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Koinonia For The Holidays
Well, it’s that time of year again! The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing, and winds of fall are blowing. Soon, winter will be upon us. It’s the Holiday season. Sweaters, hot cider, logs on the fire, and friends and family around the table. This is, as the song says, the most wonderful time of the year!
It’s a time of coming together. Of spending time with one another. Family come in from out of town, phone calls are made to someone far away, and gifts are given to show our appreciation to the ones we love. In a word, its fellowship.
Fellowship is a fundamental principle taught to us in Word of God. It is so important, that our early church members put it hand in hand with apostolic doctrine and prayer.
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42).
The Greek word used for “fellowship” here is koinonia. Strong’s Concordance says that koinonia is the close association between persons, emphasizing what is common between them; it is participation, sharing. According to the New Bible Dictionary, the fundamental connotation of the root koin- is that of sharing in something with someone. It goes on to say that there is another New Testament use in which the term is found actively as a ‘willingness to give a share;’ hence the meaning ‘generosity.’
During the holiday season, not only do we enjoy koinonia with family and friends, but we also enjoy koinonia with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. After all, it is because of His sharing with us the wonderful gift of His Spirit and the extreme generosity of His precious blood that we have become brothers and sisters in the family of God. It is because of His precious promises we have become partakers of His divine nature (II Peter 1:4). We who were not a people, have now become the people of God (I Peter 2:10).
This holiday season let’s follow the example of our early brothers and sisters in the Book of Acts. Let’s continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Your time in prayer is your koinonia time with God! No matter how busy you get during this time of year, make time every day to have fellowship with the Lord.
The writer of Hebrews put it this way, “let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate (koinonia) forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Hebrews 13:15-16).
Forget not Koinonia for the Holidays!
Pastor Wesley Witcher
District Prayer Coordinator
Oklahoma District
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