I grew up in a small church. A very small church, that covered a very wide geographical area. As a result I was missing something, without even realizing it. I had inclinations that something was missing in my life when I would visit my cousin's in another state and see the vibrant God-centered friendships they enjoyed. Following every church event there would be times of fellowship and conversation; something I had never known. I hated to leave and every trip down countless people would ask me when I was going to move to the area.
I would return home somewhat depressed and I never knew why. But then I joined a church blessed by a bustling community that excels at fellowship. One day it clicked, I now knew what I had been missing all those years. With my two closest Christian friends living upwards of an hour away, I had never experienced what many refer to as “Biblical Fellowship.” Biblical Fellowship comprises a wide range of activities but for the benefit of this simplicity, I will use it to refer to time spent together discussing theology or sermons, confessing sin and encouraging one another.; Generally setting your minds on the things above.
There are many obvious benefits to joining together with believers and engaging in fellowship. The first way we benefit from truly Biblical Fellowship is the aforementioned encouragement that comes from fellow believers and the feeling that comes from encouraging others yourself. While we should not seek the approval of men, there is a clear command in Scripture to encourage one another. I heard a friend say something simple but particularly convicting to me. She said “When I'm feeling down, I like to encourage someone. It always cheers me up.” It's true and encouragement is contagious.
If you're like me then encouragement does not necessarily come easily to you. In order to encourage someone, you need to know what to look for. A pastor once advised listeners to study the fruits of the spirit and the attributes of love in order to be able to better point out evidences of God's hand moving in another believer's life. A side benefit of encouragement is that, if done right, the glory does not belong to the one being encouraged, but with God who is working in the person's life.
Another reason fellowship is vital in any believer's life is the way it spurs us on toward Christ. There is a widely know verse in Proverbs that says “Bad company corrupts good morals” but the reverse is also true. There is something contagious about a person's zeal. Whatever someone is passionate about shows through in their speech and actions, and piques the interest of those around them. We, as sons and daughters of God, should be excited about His words and seeing others excited likewise can influence us to become more so. If you have several coals from a fire, they will quickly burn out if removed from the fire, but gather the coals together and they will burn bright.
Coupled with the passion that can be gained through fellowship is also wisdom. Again, Proverbs teaches that one will surround themselves with wise people if they wish to be wise, and that in a multitude of counselors there is wisdom. Coupled with the study of Scripture and prayer, seeking advice from your friends and pastors should be your decision making process. As John Donne once wrote, “No man is an island” and this must be particularly true of believers.
A final benefit of fellowship is the opportunity for the confession of sin. Confession is something that should be done with care and in the right environment. There are obviously certain sins that shouldn't be confessed to members of the opposite sex and not every gathering of believer's is the right venue for confession. Due to the unfortunate habit some people have of gossiping, you should pick your confidants well. That being said, confessing our sins to each other is mandated by scripture, and rightly so. A confessed sin, greatly loses its power and having others keeping us accountable is a great strategy for fighting any sin.
This accountability require humility as well as honesty. In the book of John it says, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God ; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known”. Christ came not only to die for our sins, but also to make the Father known. Christ's life was, in essence, Himself revealing the father to all creation. In the same way, as “imitators of Christ” we are called to make ourselves known in our times of fellowship. This is not to say we pridefully talk about ourselves, but rather with humility we are called to confess our sins to one another. Don't fear what the other people think, because they are sinners just like you.
While these are just a few of the benefits of Biblical Fellowship, you can already see the ways true fellowship is healthy for any believer's life. I recently returned to visit my cousins and this time the visit was different. Very noticeably only one person asked me when I was gonna move closer. When I asked one of my cousins about this he had what I believe to be a very discerning answer, “You have a peace about you now. They can tell you've found your home.”
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