Socialising != Fellowship
Something I’ve been thinking about lately is the difference between socialising and fellowship. I think we often mistake them for the same thing, when really they can be very different.
Since a sermon I heard a few weeks ago, I’ve had this verse stuck in my head:
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
Acts 2:42 (NIV)
Three core properties that every Christian gathering should have: Teaching, Fellowship and Prayer.
This got me thinking about what fellowship really is, and what it should look like. I think it’s important that we get it right, since it’s such an essential part of our time together.
So let’s take a look at some definitions to start off:
Socialising
- To interact with others. (Wiktionary)
- To conform to society. [sic] (Macquarie Dictionary)
Fellowship
- A company of people that shares the same interest or aim. (Wiktionary)
- A feeling of friendship, relatedness or connection between people. (Wiktionary)
In practice
You can basically apply every Christian value to this topic, so I’ve picked out some of the most relevant ones. Some ways to make sure we’re engaging in fellowship and not merely socialising:
- Humble yourselves: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3, NIV)
- Favouritism forbidden: Give attention to all the members of a group, and not just those in our social circles. (James 2:1-13)
- Encourage each other: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NIV)
- Serve each other: “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:13-15, NIV)
- Love God, and love each other: Mark 12:29-31
Conclusion
So we just need to do this stuff during Bible study then? Maybe church too?
No, I think it would be great if we did away with “socialising” all together. If you want to get tricky with definitions, let’s just make sure that our socialising is in the form of fellowship and not “conforming to society”.
Christianity is not an addition or enhancement to this life, it’s a replacement. Make sure you’re treating it as such, and applying it to every part of your life.
Something to think about: Is entertainment enhanced by fellowship, or is fellowship enhanced by entertainment?
Why do we (for I have found both myself and others to be doing this) find it more natural to share with each other what exciting movies we’ve seen or entertaining books we’ve read, rather than what we’ve prayed about recently or what bible verses we’ve read and thought about?
I guess entertainment itself is a medium which tends to drive the feeling of fellowship in our society. A person who watches a particular show or listens to a particular band has generated a personal experience based on that and is therefore able to relate to other people who have seen or listened to the same. Whether or not the two people have similar or even opposite reactions to the piece of entertainment is irrelevant, they still share a new common point of interest. So it is natural for people to encourage each other to experience the same pieces of entertainment as they have, as a process of creating these new points of interest.
In terms of sharing and encouraging within a Christian fellowship context, Jesus should be that point of interest. Yet it is the newest form of entertainment which seem to become the natural interest in any given group. Discussing the “latest movie” or “whats been happening lately in sports” seems to easily replace Jesus as the common point of interest. Now I’m certainly not saying entertainment is bad or that we should be talking about the bible 24/7, obviously it is natural to shift focus to a new point of interest when everyone around us encourages this process.
The point is, instead of prayer and reading the bible needing to become forced habitual routines to keep them going in our daily lives, we need to be encouraging each other by sharing these things constantly to keep each other interested.
Totally. And if we don’t find Christian discussions all that interesting, I think we need to refresh our understanding of the gospel!