By Steve A. Hamilton

Introduction:  The word fellowship is often used put rarely understood by our brethren.  Most brethren don’t know where fellowship begins or ends.  Some think fellowship means everyone must agree upon every doctrinal issue completely.  While others think of fellowship as coming to church on Sundays.  Our lesson will endeavor to describe how we obtain fellowship and how we lose fellowship.

I.  Fellowship defined in 2 Cor. 6:14-16. 

          A.  Here Paul uses 5 other words to describe fellowship.

                   1.  YOKED:  Tied together for service.

                   2.  COMMUNION:  Sharing in common.

                   3.  ACCORD (CONCORD):  Sounding together.

                   4.  PART:  Portion or inheritance.

                   5.  AGREEMENT:  Union.

          B.  In other words, be separate from sin (2 Cor. 6:16-7:1).

          C.  Fellowship is a yoking together of partners who share a common union.  They sound alike.  They have the same goal and a common inheritance.  They are united in agreement. 

          D.  Fellowship is being on God’s team.  It is more than just pleasing God.  It is being a co-worker with God.  As Christians, we have fellowship by being on the same team and being a co-worker with one another for the Lord.

                   1.  For example, those on the same football team are in fellowship with one another.  However, two different football teams are not in fellowship with one another.  In fact, they are opposing each other though they do the same things.

                   2.  Paul experienced this situation in Phil. 1:12-18.  Some were preaching in love for the defense of Christ while others were preaching out of envy and strife hoping to cause Paul more problems.  They were doing the same things, but they were opposing one another.  They were not in fellowship though the Lord’s work was being spread. 

                   3.  This illustrates for us why we are not in fellowship with the religions in the world (not to mention institutional churches of Christ, etc.).  They may preach about Christ but we do not share a common yoke nor are we in agreement with their practices.   They are not on the Lord’s team which we are on. 

II. What causes a person to lose fellowship?

          A.  Sin separates our fellowship with God (1 John 1:5-6).  We may think we are on the Lord’s team, but we are only lying to ourselves because we are not doing the Lord’s will.

                   1.  Sin causes you to get kicked off the team.  In my childhood, my coach took me off the field because I wouldn’t bunt the ball.  You can’t do it your own way if you want to be in fellowship with God.

                   2.  The children of Israel broke their fellowship with God through sin (Isa. 59:1-3).

          B.  Paul told Timothy not to participate in other peoples sin (1 Tim. 5:22).

                   1.  The word share (partakers) is from the same Greek root word for fellowship.

                   2.  Can you think of two New Testament characters who participated together (had fellowship) in sin?  (Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-2, 9).

                   3.  We are not to have any fellowship with sin (Eph. 5:6-11).

          C.  By committing sin, we have fellowship with all those who do the same.

                   1.  Stephen accused the Jews of murdering the prophets of old on the grounds that they were in fellowship with their fathers because they killed Christ (Acts 7:51-52).

                   2.  Jesus also condemned the Jews for being partakers (in fellowship) in the murders of the prophets (Matt. 23:29-32).

          D.  Even consenting to sin indicates our fellowship.

                   1.  Paul argued to God that his consenting to Stephen’s death showed his fellowship to the Jews in the past (Acts 22:19-20).

                   2.  Consenting to scriptural worship or contributing financially to churches shows our fellowship (Phil. 1:3-7; 4:14-17).

                   3.  However, the opposite is also true (2 John 9-11).  If we contribute to an unfaithful church or even consent to their practices we show our fellowship for them.

Conclusion:  Our fellowship with one another is tied up in our fellowship with God.  Simply, we have fellowship with God and one another when we submit our entire being to God.  When we sin, we lose our fellowship with our Lord. 

          Are you in fellowship with Christ?  Have you been baptized for the remission of your sins?  Or have you lost your fellowship with Christ through sin? 

Last modified: 05/02/08