Unprofitable Three Way Fellowship

This week we are looking at both sides (Profitable and Unprofitable) of Three Way Fellowship.

The previous post presented background on Three Way Fellowship. Here is the summary:

If a person can HELP us be in Fellowship with God, then people can HINDER us from being in Fellowship with God.

It would be unjust to think people can ONLY help us be in Fellowship with God.

Today, we will begin to look more closely at HOW/WHY people are able to HINDER our Fellowship with God.

Today's post will deal only with Bible verses which used the word "Fellowship".

First, let's look at the word Fellowship...

Fellowship is the Greek word “koinonia” Strong's #2842

Koinonia – from #2844; partnership, i.e. (lit.) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction

#2844 koinonos – from #2839; a sharer
#2839 koinos – common, i.e. (lit.) shared by all or several

Fellowship is sharing!

The word “relationship” does not occur in the King James Bible!

Relationship according to a dictionary means “a state of being related or interrelated”. The effects of this definition result in Relationship meaning “to give and take”. This is less than what God intended…less than God’s Will. A lot of pastors/teachers use the word "relationship" and they are right to use it because they are talking about something LESS than what God intended.

In the Greek, the word for "relationship" is analogia...which is the source of our word analogy! It is the relation between any two identities. The Latin word for analogia is proportia...which is where we get our word proportion.

A lot of pastors and "Christian" teachers use the word "relationship". They can talk about relationship without it being a sin. However, if they want to talk about what God intended, they need to use the word "fellowship" in place of "relationship". One of the quickest ways that lets me know that a pastor/teacher doesn’t know what they are talking about is when they use the word "relationship" when they speak about God and/or God's Word.

Fellowship means “to share”… “to give”. Remember, "fellowship" was mentioned in Acts 2:42 as one of the four causes of The Acts Church:

"42 And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers."

Do you remember the effects?

Acts 2:43-47
“43 And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 and they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any man had need.
46 And day by day, continuing stedfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were saved.”

Sharing is throughout the effects. Fellowship sounds a lot like love! Both focus on giving instead of getting.

Specifically, Fellowship is deep emotional sharing (social intercourse)…it is intimate! This involves everyone…men to men, women to women, women to men. The sharing also goes as far as money (pecuniary).

Fellowship involves deep sharing regardless of marital status. Spouses OUGHT to have Fellowship with each other. However, spouses OUGHT to have Fellowship with people outside of the Marriage.

Basically, God intended everyone in Church to be emotionally nourished by deep sharing. However, attaining this level of deep sharing is a process…

Remember, Fellowship requires an exchange...it is sharing (giving) of one's self.

Now, let's look at Bible verses that used "Fellowship" and deal with Unprofitable Three Way Fellowship.

The first "Fellowship" verse actually used the Greek word "Metoche" (#3352) which means "participation, i.e. intercourse: - fellowship".

"14 Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?
16 And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you,
18 And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." (2 Corinthians 6:14)


This "Fellowship" verse spoke about the Unprofitable aspects of Fellowship. If we have Fellowship with Unbelievers, it was equated with having AGREEMENT with idols! The passage ended with God saying He will receive us if we separate ourselves from Unbelievers...which means God will NOT receive us (flow through us) if we don't separate ourselves (break Fellowship) from Unbelievers.

So, Fellowship with Unbelievers CAN HINDER Fellowship with God.

The rest of these verses use "koinonia" for "Fellowship"...


"6 If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in the darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:6-7)


The I John Series repeatedly showed how Fellowship with God resulted in God flowing through us. That Series also repeatedly showed how Fellowship with those NOT in Fellowship with God resulted in God NOT flowing through us. Tomorrow, we will see more verses from I John...


"1 If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions,
2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind;
3 doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself;
4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others." (Philippians 2:1-4)


Fellowship with God leads to us being of one accord...one mind...and esteeming others, which is love. The last verse contrasted those who are NOT in Fellowship with the Spirit: division, pride and, looking to your own things (not sharing).


"8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:
10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him." (Ephesians 3:8-12, KJV)


Paul wrote he was going to make all men see what is the Fellowship of the mystery...we OUGHT to know more about God's purposes...not live with or celebrate mystery. Notice how this is connected to God's Will.

We have seen Jesus said those who DON'T know the mysteries of God are Unbelievers...they do NOT have Fellowship with God.

"11 And he answered and said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given." Matthew 13:11.


SUMMARY
Fellowship with Unbelievers is equated with giving place to idols, NOT loving, and NOT being about the Will of God.

Tomorrow, we will look at Bible passages that don't use the word "Fellowship" to show people can HINDER our Fellowship with God.

Next Post