True fellowship with Jesus and other believers happens as we involve ourselves in each facet of koinonia. The first facet is intimacy. This facet is achieved through a growing prayer life. Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing.” Over and over in the Gospels, we see that Jesus prayed with people and went off alone to pray. Prayer is not just us talking to God, it’s also God talking to us if we will be still and listen. In a marriage, the couple that communicates well with each other has an intimacy that other couples will not have. Our relationship with Jesus works the same way. Prayer is vital to have closer fellowship with Jesus.
The second facet of fellowship is communion. This facet involves personal time with someone, which in this case, is Jesus. How are we able to have personal time with Jesus since we cannot walk with Him as the disciples did? By spending time in the Word of God, the Bible. Remember, the Bible is a living book; Hebrews 4:12 tells us, “For the word of God is living and powerful...” And Jesus is the Word; John 1:1 reminds us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus is our Logos (Greek), our living Word. Therefore, as we spend intentional time in the Bible, we are spending personal time with Jesus. Psalm 1:2 says, “But his delight is in the law of the LORD (the Bible), And in His law he meditates day and night.”
The next facet is joint participation. This is coming together as the body of Christ in corporate worship. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting (encouraging) one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” This joint participation is key to spiritual growth, worship, learning how and where to serve, and giving and receiving love and encouragement. We are not called to be on our own, but to be part of a body, buffeting against one another “as iron sharpens iron...” (Proverbs 27:17).
Lastly, we have the facet of contribution. This is the culmination of all the facets joined together in perfect harmony to produce sacrificial servitude to Jesus. This facet mimics Jesus’ life and ministry. In Mark 10:45 Jesus said of Himself, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Paul wrote in Romans 12:1, “I beseech (urge) you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (or reasonable act of worship).” The contribution to our walk with Christ is to serve Jesus by lovingly serving others and telling them about the saving Gospel of Jesus, with both passion and compassion. The passion emboldens us to share what we have received from Jesus and the compassion enables us to do so in a way that honors the Lord and His Word as well as those we’re sharing with.
Living out these facets produces a closer fellowship with Jesus. “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21)
