Leviticus chapter 3 talks about the peace or fellowship offering. Fellowship is a word that gets thrown around a lot in church circles. It’s one of those words that gets used so much and so loosely that much of it’s meaning becomes diluted in our minds.
Too often, we use the word “fellowship” as a synonym for a get-together or for a social gathering.
we end up applying the word “fellowship” to any occasion where two or more people sped time together.
But the word “fellowship” goes much deeper than that. It implies a connection and a bond that has been specifically and intentionally established between people, or between people and God. In the Bible, fellowship is established when there has been a sacrifice that connects two parties.
Christian fellowship is rooted in the spiritual, not the social. It is a function of sharing the same Savior, not sharing the same space.
When believers gather together, there should be an added dynamic of encouragement, power, hope, prayer, discernment, and guidance that comes more from a shared spiritual bond than a simple social connection.
So, the next time you take part in a “fellowship,” ask yourself if it’s really fellowship or just socializing. And if it’s just socializing, pray that God would allow you to experience true fellowship…the kind of fellowship He meant to establish through the death of His Son, who is our fellowship offering.
Bret Legg is the Teaching and Counseling Pastor at Warren Baptist Church in Augusta, GA.