Continuing in Fellowship

Daniel Friess, Elder

Each January we have our annual Focus and Fellowship meeting. The “focus” is generally the business meeting and the “fellowship” happens around the meal. Sitting down together as a church family and sharing a meal is certainly a part of fellowship.

I’m sure we also all think about fellowship more broadly. Our Care and Prayer services are a part of fellowship—gathering together, singing, and sharing testimonies. Sharing prayer requests and praising God together corporately is an important part of fellowship.

When we read about fellowship in the Bible it describes not just gathering together corporately, but also how we approach life and doctrine (what we believe). “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to the breaking of bread, and to prayer” (Acts 2:42). Fellowship is something they continued in “with one mind” (v 46 and Philippians 2:1-2).

Because fellowship is about unity, we can’t be in fellowship with someone who doesn’t believe in the supremacy of Scripture or with someone who believes that Jesus died to purchase your worldly riches. I can be in the building every Sunday with my family and not be in fellowship at CAC. If I don’t believe in the Gospel and teachings of the Bible, then it doesn’t matter how often I’m there or what prayer requests or testimonies I share. I cannot be in fellowship (I John 1:3).

Our fellowship at CAC focuses on the Gospel and how it changes our lives day by day.

As we move into 2021, here is part of what fellowship at CAC could look like:

• Call, text, or email someone from the church during the week. Tell them you were thinking about them. Pray for them or tell them how they can pray for you. Share Scripture with them. Start with a step that is a little uncomfortable for you and grow from there.
• Express to people you trust that you are willing to be accountable to them. Seeking accountability before a problem arises is easier than navigating it alone.
• Tell people if you have a need. Sometimes fellowship is about giving others the opportunity to minister.
• Be generous when you know of a need. This might cost you time, energy, money, or all of the above.
• Call an elder when you’re wrestling with something. It might be doctrine that you heard in a sermon or read in a book, or anything else you are trying to understand in light of Scripture.