Thursday, March 15, 2012

Fellowship: A Church Social Activity?

Fellowship: A Church Social Activity?

(Note:  A preacher in a conservative church of Christ has recently made the argument that the word “fellowship” is a “hijacked” word by brethren who disallow that the word “fellowship” as used in the Bible has reference to social activity. http://www.mandevillechurch.org/?p=1639&fb_source=message

Read that article and then compare it to the following article from a speech by Bill Hall.  First, here is part of Bill Hall’s speech on the issue of “fellowship”):

 Fellowship




 Probably the argument that most of us who are sitting here are wondering about is simply: "What about fellowship?"  Doesn't the Bible teach that the church is to have fellowship?  Indeed!



 The Bible does teach that the church is to have fellowship.  But what a lot of people have overlooked is the fact that the word "fellowship" in the Scriptures has to do with spiritual activities.  I have before me a photocopy out of a book that I have which contains every Scripture that uses the Greek word for fellowship, koinonia.  An interesting thing about this is: not one time does it have reference to social fellowship.  Here really we're getting to the basics: fellowship.  What does the word fellowship mean?  Sharing, communion, participation in, joining together.  The very definition itself suggests that we have to decide what we're "joining in", what we're "sharing".



One interesting thing is the word "fellowship" in the Scriptures -- that is, the Greek word -- is used for a business partnership.  Turn to Luke, chapter 5.  Let me show you this usage.  Do you remember the time that Jesus told Simon to launch out into the deep, and let out the nets for a catch -- "a draught", I believe the King James version says -- and they caught so many fish that their nets began to break?  Now look at verse 10 of Luke chapter 5, "and so also were James and John the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon" --  Partners.  This is the same word that is translated "fellowship" in other places.  Business partnership.  They were having fellowship in the business of fishing.



 Now, another usage of "fellowship" is social fellowship.  This is where we smell the doughnuts and coffee.  Friday night a bunch of us got together and had some elk stew, and I tell you it was all right.  We had a good time together.  We socialized together.  We shared in the eating of elk stew and a few other things that some of the people brought.  Are you aware that the Bible never uses the word "fellowship" in reference to such social activities?



 Now, another use of "fellowship" has to do with spiritual things.  Every time, every time the word is used in regards to the church's activity, it is always this.  And to my knowledge, there is not one Scripture in the Bible that uses the term "fellowship" in regards to eating elk stew, or whatever socializing we do together.  Not one Scripture that uses the word "fellowship" like that.  Let me show you, for instance, I Corinthians 1:9 (We'll not turn to these).  We were "called into the fellowship of His Son."  In Philippians 1:5, Paul commends the Philippians for their "fellowship in the gospel."  Fellowship in the gospel.  He says in Philippians 2:1, "if there is any fellowship in the Spirit..."  Philippians 3:10, he wants to know the "fellowship of the suffering of Christ."  Notice none of that has anything to do with having a good time together.  It has everything to do with our relationship with God and our relationship with one another as Christians.



 I John, chapter one.  I want to turn to that one with you.  Look at I John, chapter 1.  Here is the fellowship that the Bible emphasizes.  If we could ever learn this, then we're going to realize that this term "fellowship hall" is really a misnomer.  It may be for social fellowship, but it's not for the fellowship that the Bible talks about.  Now, I John 1, beginning with verse 1.  John says, "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life -- the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us -- that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."  John says, I am writing these things concerning Jesus Christ that you might have fellowship with us.  I want to tell you, there's not a thing in the world you can read in I John that has anything to do with doughnuts and coffee and elk stew.  It has everything to do with our sharing together in spiritual things.  And then he says our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.



 What has happened to us, brethren, when every time we hear the word "fellowship" we immediately think in terms of fun and games and eating and drinking together?  What has happened to us that we see that, every time we see the word "fellowship", when it's never even used in the Bible that way?



 No, you cannot find the authority for a local church, as a part of its program of work, planning and providing materials for social activities in the word "fellowship" in the Bible, because it doesn't use the word "fellowship" for that.



 May I make this point?  The church at Pepper Road has a fellowship hall.  Let me say that again.  The church at Pepper Road has a fellowship hall.  You're in it.  We're in it right now.  We are sharing in worship to God, in the study of His Word.  We are learning what John wrote to us, that we might have fellowship not only among ourselves, but that we might have fellowship with the apostles.  And indeed, our fellowship is with God and with Jesus Christ.  We must learn that this is the kind of fellowship that the Bible talks about.



 May I make another point?  The Pepper Road church has a fellowship meal in this fellowship hall.  It's called the Lord's Supper.  Turn to I Corinthians, chapter 10.  Look at verse 16: "The cup of blessing which we bless, it is not the communion of the blood of Christ?  The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?"  What is the word communion?  Same word.  You know, sometimes we just refer to the Lord's Supper as the "communion".  I don't know how we got started doing that.  That's the same thing as saying "I'm going to go prepare the fellowship for Sunday."  That's what the word communion means.  And what that passage is saying is when we eat the bread and drink the fruit of the vine, we are having fellowship, communion, with the body and blood of Jesus Christ.  Now, let's read further, verse 17: "For we, being many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread."  Oh, now, that's not just communion with the body and blood of Christ, but there's communion among all of us within the one body.  And let me tell you, that one body is not a local church.  That one body is God's people.  When we partake of the Lord's Supper, we are having not only communion with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, but we are having fellowship around a fellowship meal, if I may use that term, with all of God's people, all over the world, who can legitimately eat of that bread and drink of that fruit of the vine.  There's one bread and one body, and we all partake of one bread.  You may have five or six pieces of bread.  At New Georgia, we may have four pieces of bread.  But there is one bread, one bread, and all of us partake of that.  What a fellowship!



