The great Red Woods of California can be as high as 300 ft tall and some as much as 40 around. They only grow in grooves, and they get the great mass because the root system is intertwined. So, the massive tree truly lifts one another up, and the groove is the reason they grow so big. The same is true in the church. Like the Red Woods part of our growth comes because of the intertwining of our lives together within the fellowship that comes through the Holy Spirit. Without fellowship, we cannot grow but so much, but with true Christian fellowship, there is no limit to where we can go.
When studying fellowship from a Biblical perspective, it means much more than having coffee and cookies together or a potluck lunch with a crowd of people. Fellowship in the Bible is the Greek word koinonia. Koinonia was used in four different ways in the New Testament culture. The word was used when talking about a business partnership where two or more people depended on one another for their success. The word was used in a marriage where the couple were partners and depended on one another for happiness. The word was used for a person and the personal relationship that they may have had with a god. Lastly, the word was used for someone that was very generous and gave to another person to lift them up from poverty.
So, when the Bible talks about fellowship, the people of the day understood that it was much more than just going and sitting by someone in worship service, but it meant living out life together. I believe the enemy had done everything he could to attack the Fellowship of Godchildren. Through fear, he has caused people to become isolated, and therefore we have seen a falling of way from the faith. The truth is that the Bible teaches us that Christianity is communal and it operates within the framework of fellowship. Paul says in Ephesians 4 that we grow as we become united in the Spirit and by faith through unity in fellowship. Not only do we need one another, but as believers, we are dependent on one another to grow and mature. So do not allow the enemy to isolate you but get in a Godly fellowship and get connected.
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