Culture of the Kingdom
Today’s Topic: Fellowship
Scripture: Acts 2:42; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Corinthians 12:12,13; Philippians 2:1; 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
The four imperatives of Kingdom Culture are found in Acts 2:42: “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Fellowship is the second of the four imperatives but also one that as a general concept, has been misunderstood and because of that we do not see it in its true form and understand its function in the culture of the Kingdom of God. But what is fellowship? According to Dictionary.com fellowship is companionship. Simple definition but let’s see what the church sees fellowship as.
The modern day church sees fellowship as a group of people coming together to eat a meal, play games or some various activities geared to bring youth together. One thing in my time growing up I heard of these “fellowship events” called potlucks. Basically everyone would bring a dish to the party and share. Now that is what fellowship has become to be known in the church. Is that fellowship? Based upon the definition it can be but we must look to the scriptures because it is in the scriptures where we see this word “fellowship” as it pertains and it is a part of the spiritual culture of the Kingdom. Now when we conclude this part of fellowship, there we will be no doubt that you will not look at fellowship merely as “eating a meal together”.
Now let’s look at some scriptures pertaining to fellowship to get a spiritual understanding.
2 Corinthians 13:14:”The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen”. The word communion can be substituted for fellowship in the scripture. So fellowship has to do with something Holy Spirit does.
Philippians 2:1:”If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies,”
So based on these scriptures, fellowship of Holy Spirit is further defined as the resulting relationship between the people and Holy Spirit who dwells within them. Fellowship of Holy Spirit is about how Holy Spirit arranges the Body of Christ. Let’s look at how this is done.
1 Corinthians 12:12,13:”For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews and Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” So Holy Spirit arranges us in the Body of Christ by baptizing us into the Body of Christ. We as individuals are parts of the corporate body. The fellowship of believers together is to recognize how Holy Spirit has assembled you with another. But why does Holy Spirit baptize us into the Body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 2:10-12: “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”
So it is fellowship with Holy Spirit and the spirit man that we receive revelation and instruction to our role as a part of the Body of Christ.
At the Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun Jr.
