I've often heard the phrase that fellowship is simply "fellows in a ship." While that's not actually where the word comes from, I think it's a great picture of what biblical fellowship looks like.
Following Jesus was never intended to be a solo voyage.
God has placed us in the same boat - not because we'll all have the same gifts, personalities, or life experiences - but because we need one another. When one person grows weary, another rows. When someone is discouraged, another encourages. When someone stumbles, another reaches out a hand.
As a church, we're seeing this as we continue walking through the book of Acts together in our Sunday service and then diving deeper into those passages throughout the week in our small groups. The early believers weren't simply people who attended the same worship gathering. They shared life. They carried burdens together. They celebrated together. They mourned together. They prayed together. They served together.
It's been weeks since we studied Acts 2 and Acts 4, but I'd encourage you to go back and read those chapters again. Slow down and look carefully at the picture of the early church. Doesn't it seem much deeper than simply catching up for an hour or two on a Sunday morning?
Luke tells us they were "devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). They shared meals, cared for one another's needs, worshiped together, and lived life together. Their faith wasn't something they attended once a week - it shaped how they lived every day.
One thing I've had to honestly admit about my own walk with Christ is this: there have been seasons when I confused attending church with belonging to the church.
One of the greatest dangers in my own walk has been quiet isolation.
I could faithfully attend Sunday service, spend time in God's Word throughout the week, and still miss one of God's primary designs for my spiritual growth - actually living life alongside other believers in the local church.
As I read through the New Testament, I don't see Christianity being lived in isolation.
I see a family.
Paul describes the church as one body with many members, each uniquely gifted and each necessary (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Peter reminds believers, "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). The writer of Hebrews tells us to "consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds... encouraging one another" (Hebrews 10:24-25). Over and over again, Scripture calls us to bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2), encourage one another, pray for one another, and love one another.
Those "one another" commands are difficult to live out from a distance.
Of course, our culture looks much different from the first-century Church. We aren't gathering daily in the temple courts. We aren't walking and taking long treks from village to village together. It's a completely different era.
But while our culture and era are different, God's design for His people is not.
This is one of the reasons I'm so thankful for small groups. They're not the goal - Jesus is. They do provide one of the best opportunities our church has to pursue the kind of biblical community we see throughout the New Testament. Relationships deepen, burdens are shared, prayers become personal, Scripture is discussed in greater depth, and genuine friendships are formed. They're simply one of many ways we can pursue the kind of biblical community we see throughout the New Testament.
It's also easy for me to think about what I need from a small group and what I’m going to gain. But Scripture reminds us that the body of Christ needs every member. God has uniquely gifted each believer to build up the church. Sometimes the encouragement, prayer, wisdom, or simply the presence that someone else needs is the very thing God intended to provide through you.
The deeper I've studied Scripture, the more I've realized that biblical fellowship isn't simply about finding people who will encourage me - it's also about becoming someone who encourages others.
I've found that some of the evenings I least wanted to go have often become the evenings I was most thankful I did. And sometimes I realized God wasn't primarily bringing me there for my own encouragement, but because He wanted to use me for someone else.
I also want to acknowledge something important.
There are seasons of life when getting plugged in looks different. Some families are caring for young children. Others are serving aging parents. Some work rotating shifts. Others are walking through illness or demanding seasons of life.
The goal isn't that every believer has the exact same calendar.
The goal is faithfulness.
Jesus commended His servants with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21). Faithfulness will look different in different seasons, but it's wise to continually seek the Lord regarding how we're using our time, gifts, relationships, and opportunities to build up His body. As Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-16, we're called to "be careful how you walk... making the most of your time, because the days are evil."
Brothers, my encouragement is simple.
Continue being prayerful about how the Lord would have you and your family become more deeply connected to His people.
I don't know exactly what that looks like for your season.
The Lord does.
Maybe it's joining a small group.
Maybe it's serving in a ministry.
Maybe it's inviting another family over for dinner.
Maybe it's discipling a younger believer or meeting regularly with another brother in Christ.
Whatever it looks like, don't settle for simply attending church when God has invited you to belong to His body.
He has placed you in this local church for a reason.
He has gifted you intentionally.
And somewhere within His people are brothers and sisters who will be strengthened because you chose to faithfully invest what He has entrusted to you.
Written By: Lee Miles
