We need to start by defining our word for today, fellowship. It is the experience of sharing together in friendship. It refers not to the fact that you have a friend, but to the being together and sharing with each other. You could be sharing your thoughts; you could be sharing your things.

First, I want to talk about our fellowship with God.

1 John 1:3 …indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.

You need to experience fellowship with God, times of sharing together in friendship. This isn’t just knowing God. This isn’t just reading the Bible. This isn’t just praying and asking for what you need. It’s spending time in friendship together, sharing with one another.

How do we spend time sharing with God? I sit with God and talk with Him and ask Him questions. God can speak to us. You need to believe that He’s listening and wanting to fellowship with you, wanting to communicate with you. You can start to learn to listen to God’s voice by talking to Him and asking Him questions and then reading your Bible. You might be surprised by reading something that sounds like it could have been spoken exactly as an answer to your question.

You should also just talk to Him without looking for answers. We should be talking to God all day, always thanking and praising Him! In that way, you can share your love with God all throughout the day. Always be looking for chances to say thank you and to tell Him how great and perfect He is!

You can also look for Him in your day. If you don’t see Him in your day, ask Him to help you see Him at work in the everyday stuff in your life. Thank Him for the things He does for you. The Lord and I have a little fellowship routine that whenever I see a palindrome on the clock (such as 3:43), I take it as the Lord saying, “I love you.” And I will say, “I love you, too,” or I thank Him for loving me. God loves me all the time and showed me by sending His Son, and Jesus showed me His love by dying for me, so it’s not a stretch Biblically to say that God is saying to me, “I love you.” Sometimes it seems like whenever I walk into a room or open my computer, the time is a palindrome. Then sometimes it will disappear for a few days, and I will still say, “I love you, too” when I look at a clock and it’s not one of those special times because He loves me no matter the time, but then it will start happening again. Those other times are just a reminder that I don’t need to see something special to know He loves me and also shows that He’s in it when I do see those times.

A few times a day I sit together with the Lord. I sometimes write in my journal. I write verses He shows me and what He’s telling me. I listen to songs that direct my thoughts to loving and worshiping God. I sing to the Lord and give Him my praise and loving adoration, and I receive love from Him. Sometimes I ask Him what He wants me to sing to Him and will sing what comes to mind. Those are descriptions of my some of my fellowship times with God. They are personal to me. It can be personal and unique to each person because it’s between you and Him, and you are unique.

There is one other fellowship we should mention. We have fellowship through the Holy Spirit with other believers. One, to have fellowship with other believers, there has to be some connection with other believers. Two, to have fellowship with other believers, they have to be believers, of one Spirit.

Hebrews 10:25 Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Philippians 2:1-2 Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.

Paul is telling them to have fellowship with one another and that they can actually have that, because they have fellowship through the Spirit. The Spirit in them is common to each of them, so they have a common interest, shared participation that they can use as a basis for a friendship of sharing in one purpose for God.

Read this description of the experience of sharing in fellowship between believers in the early church.

Acts 2:42-46 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts.

What experiences were they sharing together in fellowship?

They were being together. They were learning together. They were eating together. They were sharing their things with each other in order to help each other. They were praying together. They experienced God’s miraculous presence together. They had fellowship. That’s a description of fellowship with other Christians.

Lesson Point: We are to experience fellowship with God and other believers.

Challenge Question: Are you in fellowship with God? Are you in fellowship with other believers? If not, what can you do about that? Start with your fellowship with God; you can’t have great fellowship with other believers until you have great fellowship with God. We need His love before we can share His love between us.