The word 'fellowship' is used in various settings such as in academic circles and is not restricted to evangelical Christians. However, it has become slightly devalued in many churches. We speak of Young People's Fellowship or we used to speak of a time of fellowship which inevitably meant food (maybe even home baking) and coffee or tea. As a boy I have happy memories of having 'fellowship' on a Sunday evening provided by some people whom I considered to be wealthy. I loved egg sandwiches and they featured quite a lot in my memory as well as a whole range of home baking. We also used the word fellowship to describe a church service where there was a considerable amount of hymn singing or chorus singing. Again, there was what was described as a time of fellowship when there was a cup of tea and home baking.
The word koinonia or 'fellowship' is a much deeper concept than simply a short time of sharing some food and hot drinks. Inviting another family to our home for a time of hospitality is a lovely gesture even though it may be an opportunity for gossip. But for the early Christians koinonia went much deeper. It might well have involved sacrifice and stigma. If you take a few minutes to read through the short third letter of John which he wrote to his dear friend Gaius, you will clearly see that koinonia (although it is not mentioned specifically) meant showing loyalty to the truth at a time when this would be costly and might result in more than abuse and slander. In the church to which this letter was being written there was a person by the name of Diotrephes who had an ego problem - 'he loved to be first.' He had deep resentment for John and was spreading malicious slander about him. He was ostracising anyone who had any connection with John and was excommunicating anyone who showed support for these 'brothers' sent with messages from John. Against such a background of hostility and hatred, Gaius was loyal to John and was prepared to show hospitality to these visitors who came with the authority of the apostle John. He had never met them before but that did not matter. They could not repay him or return the favour but this Godly man Gaius knew the real meaning of koinonia and opened his home to these travelling Bible teachers or whatever role they were playing in the first century church.
Koinonia is not about turning our church into a social club where we will be catered and entertained. I am not criticising such events as we have them in our church and they help us to get to know each other. But koinonia is much deeper. It involves showing genuine Christian love for each other and this might be costly. It involves looking after the vulnerable members of the church and those who are burdened with physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological burdens. It must be deeper than the casual conversations we have with other Christians over a cup of tea or coffee. The most frequent question which has become a cliché is, "How are you?" and the answer which trips off the tongue is, "Fine" or "OK" which is often not completely true. Very often those attending our church services are carrying a huge burden which they need someone to share. It is unlikely that they will feel comfortable to open up and share their anxieties and worries in a short conversation in a crowded church hall.
Koinonia is not about an exclusive membership of those who are on our side and agree with our theology or our politics or have the same taste in music or share the same interest in a particular sport. We often confuse uniformity with unity and the former is not desirable or achievable whereas unity is the harmony of people with different personalities, backgrounds, interests, tastes etc. The Keswick strapline from Galatians - All One in Christ Jesus" does not imply that we will all agree on absolutely everything. It does imply that there is a common bond of Christian love which unites us despite our differences. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. [Galatians 3:28 ESV] There is so much which could be said about this verse but not in this blog.
I was baptised in 1965 in Bethany Hall, Stevenston and I have been a member of five different churches since then. I have shared fellowship with a huge number of different people over these years as well as all the people I met during my time as a volunteer at Keswick Convention. I want to be tactful as I express this. I have come across several people whom I have found challenging. I have also met people for whom I quickly regarded as close friends. I am only too well aware that, despite my sweet, good-tempered disposition (!!!!), some people have not found me easy to get to know. Koinonia is NOT about making up our circle of acquaintances from those whom we like and disregarding or shunning the rest. If we are imitating the divine paradigm (model) for koinonia, we should show the same Christian love for all the saints (God's people) and not restrict our love to the 'nice' people. Sadly, churches tend to have cliques - groups who get on well with each other. Inevitably, some dear Christians find themselves left outside these exclusive groups and they feel marginalised and unloved. That is not koinonia.
I am going to add another blog to deal with how outreach fits into koinonia.
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