by Alan Langstaff

Even though I have been a minister for well over sixty years. Just recently I did not attend Church for three whole years, except when my great-grandson was dedicated. At the end of the letter, I will explain why and what I learned through it all.

Some weeks ago I wrote a Langstaff Letter on “Friendship.” I was encouraged by the replies from people, even people as far away as Australia. I want to take this a step further this week and discuss Fellowship – which is somewhat friendship in the local church family.

FELLOWSHIP

What exactly is fellowship? Well in essence it is what usually happens with people who share things in common, and who are involved in work or activities which they do together in essence it is “togetherness.” Someone described it as: Fellowship is fellows-in-a-ship-together.

“Euclid was a great mathematician who lived about three hundred years after Christ. He is best known for his thirteen-volume series of books called Elements. Two of his axioms of geometry have been revised to produce the modern saying: “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” Another way of saying this would be “something happens in a group that doesn’t happen alone.” That something is called “synergy.” It comes from the Greek word sunergia, meaning cooperation and working together.”

Synergy is truly when people work together to attain a goal. A group combined together. This is to be seen in the old-fashioned “Barn Raising” when people in rural areas would work together to raise a barn for a needy neighbor.

FELLOWSHIP IN THE BIBLE

Going back to the early chapters of Genesis it is obvious. God never makes us to live by ourselves. “It is not good for man to be alone.”

A family is the beginning of it all but by the time the children of Israel came into the promised land, they had developed families and tribes which they valued greatly.

But think for a moment.

Could Noah have built the ark without his extended family including his sons-in-law who presumably helped him?

Could Nehemiah have rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem by himself? The work was broken up into families each building a section. This was synergy.

Could Solomon have built the temple? No, it required an army of workers. It required synergy.

We all need to be part of a community and be working together as well as worshiping together.

FELLOWSHIP IN THE N.T. CHURCH

Right from the very beginning of the church in the days of the first Christian church fellowship was at the heart of a Christian’s life. Acts 2:42 tells us that they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowshipping in the breaking of bread and in prayers. In verse 44 we find “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common” (NKJV). So fellowship was central to their “life together.”

There is no question that the first Christians valued getting together. They valued fellowship and so should we.

HOW DOES FELLOWSHIP HAPPEN?

Let me suggest some keys.

Some weeks ago when I discussed “friendship.” I looked at the question “How do you make friends?” I wrote, “it usually starts when you do things together.”

That is where the church comes in. It is meant to be more than simply coming to a church service on a Sunday morning. It is getting involved in a small group in the church, for it is there that we begin to enjoy fellowship.

We don’t know everything so it will help us to grow if we belong to a class where the Word of God is taught. As we learn together we will inevitably grow in fellowship too. In turn we can do things together.

It is in smaller groups that we build relationships. God never planned for us to be Robinson Crusoes living alone, but meant for us to be part of a community.

TRUE FELLOWSHIP

A deep and meaningful fellowship involves us in specific ways.

The Apostle John in his 1 John 1:7 gives us some guidelines “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light we have fellowship with one another.” (NKJV)

Real fellowship starts with a relationship with Christ. It is in Christ that we share a faith together and it is that common experience of Jesus in our lives that gives us the foundation for fellowship.

That is why we are advised to be careful with who we fellowship with.

MY OWN EXPERIENCE

Most of you know that in the last three years, a year after my eldest daughter Beth passed away in Germany, my wife Dorothy, also went to heaven.

For the last years of her life, Dorothy was not well enough to go to church. So I made the decision that I would stay at home with her. We would listen to a service on TV or the Radio. So for 3 years, I didn’t go to church. When she went to be with Jesus, I decided I would go to church with my youngest daughter, Joy, who was attending a large church in the Twin Cities, at one of the campus churches. She also was part of a smaller Bible Study at the Main Church. When she passed on, her daughter Hayley didn’t want to go there anymore as it had too many memories for her and she has since gone to another church. So I had to decide where I would go to church.

I had to pray about where I was to go to church, I felt I had to go with one of my grandsons, Mitchel and his wife Katie to their church which I had attended from time to time.

Now it has been an interesting experience. Let me give you some advice about going to a new church. Simply said, “It takes time!” Occasionally we might feel an affinity with certain people, but fellowship in a new church takes time. So be patient.

I am housebound but I have gradually come to enjoy fellowship in the church. Not only the Pastor came to see me but other people in the church have reached out to me and come to visit me too.

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Have you found a place of fellowship in a local church? If you haven’t I encourage you to take that step and find your place of fellowship.