Fellowship is an already/not yet reality among the people of God. Separated by years and miles, the church universal is already united in Christ. The church local does not yet perfectly mirror this fellowship, but it does express this reality in various degrees. This is evident from Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians to be “eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3). The fellowship of the church local could be defined as “delight in each and all the members of the local church, despite temporal differences between them.”
Scripture lays out two major elements that foster fellowship in the local church: sound doctrine taught and humility practiced. John 17 records the prayer of Jesus for His followers, a prayer that presupposes the church universal as a defined and unified group. The church universal is defined as those who have the true knowledge of God through faith in Christ (John 17:3, 8), and Jesus asks for its unity from faith for faith (John 17:20, 21). Paul’s letters are biblical evidence of Christ’s prayer being answered, as he expounded sound doctrine for the express purpose of unifying believers (cf. Rom 15:5-7). Sound doctrine taught fosters fellowship in the local church by fixing each individual member on the true knowledge of God, exhorting the congregation by God’s Word, and enabling the caring practices of regenerate church membership.
Sound doctrine fosters fellowship in the local church insofar as it is accompanied by humility practiced. Paul exhorted the Ephesians also to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [they had] been called, with all humility…” (Eph 4:1, 2). Peter makes this even more explicit when he commands believers to “clothe [themselves] … with humility toward one another” (1 Pet 5:5). This command is grounded in the character and promise of God, who “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5). Humility practiced makes possible the kind of fellowship defined by sound doctrine taught, as the congregation submits itself to the authority of God’s Word.
Scripture lays out two major elements that foster fellowship in the local church: sound doctrine taught and humility practiced. John 17 records the prayer of Jesus for His followers, a prayer that presupposes the church universal as a defined and unified group. The church universal is defined as those who have the true knowledge of God through faith in Christ (John 17:3, 8), and Jesus asks for its unity from faith for faith (John 17:20, 21). Paul’s letters are biblical evidence of Christ’s prayer being answered, as he expounded sound doctrine for the express purpose of unifying believers (cf. Rom 15:5-7). Sound doctrine taught fosters fellowship in the local church by fixing each individual member on the true knowledge of God, exhorting the congregation by God’s Word, and enabling the caring practices of regenerate church membership.
Sound doctrine fosters fellowship in the local church insofar as it is accompanied by humility practiced. Paul exhorted the Ephesians also to “walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which [they had] been called, with all humility…” (Eph 4:1, 2). Peter makes this even more explicit when he commands believers to “clothe [themselves] … with humility toward one another” (1 Pet 5:5). This command is grounded in the character and promise of God, who “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Pet 5:5). Humility practiced makes possible the kind of fellowship defined by sound doctrine taught, as the congregation submits itself to the authority of God’s Word.
What hinders fellowship?
If these two elements foster fellowship in the local church, then it is clear that their opposites—false teaching and pride—hinder fellowship. However, there are two subtler dangers that hinder fellowship: sound doctrine taught but not modeled, and humility practiced but not understood. In Peter’s exhortation, elders are told not only to “[exercise] oversight” but to be “examples” to God’s flock (1 Pet 5:2, 3). Paul married these twins of godly leadership in his letter to the Philippians: After exhorting them to “think about” the things that are true, honorable, just, and so on, he urged them to “practice” what they “[had] learned and received and heard and seen” in him (Phil 4:8, 9). Sound doctrine taught fosters fellowship, but it must also be modeled to be truly sound.
Likewise, humility must not only be practiced, but understood. Those who seek to carry out the good exhortations of fellowship taught by their leaders cannot fulfill all that God desires without understanding the spiritual reality behind their gathering together. For example, Peter’s exhortation to believers to “love one another earnestly from a pure heart” was situated within the greater story of God’s redemptive work: they had already “purified [their] souls by [their] obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love” and “been born again” (1 Pet 1:22, 23). Humility practiced fosters fellowship, but it must also be understood within the context of the Gospel story.
It is evident, then, that sound doctrine and humility fuel one another. Sound doctrine taught enables humility to be not only practiced but understood. Sound doctrine modeled enables humility to not only be understood but practiced. But what drives leaders to teach and model sound doctrine in the first place? Humility. An elder must recognize that his words and authority are nothing compared to God’s, and that he is not by virtue of his position exempt from obedience. The humility of a congregation to seek out and submit themselves to such leaders is, in turn, prompted by the sound doctrine which they already hold. The fellowship of the local church is fostered, then, by sound doctrine held humbly and humility held soundly.
How do you connect the generations of the church?
Sound doctrine and humility foster fellowship to the extent that members of a church are united across various demographic lines, including those of age. Sound doctrine taught will explain the responsibility of older believers to mentor younger believers, as Paul instructed Titus. Sound doctrine modeled will seek out personal relationships between an elder and those in the body who are unlike him. Humility practiced will submit to intergenerational activities and programs. Humility understood will delight in the insight they provide. Some worthwhile vehicles of intergenerational fellowship include integrated small groups, formal or informal mentoring ministries, and events designed with the specific intent of honoring older members and encouraging younger members.