Godly fellowship from first principles - Introduction
"All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer" (NLT) Acts 2:42
In this month of August, our focal theme borders on Godly fellowship. Various writers have attempted to explain what the key term means. At the risk of rehashing the ideas presented in previous devotionals, I present a succinct explanation from Wikipedia.
The term "fellowship" as used in the New Testament writ is "is a transliterated form of the Greek word, κοινωνία (koinonia), which means communion, joint participation; the share which one has in anything, participation, a gift jointly contributed, a collection, a contribution, etc" (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koinonia).
The online encyclopedia further elucidates on its meaning by indicating that the spiritual practice of godly fellowship can be seen as a three-tier prong. They are sharing, relationships, and community. I consider these three-tier practice by the 1st century believers as the first principles of godly fellowship.
In subsequent devotional messages, we will explore further these three themes one after the other. The bottomline is this: Godly fellowship was part and parcel of the way the early Christians lived (Read Acts 2:42-47). It wasn't optional; it was mandatory (Hebrews 10:25). By studying it together we hope to rekindle the spirit of fellowship in the 21st century church.