Week 21 - Gathered To One Another

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship (koinonia), to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42)

My family arrived in New Zealand on 17 August 2003. When we celebrated the third anniversary of our arrival in New Zealand, we realised that three years had passed so quickly.

Since our arrival, we have been worshipping in Massey Presbyterian Church. It is a multi-cultural congregation with about 200 worshippers. Together with another Malaysian couple, we started a home group which has grown to 21 adults from seven nations. We gather on every first and third Saturdays of the month for Bible study and fellowship.

Why Gather?

Chuck Swindoll, describing a church he knew only too well, says, “It is easy to be lost and feel lonely in a crowd — even at a place of worship. People begin to look the same. Names start running together and before long seem less important. Needs are bypassed. The main concerns seem to be finding a parking space and getting a seat.” I am sure you will agree with me that he was not exaggerating. It seems to me that the only way not to feel lost is to find a small group and join it. Then, get to know the group members and let them know you!

Gathered for Koinonia

The New Testament meaning of koinonia is “commonness.” This takes two forms. First, there is what we share in together, our common inheritance. Today, “fellowship” describes something subjective, just an awareness or an experience of belonging together. “We had good fellowship together,” we say, indicating our sense of warmth and security in one another’s company. But in the Bible “fellowship” is an objective fact. Koinonia (fellowship) points to our common possession of the blessings of the gospel. We have a “common faith” and therefore a “common salvation,” being joint partakers of a “common grace.” Faith, salvation and grace are the common denominator among Christians; each of us has been saved by grace through faith. It is this that makes us one.

However, fellowship is more than what we share in common. There is also what we share out together. For koinonia in the New Testament concerns not only what we have together but what we do together, not only our common inheritance but also our common service.

Gathered as a Ministry Base

How then can we be effective in our common service? Small groups like the care groups should see themselves as ministry bases. As Robert Slocum has said in Maximise Your Ministry, the small group is the base from which individual members should be sent out into the world in the name of Christ. There should be opportunity in the group for all members to reflect upon their everyday lives as situations for ministry. Whether you are a student, a home-maker, a professional or a retiree, you need to be able to talk with your group about your life as a disciple of Christ scattered out into the society.

Small groups need to recognise and support the ministry of the members by taking on the role as base camps. The daily climb over mountains of opposition and hills of unbelief can be strenuous. If Christians have no such base ministry group, they will continue to venture out into a hostile society with no sense of community support. We all need to know that there is a group who loves us and prays for us as we seek to be the salt and the light of the world. Small groups are not just bases to support the ministry of individuals scattered but they are also for the ministry gathered, the church. Everyone should have an opportunity of service and a group to support them in their individual places of service within the church.

Do you belong to a care group? If not, I encourage you to join one today and belong to a community of disciples.

Here are seven “one another” sayings, one for each day of the week! Practise them in your family and in your care group and you will experience what true koinonia, Christian fellowship, is.

• Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25 )
• Encourage one another (Hebrews 3:13 )
• Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32 )
• Honour one another (Romans 12:10 )
• Be kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32 )
• Pray for one another (James 5:16 )
• Serve one another (Galatians 5:13 )