All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
Acts of the Apostles 2:42 NLT
I Thought Fellowship Was a Room
I got saved alone in 1998.
For a long time after that, I thought fellowship was the name of one of the rooms in the church building. Long tables. Bad coffee. Folding chairs that squeak when you move.
I was wrong.
Not just a little off. Fundamentally wrong.
Over time, the Lord has been patient with me — reshaping my understanding of what church actually is, not just where it happens.
What “Fellowship” Really Means
The New Testament word we translate as fellowship is koinōnia.
It doesn’t describe scheduled togetherness or shared space. It speaks of shared life. Participation. Mutual investment.
Not proximity. Participation.
You can sit in a large gathering every week and never experience koinōnia. And you can sit across a small table with one or two people and find yourself in the middle of it.
That distinction matters more than we often admit.
Church Is Smaller Than We Think
“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”
Matthew 18:20
That’s not a concession. That’s a definition.
Church isn’t anchored to a building, a service format, or a calendar slot. It’s defined by who is gathered — and whether Christ is actually being given room to lead.
Where the Spirit is speaking and forming people, you’ll often find less polish and more honesty. Less structure, more substance.
God has never seemed overly concerned with impressing the world.
Where I Still Feel Most Alive
For me, it still looks like this:
A table. A meal. A couple of trusted friends.
Conversation that doesn’t rush. Prayer that isn’t performative. Encouragement that doesn’t try to fix everything and move on in a rush.
That’s where faith stops being abstract and starts being lived.
No stage. No audience. Just presence — before God and with one another.
A Question Worth Sitting With
- When do you feel most alive spiritually?
- Where do you feel most seen?
- With whom do you feel most heard?
Pay attention to what rises when you sit with those questions. The Spirit is often clearer than we expect — if we’re willing to listen.
Lean Into What God Is Already Doing
Church isn’t something you attend. It’s something you participate in.
If there are relationships in your life marked by honesty, prayer, and mutual encouragement, don’t dismiss them as “less than” because they’re small or informal.
Lean into what’s already bearing fruit. Guard it. Let it deepen.
That kind of fellowship tends to form Christ in us more than most programs ever could.
Who am I actually walking with in Christ right now?
Often the Spirit’s direction isn’t dramatic — it’s relational. More often than not, it leads us back to a table, a conversation, and a few people committed to loving Christ together.
That’s church.
Prayer
Father, we thank You for the clarity You bring — clarity that settles our hearts and cuts through confusion. We thank You for the work You are already doing, often quietly and close at hand. Holy Spirit, fill our hearts with love — love rooted in Christ, shaped by truth, and expressed with patience. Give us eyes to see where You are inviting us to sink our roots deeper, into relationships centered on Jesus and formed by grace. We offer You our availability and trust You to lead us well. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen.
Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works.
And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24–25
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