By Jerry Harris
Change is an essential part of life, but human beings seem to have a built-in resistance to it. I don’t think that’s all bad, as change for change’s sake may not produce the best results. However, oftentimes change is critical or even welcomed, especially in the midst of crisis.
One of the hotly debated issues in the church world over the last few years has been whether or not online church is a legitimate form of church. On this discussion topic, the COVID-19 crisis forced an almost instantaneous pivot in the American church world. Virtually every church in America put aside whatever personal convictions they had about this method in order to continue communicating and worshipping with their members. This development may change certain metrics of church moving forward, as some people might prefer online convenience over an in-person setting, especially while we continue to deal with the nagging reality of the pandemic.
While future ramifications of the online church experience are unclear, we find some glaring deficiencies in this method when we measure it against the blueprint of the church laid out in Acts 2:41-47. In at least three areas—all of them essential to ministry—there are highly problematic or very challenging shortcomings with digital church. We already discussed one of those areas, church authority, in an earlier article in this series. We’ll discuss a third in upcoming months. This month we will focus on the second area of weakness: fellowship.
The concept of fellowship in the church has often been misunderstood or misapplied. Over the years, the word has been used to refer to pitch-ins or potlucks, afterglows or meet-and-greets with finger foods or desserts. It seems food has always been an essential part of true Christian fellowship.
More recently, fellowship has been defined in the setting of a small group. Fellowship might be experienced where someone feels they are in a safe enough space to share what’s actually going on in their life; this might occur in the context of a Bible study, book discussion group, or a number of other formats. Churches have well-defined and programmed environments where both staff and trained volunteers create atmospheres for these ministries to take place. But is this true Christian fellowship?
In my humble opinion, true Christian fellowship is understood by the Greek word alleylon (ah-ley-loan), which is most often translated into English as two words, “one another.” It’s used 100 times in 94 New Testament verses, with Paul responsible for about 60 percent of those. It is used memorably in the short directives to “love one another,” “bear each other’s burdens,” and “forgive one another,” but it’s really so much more than that.
The “one another” Scriptures can be divided into three major categories. The first category centers on unity, and it comprises about one-third of these Scriptures. Some of these verses include Mark 9:50; John 6:43; Romans 12:6; 15:7; 1 Corinthians 11:33; Galatians 5:15, 26; Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:15; and James 4:11; 5:9, 16.
The second major category centers on loving, and it comprises another one-third of these Scripture verses. Some of these include John 13:34; 15:12, 17; Romans 13:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 4:7, 11; 2 John 5; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Peter 5:14; and Romans 12:10.
The third category centers on humility, and it comprises about 15 percent of these Scriptures. Examples include John 13:14; Romans 12:10, 16; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 5:21; Philippians 2:3; and 1 Peter 5:5.
Numerous other “one another” interactions include Romans 14:13; 16:16; 1 Corinthians 7:5; 16:20; 2 Corinthians 13:12; Galatians 6:2; Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9; 1 Thessalonians 4:18; 5:11; Hebrews 10:24; James 5:16; and 1 Peter 4:9. Although Colossians 3:16 uses a different Greek word, the same teaching applies.
What do we discover when we study these “one another” references? First, none of them can truly occur outside of a real relationship . . . an in-person relationship. None of these spiritual expectations can adequately take place in a virtual format. We weren’t designed for that and neither was the church.
Second, these things cannot be programmed into church ministry; however, church programs can create contexts where these attributes can thrive. The “one another”-type attributes must flow out of lives that are devoted to Christ and exampled by how we live in relationship every moment of every day. These things happen when we are in close proximity to one another, using what we see, interpreting needs through reactions and other nonverbal communication that include intently listening and physical touch. Real Christian fellowship are the cords that bind us together and the conduit the Holy Spirit travels through to create the fruit that he alone can provide and the world so desperately needs.
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