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How Koinonia Can Carry Us Through Seasons of Suffering
Coffee With God: 10/10/2024 | Philippians 1:3-7
Philippians 1:3-7 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel.”
Embedded around one of the most famous verses in the New Testament, Philippians 1:6, lies a staggering gem of inspiration and instruction. In the opening of his letter, the Apostle Paul commends the Philippian church for their fellowship with him in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What exactly does it mean to have “fellowship in the Gospel”?
The Greek word koinonia (“fellowship”) means the act of sharing in the activities or privileges of an intimate group or a close association involving mutual interests and sharing.[1] But those definitions alone don’t offer a robust enough picture of what the word truly means. To the early Christians, “fellowship” implied oneness, a unified sense of identity based on a shared commitment to the Lord, who is King, and his mission.
For Paul, the fellowship he shared with the church at Philippi caused him to rejoice over them, thank God for them, and pray for them daily. It also provided him with a sense of community even while he was locked away in prison alone.
"Even though Paul was likely in prison alone at the time of writing, he sensed the closeness of his fellowship with the Philippians because of their unified heart and shared experiences. This is precisely what true gospel fellowship with one another is meant to provide for us."
He writes to them of his confidence that “the good work began in you, God will bring to a perfect finish at the day of Jesus Christ” (1:6). While many people interpret this verse as a promise made to all believers everywhere, Paul intended it to be a show of confidence in the Philippian church and the resoluteness of their faith. I am sure God will cause you to stand firm in faith right up to the end, to the Day of Christ.
What gave him this confidence? They had been full sharers with him in the grace that comes from believing and defending the Gospel. Even though Paul was likely in prison alone at the time of writing, he sensed the closeness of his fellowship with the Philippians because of their unified heart and shared experiences. This is precisely what true gospel fellowship with one another is meant to provide for us.
“It is right for me to feel this way (to have this confidence) about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel” (1:7).
Nothing has the power to unite the hearts of individuals like a shared commitment to Jesus and the good news of his kingdom. As we follow him, we are being prepared for an eternity of fellowship that will see us united as a single family under a perfect father, as a single bride married to a perfect bridegroom. May the Holy Spirit remind the Body of Christ that we are connected not by denomination, theology, ethnicity, political allegiance, or nationality. What unites Christians is the Spirit-supplied koinonia of our shared devotion to Jesus and his gospel.
May the gospel fellowship we share grow ever richer as we draw nearer to the return of our king.
[1] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 552.
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