 One of my favorite passages in the Scripture is that passage that talks about us all sitting together in the heavenly places in Christ (Ephesians 2:1-7).  It is as though this building were one huge building that is constantly expanding, and we look over here and we see Paul and Peter and Stephen and Barnabas and Lydia and Dorcas, and we see faithful Christians we've known in our lifetimes who've already passed on, and there are the faithful of our present generation, and all of us are sitting together.  And the central figure with whom we sit is Jesus Christ.  And we have a fellowship meal; it's called the Lord's Supper.  And what a fellowship!  And then somebody comes along and every time he sees the word "fellowship", he thinks in terms of having a good time.  What we have done is just missed the whole principle of Bible fellowship. But somebody says, "Doesn't the Bible talk about people eating together and enjoying one another?"  Yes.  Before the church was ever established, I remember Jesus went to a feast that Levi gave -- Matthew.  A great feast.  Publicans and sinners were present.  I remember another time when Jesus went to a feast, and apparently Martha gave the feast.  Lazarus sat at the table, John, chapter 12.  You might want to look at Acts, chapter 2.  Here were Christians eating together.  In Acts chapter 2, verse 46, we read concerning the activities of some of those early Christians.  We are told, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart."  May I pause to say that the term "breaking bread" may sometimes refer to the Lord's Supper, while sometimes it may refer to eating a common meal.  You have to let the context determine.  In this case, we're talking about a common meal.  But notice they broke bread from house to house, and ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people.  But nothing here would imply that it was part of the church's program of work to provide for that.



 Consider also I Corinthians, chapter 11.  The church at Corinth was not observing the Lord's Supper as Jesus had instructed.  It seems that there were two problems.  First, they had turned the Lord's Supper into a common meal, and, second, in their divided state, some were eating while others had nothing to eat.  There was total disregard for the poor among them.  In dealing with this problem, Paul writes, "What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in?  Or do you despise the church of God and shame those who have nothing?  What shall I say to you?  Shall I praise you in this?  I do not praise you."  You have houses to eat and drink in, Paul said.  "But Paul is correcting abuses of the worship", someone may be thinking.  That's right.  But he did not say, "You should wait until after the worship for the church to provide for eating and drinking."  He said, "You have houses for these activities."



 Turn with me to I Timothy 5:16.  Let's bring all this, hopefully, to a conclusion.  I Timothy 5:16: "If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows."  Now, I'm going to take that and enlarge on it.  I've got a widowed mother.  Now, whose responsibility is that widowed mother?  Well, I'll tell you what, it's not the church's responsibility.  It's my responsibility, and my two sisters' and Sewell's to take care of my widowed mother.  Charlotte has a widowed mother.  Whose responsibility is Charlotte's widowed mother?  Not the church's responsibility.  It's the responsibility of me and Charlotte, and Charlotte's three sisters.  Let me do this so the church won't be burdened.



 May I just enlarge on that a little bit?  Suppose that I want my children to be educated in math and English.  Let me provide for the education of my children.  Don't let the church be burdened with that, so the church can do the wonderful work that God has given the church to do.



 Suppose I want my children to have recreation.  Suppose there are not only my children, suppose there are other young people within the group, and I want them to have good wholesome recreation.  Let me provide recreation for my children.  Don't let the church be burdened with that, so the church can do those things that God has given His church to do.



 Is there a place for social activities?  Indeed.  I enjoyed that good elk stew we had the other day.  I wouldn't want to eat it every day, but that was good!  But let me provide for hospitality.  Let me provide for social events.  And if others want to join with me in that, that's fine.  But let not the church be charged or burdened with providing for social activities, so the church can do the things God has told His church to do.  It's just that simple.  And nowhere in the Scriptures is there anything to indicate that the church is to provide materially and plan for social activities.  That is the issue.  That's where it lies.



 Let me close this series of lessons with this.  We are either going to take this matter of restoration of New Testament Christianity seriously or we're not.  We are either going to take the idea of "speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent" seriously or we are not.  If we are not going to take the concept of restoring New Testament Christianity seriously, then by all means let's quit giving it lip service.  Let's just forget the whole thing and do anything we want to do, whether we have Bible authority for it or not.  But, on the other hand, if we are really serious about restoring New Testament Christianity -- if we are really serious about making the local church according to the pattern given in the New Testament -- then let's rid ourselves of these things that have been introduced into the church for which there is no New Testament authority.  Let's go back and become what the Lord intended His church to be.  It's one way or the other.  We can't have it both ways, talking about restoring New Testament Christianity while accepting all kinds of innovations for which there is no New Testament authority.  It just won't work.



 You have listened well.  I appreciate it.  And I hope you've understood where the issue lies.  That's been our goal.  I hope you have been able to focus on the issue, two weeks ago, last Sunday, and today, to know what really caused all the divisions that took place in the '50s and '60s and created so much trouble among families and among churches -- preachers being fired, churches being divided; it was a sad time.-Unquote! http://lavistachurchofchrist.org/LVarticles/KitchensAndFellowshipHallsWhatWasTheIssue.html