Technically Fellowship

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper]), and to prayer.

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders.  And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.  They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —  all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.  Acts 2:42-47

After a presentation yesterday, I was thinking of a friend, and I decided to reach out to them via text to share some good news.  We laughed and enjoyed our time chatting and shared some good feelings for the day.  Little did we know we would commiserate later in the day for an entirely different reason.  We were both touched by some bad news, and we connected at a different and more significant level.  At a time like that, I realized how God plans for us even when we never realize it.  The coincidence that my friend and I would be in contact twice in the same day over entirely different reasons was too incredible to ignore, and it was as if a seemingly irrelevant prompting would lead to a meaningful day that changed the dynamic of our relationship for years to come.  It all started with a simple text.  Even with technology, God finds a way for us to connect.

Fellowship is where we gain understanding of the intentionality of God, and we should never limit its ability to occur.  Jesus said, “For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) The early formation of the church in today’s verses are a clear indication of fellowship’s transformative power.  We have come to believe that we must physically be together to have fellowship.  My question is why would any of us ever limit God’s reach in such a way?  Better yet, would we ever limit the ability of God to reach us in any way?  If we have a heart for God and focus to keep our minds on Him, we are filled with His Spirit.  With those in place, our ability to reach others to create fellowship goes beyond just a physical location.  To be clear, I am not saying to stay home from church because you find fellowship in the comforts of your home.  In fact, if you have no reason to stay home from church other than you love your comfortable pajamas, I’m sure God either has sent or will be sending you a message.  What I am saying is we should not limit fellowship simply because we cannot be in the same physical place with others.  We must trust God’s intentionality to connect us with each other when normal and ordinary means are not available.  Being sick no longer excludes us from hearing God’s word and being stuck in traffic is not a dredge of agony but instead an opportunity to reach out to a friend for fellowship and connection.  Our social media presence can bring God’s joy in the hearts of others instead of becoming the extension of bitterness and discourse.  You see, with God in your heart, mind, and spirit, there is no room for hate for “Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-38)

God intended us to fellowship, and technology is just another tool for us to do so.  Yes, there are some who would say these things are the root of evil.  But as we grew in our understanding of God’s word, we learned that money is not the root of all evil for in 1 Timothy 6:10, it says, “For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”  I’m sure the translation was altered somewhere, but in reading the entire verse, it is clear to see the intent was always what Paul wrote about.  Not money itself.  We can substitute technology in this space as well.  It is not the tools given to us.  It is what God has placed into us and how our faith leads us to use it.  The more aligned we are with God, the greater the likelihood we will use it for His will and not our own.  Let us be led by Christ in our efforts to create fellowship not only in church but wherever God calls us to do so.  Where can you utilize technology to increase your ability to fellowship with others?  How can you expand your own definition of fellowship?  My prayer is we trust in God to help use technology for greater connections with others.  Amen.