son (John 16:8, 2 Thess. 2:13, Tit. 3:5, 1 Cor. 12:12,13). After salvation the experience of fellowship in communion with God depends on the filling of the Spirit.
- Acts 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
- Central to these believers’ fellowship was the teaching of the apostles. Being devoted to our relationship, partnership, companionship, and stewardship depends on our devotion to Scripture.
- All believers share in common the life of Christ positionally and experientially. Consequently, they also share with one another in Christ’s enterprise on earth.
- Fellowship with God: The vertical dimension
- Companionship, as suggested previously, involves communion or communication, interchange, intimacy, sharing and receiving. If there is going to be fellowship with God, we must first draw on the Lord’s resources as we listen to Him in His Word, as we allow the Spirit of God to talk to us through Scripture and through the various providential events of life (trials, blessings, etc.) and through the lives of others around us. We need to be open to Him, receptive, teachable. In our communion with the Lord, we need to listen to His voice and respond in obedience.
- God has created us to be dependent people—dependent on Him and on one another. His judgment in Genesis 2:18, “it is not good for the man to be alone,” is a principle that speaks not only to marriage, but to all of life and especially to the spiritual fellowship of all believers.
- No man is an island. None of us has the ability to go it alone. We need the communion or companionship of one another.
- We should not … think of our fellowship with other Christians as a spiritual luxury, an optional addition to the exercises of private devotion. We should recognize rather that such fellowship is a spiritual necessity; for God has made us in such a way that our fellowship with himself is fed by our fellowship with fellow-Christians, and requires to be so fed constantly for its own deepening and enrichment.
- Giving, the steward of our material blessings, is also a part of our fellowship, our sharing in the work of the Savior as we experience His life, His values and priorities in our own lives through our fellowship with Him.
- As believers in partnership with the Savior, we are not owners, but stewards of the things God has given us which includes not only our talents (spiritual gifts), our temple (our body), our time, and God’s truth, but also the treasures, the material blessings God gives us.
- Therefore use all the things God has given us wisely. And most importantly use it for God's glory and according to His will.
Credits and further reading: Christian Fellowship - Bible.org
Just want to encourage all CF-ers to love, care and pray for one another as well as share words of encouragement and thoughts. Attend prayer meeting, care group and wednesday CF meeting regularly! Because this is essential for the fellowship of Christians.
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