Fellowship
Fellowship: Belonging to and sharing with the Body of Christ in mutual love and accountability. “And they were constantly devoting themselves to… the fellowship” (Acts 2:42).
The key term here (in the Greek language) is koinonia, which is not accurately described by the term “fellowship” alone. It denotes a sense of community, mutual love, giving and receiving of material goods (Acts 2:44, 45; 4:32-37), all in the context of faith. God has called us into koinonia with his Son, Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:9) and into koinonia with one another (1 John 1:3, 4).
In the first century, world philosophers held the lofty ideal of “friendship” based upon the sharing of material goods. But this is not what Luke describes. In Acts, koinonia is not mere friendship, but brotherhood. Its sole expression is not the sharing of material goods. That is one expression of koinonia, but not its focus.
The koinonia word group is little attested by the Apostolic Fathers, Christian leaders and writers of the first and second century whose writings are not in the Bible, but the call to unity (a major component of koinonia) occupies a central place in their teaching. Typical of their writing is Ignatius’ Epistle to the Ephesians, in which he exhorts them to “stand fast in the faith of Jesus Christ” and to “come together in common” in one true faith.
Also inherent in the teaching on unity in the Apostolic Fathers is the call to submission to spiritual authority. Only as we are submissive to one another and to our spiritual leaders, will we achieve the unity and koinonia desired by God for the church.