Koinonia: May Edition

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. I John 1:5-7

In our last ACTS of Worship Service, there was a whole lot of fellowship and a whole lot of Light.  And of course, the two are inextricably linked.  We sang together, prayed to together, went to the Lord’s table together, and shared the Good News together.  Stacey and Dave each shared portions of their testimony, and we sang and prayed some more.

One of the themes that came out of Stacey and Dave’s experience is redemption.  Stacey spoke of God bringing her out of the darkness and restoring her.  Dave spoke of his sins and shortcomings and how God has cancelled his debts (in an Irish accent no less).  Indeed, there was fellowship and there was Light.  Christ was with us and the Holy Spirit united us.  What a wonderful experience.

In last month’s koinonia I included a section about the church vs. the church building, preparing us for the crossroads ahead as we make some tough decisions about our future.  But if we walk with Him and we have fellowship with one another, the Light will guide our collective path. 

The word koinonia is contained in this verse, and is used 19 times in the New Testament.  Twelve of those times it is translated as fellowship, as it is here.  But in the other instances koinonia is translated as contribution, participation, and sharing.  I believe those words are the key to our walking together.  We must all contribute, participate, and share the Light of Christ within us with one another.  For if we do, God will make our path clear, one collective step at a time.

-- Pastor Justin