A few weeks ago, during our English Membership meeting, I quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book Life Together. It is a quote that I have been reflecting on this month, and I think it is also good for all of us–ALG leaders–to reflect on it as well. Here is the quote,
"Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living a common Christian life with other Christians praise God's grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.“
What connects us as a church and as a fellowship or life group? What makes a fellowship fellowship?
Growing up in the church, I’ve always been in fellowship. Since my birth, I have had pictures of myself in diapers in the church office, in fellowship events, and in the homes of “uncles & aunties.” Fellowship was familiar and routine. As I grew up, I knew the right answers for the what, when, why, and how of fellowship, yet, these right answers were slowly watered down by the “reality” of life. The right answers became an ideal rather than truth.
Bonhoeffer’s quote (and his whole book) was refreshing because, here, he points us to two reflection points:
Fellowship is lived, and it is lived in the commonness of the Christian life with others.
A fellowship is held together by the commonality of God’s freely given grace.
What is the common Christian life? Luke provides us with one of the first vivid pictures of the common Christian life in Acts 2:42-47. He writes,
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
The first church community has several distinctive highlights that include teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer. It was a gathering where the Holy Spirit was at work, whether explicit signs and wonders or, more often, the continual noticeable transformation of a believer’s life. This gathering or fellowshipping of the believers is described as together and in common. This commonness is more than just the described material sharing, but more than that, when read as a whole picture, this koinonia (fellowship) means a “unique sharing that Christians have with God and with other Christians.” [Ajith Fernando, Acts, The NIV Application Commentary]
Fellowship has a focus on God and the work of the Holy Spirit in His people. It is a “lived” communal experience of the sharing with God, and not just the attainment of head knowledge, aka classes. In other words, fellowship is unique and is a very powerful testimony when its definition and mission are clear. At its heart and core, fellowship is of God’s people and can only be attained with God’s people, but this doesn’t mean we exclude seekers and non-believers. Fellowships and life groups are beautiful pictures to share with those who have not come to a relationship with Jesus. Our love, mercy, kindness, hospitality, and generosity are a testimony of our life with Jesus, and it can help them in their journey to come to know the Lord. But we also have to caution ourselves not to water down our Christian fellowship to make the world like us more; we have to remember that it is the aroma of Christ that brings a person to their knees and not our compromises. A question I often ask as I reflect on my fellowship ministry is, what are the differences between my life group/fellowship and good friends gathering together? There are overlaps for sure, but there are also distinct differences.
With that said, fellowship is also not an elitist group of pious individuals who achieve some standards. Bonhoeffer’s key reminder for Christians is that what binds us, what connects us, is not us, but rather it is grace–God’s grace. It is by the work of Christ that we are ‘allowed’ to be in Christian fellowship. This is a sobering thought as often time fellowship is described by other commonalities. Whether it is ethnicity, economic class, life stages, hobbies, or preferences, these properties sometimes get elevated over grace. We might not admit it, but sometimes, we might implicitly value these other commonalities over grace. We are not saying commonalities like ethnicities and life stages are not important, but rather, these non-essentials need to be put in the right place; these non-essentials need to be held loosely in light of the blood-fought grace that binds us. If grace is what ultimately binds us in fellowship,
How would that change your perspective about your life group?
How would you–Life Group leaders–frame your life group with grace?
As we head into our summer months, I know many of your life groups will be reflecting on the past year and also winding down for more casual meet-ups. This is a great season to slow down and have conversations over the BBQ or coffee with your group about what God is doing in each other’s lives and what life group/fellowship means. Encourage one another in grace! And with that, I want to encourage you not to rush into a study next year as well; take some time to evaluate what your group has learned and if the group is being transformed or applying the learnings. A transformed life is what we are aiming for, not a busy life!