Do you know that fellowship is not just good to have but commanded of us? (Eph 4:3) Just as Christ was perfectly one with the father, so are we to be one (John 17:21). 

The question we must ask ourselves is this: Why do we regard fellowship as secondary despite purporting to acknowledge its importance? Do we see fellowship as important as coming to worship God on a Sunday, or as important as serving God? Or do we just see it as a slot in our timetable that we will attend whenever we are free? Fellowship is more than a bunch of friends gathering together who happen to be Christian. Fellowship is more than studying the Bible together, more than singing hymns together, and more than having discussions after messages. The Greek word for fellowship is "koinonia," and it is defined as joint participation or partnership. Koinonia is a gift given to us by the grace of God. As the song "Koinonia" goes, it is being  bound together by the golden cord of God’s love so that we may focus on Christ and strive for things above.

May I suggest three ways in which fellowship or Koinonia is vital to the Christian walk:

Firstly, Koinonia is about showing commitment toward one another.  Our journey towards heaven is not meant to be undertaken alone; we need to run alongside each other.Hebrews 3:12-13 clearly highlights this. It exhorts us to Take heed lest there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. Instead, we are to exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest we be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Given that scripture speaks of the pressing need of daily mutual encouragement, it should trouble us if we are comfortable going, weeks or even months without being exhorted and encouraged. We come to church to worship and sometimes even to serve, but are we committed to showing the kind of love that displays the gospel to one another? Do we envision our church to be like the church in Acts 2:42-47 where believers were selling their possessions for others in need, worshiping, and praising God daily with sincere and joyful hearts? We ourselves need to take the first step to be committed to one another if we truly want to create a gospel culture in our church. It starts with us.

Secondly, Koinonia is about warning one another. As we look towards our eternal home, Satan will do all he can to hinder us and prevent us from fixing our eyes on Jesus. He does this by planting seeds of temptation around us, causing us to stray from the straight and narrow. As God’s people, will we simply stand by and watch one another be devoured by sin? As James 5:19-20 says, when we guide our fallen brothers back to the truth, we are saving souls from death, and hiding a multitude of sins. Just as Jesus left heaven to seek and save lost souls for the Father, we should guide one another back onto the right path, spur one another onto the truth, and restore each other in the spirit of gentleness (Gal 6:1). God created all of us differently; we all possess personal failings, and personal strengths. Our seasons of victory may coincide with the seasons of others’ failures.But together, we can remind each other of the truth so that none of us, by the hardening of our hearts, are hindered from the call of Jesus.

Lastly, Koinonia is about presenting Christ to one another. Through His body of flesh in His death, He has reconciled us to Him. Reconciled into this family of believers with a price that we can never repay. We all know the gospel story and how it has saved us. But so often, we forget about the price Jesus paid on the cross (1 Cor 6:20), for we are prone to wander and prone to leave the Lord we love.Because of this, we need to be reminded daily of the cross, reminded of the sorrowful state we were rescued from, and the awful price that was paid to achieve this rescue. Having this koinonia with each other in Christ reminds us that we are all sinners and that only by His blood can we gather together as a body of believers to worship our Father. In so doing, we are empowered to love  one another with the same love that Christ first showed us on the cross (John 13:35). Together, we can lay aside every weight of sin that so easily besets us, running with endurance this race  that is set before us, and look to Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb 12:1-2).

This year, YLM's bible study series will focus on Ezra in the first half of the year and 1 Timothy in the second half. We hope that through studying these books, our youths and young adults will see the importance of building up the church of Christ. In addition to bible studies, every month we will have an Open YLM where we will learn how to sing and pray the psalms. We would like to warmly invite you, whoever you are, to join our community! We are a body of committed youths and young adults whose goal is to know Christ and to make Him known, and to be established in every good work and word. We invite you to journey alongside us as we seek to fulfill this mission!  

In closing, we hope that you will join us in YLM to experience what it’s like to be a body fitly joined together. Let us not fill our timetables up with things that moth and rust can destroy (Matt 6:19), but seek God’s kingdom first, His righteousness (Matt 6:33), and His people (Heb 10:25). As we journey towards the Promised Land, facing temptations and trials, remember that this race of life is not meant to be run alone. Christ's death was not only meant for you and you alone but for the whole church. So let us remind each other of the inheritance kept in heaven (1 Peter 1:4) and encourage one another as long as it is called today.

Inquire or join a small group here: bit.ly/YLMjoin 

Justus Seow

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