Listen to Audio Devotion

Acts 2:42
And they were devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers.

The Bible teaches us that we are not meant to walk this journey of faith alone. In Acts 2:42, we read that the early church was devoted “to fellowship”. This Greek word, koinonia, can be translated as “sharing,” “fellowship,” or “communion.” It refers to the shared life that believers have with each other.

Here are a few benefits to church fellowship. First, it helps us to grow in our faith. When we are around other believers, we are reminded of the truth of God’s Word and we are encouraged to live our lives in accordance with His will.

Secondly, when we are going through difficult times, it is helpful to have other believers who can pray for us and offer us their support. We also need the encouragement of other believers to keep us going when we are feeling discouraged. We need their experience on how they dealt with similar difficult times in their lives.

Third, church fellowship helps us to serve others. When we are in community with other believers, we are able to join together in ministry and make a difference in the world. We can use our gifts and talents to serve others and to bring glory to God.

But let’s get some facts straight. Of course, there are challenges to church fellowship. We may not always agree with everyone in our church, and we may not always feel comfortable sharing our lives with others. We might even find many solid hypocrites, die hard pharisees, false prophets and what not. These kind of people existed in New Testament times as well. That actually would be an even better reason to gather. This way you may be able to set an example to others who don’t know the Lord. The benefits far outweigh the challenges.

A practical tip would be to schedule the day around your bible study that happens at church, instead of trying to squeeze in some time to watch the live stream in 2x speed, while lying on the bed. That’s just an example of what I used to do. Fellowship is better. Let’s meet to glorify Him.

Prayer

Father we thank you for the fellowship that you have blessed us with. Help us to not neglect meeting, but help us to meet often and be sanctified together. We pray for those who are physically unable to be a part of the fellowship. Be with them and guide them. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.