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.
— 1 John 1:3


Christians tend to throw around the word "fellowship" a lot, as in, "Let's have some fellowship," or "We'll be meeting in the Fellowship Hall." But what does this word really mean?

When Acts 2:42 says the early believers "continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship" (emphasis added), it uses the Greek word koinonia, which could be translated, "fellowship," "partnership," or "communion." It also can mean "to be generous." So fellowship encompasses all of these ideas; it is far more than socializing.

Anyone can socialize. Anyone can get together and rally around their passions, whatever it is they might have an interest in. But the fellowship that the Bible speaks of is not that kind of gathering or social interaction. It is different altogether. It is people getting together to talk about the things of God.

Fellowship is praying together. It is serving together. It is giving together. It is aging together. These are the fibers of fellowship. And fellowship with God and with His people go together. As we get to know God through His Word, we will long for fellowship with other believers. The stronger your vertical fellowship, the stronger your horizontal fellowship will be. As 1 John 1:3 says, "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." If you find yourself out of fellowship with God, then you will soon find yourself out of fellowship with other believers.

So if you want to be like one of the early believers in the first-century church, then you need to not only love God and study His Word, but you also need to spend time with His people in fellowship.

As I have often said, it is not the Great Suggestion; it is the Great Commission. And I am not the only one who is called to do this. You are called to do this as well.

It isn't really an option for me to say, "I won't share my faith. I won't preach the gospel. I won't tell others about Jesus." For me not to do this, for me not to make an effort to reach others with the gospel can be sin, because there are sins of commission and omission.

The sin of commission is doing what you should not do, while the sin of omission is not doing what you ought to do. The Bible tells us, "To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin" (Jams 4:17 NKJV).

Let's say that somehow I had discovered the cure for cancer. Would it be wrong for me to keep that secret to myself and never tell anyone? Of course it would.

How much more wrong would it be to keep it a secret if we have the cure, if you will, for eternal damnation?

We have the solution to humanity's problems. We have the way for people to know God. If we only apply that in our own lives and keep it to ourselves and never tell others, then certainly that is falling short of what God would want.

Yet most Christians do not engage in evangelism. I read a survey that said that 95 percent of Christians have never led another person to Christ. I don't know what percentage you fall into, and I don't want to lay a guilt trip on you. In fact, it just may be that you have been involved in more people coming to the Lord than you realize.

Every prayer that you have prayed for a lost person, every time you have given out a gospel tract, every time you have just been a good witness where you live or work, you have been, in effect, sowing a seed and engaged in the work of evangelism.

Evangelism is not only telling people about Christ—though evangelism includes that—it is also getting out there and letting your light shine.

You may sow a seed that another may water. Then again, you may water a seed that someone else has sown. Or, you may reap where others have both sown and watered. As the apostle Paul said, "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase" (1 Corinthians 3:6 NKJV). You play a part.

One of our volunteers was out on the streets with his little boy, handing out invitations to the event. When his son spotted a very burly biker with tattoos up and down his arms, he said, "Dad, I am going to go give him an invitation."

His father told him no, but the boy insisted. Before he could stop his son, he was tugging on the biker's arm. The biker looked down, and the boy gave him the flyer. Then the biker crumpled it up.

The father and son quickly made their exit, but the encounter went better than they realized. That night when the gospel invitation was given, the first man on the field was that biker. He came because a little boy gave him a flyer.

The seed you sow today could turn into a tremendous harvest later. Remember, the Word of God will not return void, but it will prosper in the place where He sends it (see Isaiah 55:11). You may think your attempt to share the gospel went nowhere, but you never know.

So keep sharing your faith. And be patient.

As Spurgeon said: "They slumber sweetly whom faith rocks to sleep. No pillow so soft as a promise."

Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.
— Ephesians 5:18


In the Christian life we often try in our own strength to do what God has called us to do. We think, I've got to keep God's commandments and resist temptation and love my spouse and. . . . It is hard stuff.

But when we say, "Lord I can't do this on my own. I just ask that your Holy Spirit would fill me and help me to do these things," we will realize that doing what God tells us to do can actually become a delight rather than mere duty.

The Bible says, "Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18). The word "filled" used here carries multiple meanings, one of which is wind filling a sail. So to be filled with the Spirit means being carried along by, and under the control of, Jesus Christ. The word "filled" in this verse also speaks of something that is continuous. So effectively, this verse is saying, "Be filled over and over and over and over again with the Holy Spirit."

Another way the word "filled" could be translated is "to permeate," the way salt was packed into meat to preserve it. So to "be filled with the Holy Spirit," means that we need to let the Holy Spirit permeate our lives and everything we do. Let the Holy Spirit permeate your prayer life, your worship life, your business, your marriage, and the way you treat others.

So a good habit to develop is to get up in the morning and say, "Lord, fill me with the Spirit today. Help me to be permeated by the Spirit. Help me to be led by the Spirit. Help me to obey what the Spirit leads me to do."