“All I know most surely about morality and obligation I owe to football”,
Fellowship
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:42The dictionary definition of fellowship is something like “friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests”. Caroline Fletcher* calls it a “tame word” often meaning coffee and cake together!
The picture of what fellowship meant to the early church was quite different. The key was sharing. Sharing each other’s lives. Read verses 43-47 and you will see that they shared possessions, money, meals and had communion together. They shared each other’s problems and burdens. In our, often impersonal, city life, it has been become more important to have people who care for us. We sometimes call a church a “fellowship”, implying that it is more than just a building or a set of services. All the better if you are part of a small group who look out for each other.
For the past 6 years I have travelled on the athletics circuit and have become aware of the challenges for people who are involved in a worldwide travelling tour sport which sees you compete in a different country every week. Athletes are away from home – and home church – for weeks on end. The value of fellowship with other Christians, real relationships that go beyond superficial friendships, is enormous. We all need people who care for us and pray for us.
All of us struggle with our Christian lives at times which makes the need for fellowship greater. We need others to encourage us and walk with us.
It’s OK to have coffee and cake sometimes, but we need more than that.
*Encounter with God, 4 June 2020