Why Fellowship Matters (By Getting Others To Try Hawaiian Pizza)

Word-Of-The-Day: ‘As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.’ (Proverbs 27:17); ‘All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.’ (Acts 4:32); ‘They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.’ (Acts 2:42)

The strength in fellowship does come from God, but also gains strength in the numbers – the more in numbers the more in strength the group has.  The verse ‘where two or more are gathered, Jesus will be there, too’ (Matthew 18:20) provides this picture.  It’s not that Jesus is not there with the one, as a Believer in Faith has the Holy Spirit and thus Jesus does not simply abandon the one when they are alone.  But when there are two or more Believers together, the argument for Christ can be more convincing to those outside of the group who do not believe. 

Living in Hawaii during my Army days in the mid-1980s, I had ‘Hawaiian’ pizza, which is pizza topped with pineapple and ham. I actually like it, and even today, on rare occasion, I order a small one just for me to stop the cravings if we’re getting some for a group function. (Usually it’s with a BOGO coupon.) Now, if we are in a group of folks about to order pizza and I say ‘Hawaiian pizza is awesome’, and no one else seems to be jumping for joy at the thought, then it is likely that no one else will try Hawaiian pizza.

It is possible that I may succumb to having pizza that others eat simply not to ‘offend’ or upset others.  (Or I’ll have a Hawaiian pizza all to myself, which could explain why I’m a ‘full-figured fellow’.) If I’m not strong in my ‘Hawaiian pizza is awesome’ conviction, I may give up eating pizza with those islander toppings.  However, if there is someone else with me, better a group of folks who also eat Hawaiian pizza, then I won’t have to give up eating it, and it may encourage others to try it as well.  Someone who never tried Hawaiian pizza may decide they want to try a slice and will soon realize what they’ve been missing out on.

It’s the same with Christianity.  You can stand alone, but to those undecided, it is more convincing that there is something about the Christian life if a group of people is seen in unison.  With others, the one can be encouraged to live the life of a Christian without secular influences overriding the desires of the Holy Spirit.  When there is an attack on a Christian, it helps to have the Body of Believers come to defend as a group; ‘unity in numbers’ is something Christians don’t use enough in these days.  We may have unity in what we disagree with (the perverse lifestyles of our Federal officials, for examples) but we don’t speak up against it in unity.  We often let other Christians ‘hang out to dry’ and not defend them, and from that many become ‘Christian-but’ members instead. 

It is time to follow God’s Word in this matter, fellowship more; gather together with those in Christ.  A gathering in fellowship doesn’t have to just be with the whole church on Sunday morning or inside a Life Group – it can be throughout the week with a subset of the folks, having lunch on a weekday (meeting others for a Taco Tuesday lunch), or it’s a shopping trip with a couple or more of the women who attend church together.  Perhaps a group can get together over a weenie roast over a firepit on a Friday or Saturday night.  The more you fellowship and pray with others, the more you will stay in God’s Word and the less likely you’ll wander into a secular ‘Christian-but’ pattern of thought and lifestyle.