Forsake Not the Fellowship

One of the most practical, and biblical, ways to study God — and test Him — is by meeting regularly with other believers. We do this because He has commanded us to, but more importantly, because to do so is to commune with God Himself. This is true communion.

If we are to take the New Testament at face value — and why wouldn’t we?--the fellowship of Christian believers is the body of Christ. The biblical word for this body is ekklésia, a Greek word that references the assembly of decision makers in ancient Greece who were responsible for declaring war and electing other political leaders. The New Testament writers co-opted the word to use in reference to the called out assembly of God’s people who gathered together for worship and fellowship in the first century.

So why is fellowship with other believers important for testing God?

‘Going to Church’ is Not Like Being the Church

In our century, we are accustomed to attending a weekly or bi-weekly gathering of believers and calling that “church.” Such a concept was foreign to the first century. Their word for their gathering together was ekklésia. Another word they used to describe their relationship to each other was koinónia. Together, these two words adequately describe what God’s church actually is.