Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20, NLT).
By Terrie Hellard-Brown
We’ve been talking a lot about fellowship and hospitality, but one of the main reasons this is so important to us as believers is the simple fact that community accelerates discipleship. In fact, I’m not sure we can truly have discipleship without true fellowship with one another.
God has given us one main job to do in this lifetime, and that is to make disciples. In many ways, we have not done this well – at least some haven’t done this well. We may excel at worship, evangelism, and a fun kind of fellowship of potlucks and games, but, too many times, we haven’t taken seriously Jesus’ main commission to us to make disciples.
What Does Making Disciples Mean?
Making disciples, quite simply, is doing life together and helping each other become more Christlike in character. Jesus said to teach each other all he commanded us and all we’ve learned. So, what we have learned in our walk with God, we are to pass that on and share with the next generation of believers whether they are our children, our brothers and sisters who attend our church, or a neighbor down the street.
How Does Fellowship Accelerate Discipleship?
As we spend time together and do life together, we help one another grow in our faith. Some of it happens naturally, organically as we are in relationship with one another. The Bible says, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” (Proverbs 27:17, NLT). Some happens as we purposefully obey Jesus’ command to teach others what he’s taught us and what he’s commanded us. When we are fellowshipping together, we are spending time together, getting to know each other, learning about each other’s needs, and where we each are in our walks with God. Fellowship opens the door for deep conversation and meaningful times together. Friendship and fellowship allow us to move into discipleship.
True Fellowship Means Vulnerability.
In addition, fellowship naturally leads to a kind of vulnerability with each other that needs to happen if we are going to grow. If we are just putting on a happy face and answering greetings with “Fine. Everything’s fine” we are never going to have true fellowship or true discipleship. We cannot spend our lives playing the game of social or political correctness. It is deadly! True fellowship means we care about others, and we are real with them. Sometimes we are going to see the good, but sometimes we are going to see the bad and the ugly too. We are also going to be a place of safety and refuge for other believers as we pray for them and are trustworthy with accountability. Vulnerability may be uncomfortable, but it is a gift we give and a gift we cherish from others that leads us closer to one another and closer to God together. We need it. We need to seriously get real with one another.
A Sacred Call and A Clear Command
Jesus has given us a sacred call. He has entrusted precious, new believers to us who need to be nurtured and taught. He has called us to invest our time and care in their lives. He has given us a clear command that this is our main job. We are to be disciples and make disciples. Everything falls under that. Everything we do and everything we are falls under discipleship and making disciples. When we accept that call and obey that command, we will find the true joy and gift that fellowship is.
A Cheerful Challenge
So, may I give us a cheerful challenge today? How can we create times of fellowship? Where can we find those around us who God has brought into our path that we can begin to build true fellowship with? Who needs our encouragement? Who needs a trusted friend? Who can help us in our walk with God?
This week let’s pray and keep these kinds of questions fresh in our minds. Let’s ask God to open doors and to help us find those we can build relationships with. Let’s pray for opportunities for fellowship.
With the holidays coming, maybe we can even find ways to incorporate more fellowship into this season. Is there someone we can invite to our Thanksgiving table? Or is there someone we can go have a pumpkin spiced latte with? We can celebrate the season by celebrating our Savior and the commission he has given us, and it begins with fellowship.