‘When, as a young teenager, I came into assembly fellowship, it was a momentous day that I look back on with fondness. Being in assembly fellowship is God’s ideal and His plan. Twenty centuries ago, in Jerusalem, the first ‘church’ or assembly was formed. In Acts chapter 2 verse 42, we find the believers all meeting together and they continued that way. Being in fellowship is not something to be entered into lightly or, in fact, rejected lightly either. It is not membership of a club that you may have a passing interest in or something that you pick up and drop as your mood changes.
It is God’s assembly, and as Paul writes to Timothy he uses phrases such as ‘pillar and ground of the truth’ and ‘house of God’, 1 Tim. 3. 15. First, this reminds us that it is God’s possession and second, that there is a responsibility for the assembly to display God’s character to the “perverse generation’ that we have been saved from, Acts 2. 40. These phrases do not refer to the buildings that we meet in, but the believers that assemble together to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ‘Ground of the truth’ refers to the foundations; not stone or concrete, but the truth of God’s word that we stand on. A ‘pillar’ is something that is built to hold up. We are to maintain the truth that we have been entrusted with. Pillars were also used in the first century for display, and we, having learnt the truth of the gospel, should be displaying it to others.
Paul gives us his reason for writing: ‘that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God’, 1 Tim. 3. 15 NKJV. So, fellowship is not mere attendance, allowing things just to passively happen around us, it is so much more. In Acts chapter 2, we observe a very active group of new converts, without a New Testament to read. They had listened to Peter’s preaching and responded with repentance and baptism, v. 38. This demonstrates that fellowship is for baptized believers only.
The statement at the start of verse 42 serves as a solemn challenge to us, revealing God’s expectations, ‘they continued steadfastly’. This means that they were not going to live as before; they were now going to be immersed in the things of God.
To live in any other way dishonours the name of the Lord Jesus and ruins the testimony of God’s church. This has serious implications; it not only derails our lives for God, it also makes those observing us think that Christianity is disingenuous and false. They see no reality in our lives and discount the claims of Christ. This turns them away from the gospel; they face eternity without Christ.
The fledgling church in Acts chapter 2 was genuine. Despite challenges, they were together as often as possible. They did not absent themselves from meetings, they gathered to break bread, pray, and to hear the apostles’ teaching. They also continued in fellowship. Biblical fellowship is multifaceted; the Greek word is koinonia - it means that they were together in belief, care, social interaction, support, and work.
The church was very dynamic, and so should it be today. Times were difficult and some of the early church would have been poor servants with evident needs. The church had a common interest, they were now brothers and sisters in Christ and all their needs were met fairly.
Koinonia (fellowship) has contained in it the idea of working in partnership. We are called to take the gospel to others, Mark 16. 15, by doing the work of an evangelist, 2 Tim. 4. 5. In Acts chapter 2 verse 46, the early church displayed unity and were living out the gospel before their peers. They earned the right through consistency to tell it out. They had found Christ as Saviour; they were transformed and wanted to tell others. This is not easy, but it is our responsibility as those in fellowship in God’s church.
Their faithful activity was rewarded. Verse 47 is a wonderful statement of God’s faithfulness, ‘the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved’ NKJV. If we are part of a local assembly, we need to ensure our lives are honouring to God, and we are gathering together to learn from God’s word and to pray. We must have the interest of God’s people at heart and be active in telling others of Him, whom we love.
