A Twist on Fellowship

Surely fellowship is an elusive thing. Is it a greeting during a Sunday morning service? Or is it a donut and coffee before a meeting? Maybe it's a pot-luck dinner or church picnic? Actually it is all these things and a lot more. It’s also offering a listening ear, giving a shoulder to cry on, playing music and singing together. It’s giving some preference to the least among us, having folks over for games and taking food to someone under the weather. As we live life together, we live out our commonness. The unifying commonness of our fellowship always rests in our shared relationship with Jesus Christ. He is central whether through conversation or just being together in an unspoken acknowledgement that we are “in Christ.”

A twist in the idea of fellowship came to me the other day when someone handed off this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. “Corporate prayer, offered in the name of Christ, [is] the purist form of fellowship.” I see the truth of it. By joining at the throne of Grace we are (at least potentially) baring our hearts in transparent ways, interceding for one another, experiencing God’s presence and finding mercy in our time of need. Sounds like pure fellowship to me.

I’m reminded what great fellowship of prayer the early church enjoyed. There was an atmosphere of prayer that was second nature for them. Jim Cymbala says it this way, “The apostles had this instinct: When in trouble, pray. When intimidated, pray. When challenged, pray. When persecuted, pray.” Acts 1:14 – “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Acts 3:1 – “One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.” Acts 4:24 – “When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God.” Acts 6: 3,4 – “We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the Word.” Acts 12:5 – “So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”

I can see it now. A couple is struggling in their new marriage, and a group of friends find a quiet room to pray with them. Someone comes for prayer because of their previous involvement in the occult, and leaders pray with them for release. A young girl is preparing for adulthood, and ladies meet at her home to pray for blessings. Someone shares a problem with you after a morning service, and you pray together. A child is leaving for college, and friends say goodbye with prayers. A nice twist on fellowship indeed.

Prayer room at El Redil church in Medillin, Colombia