Discipleship Week 3: Gospel-Centered Fellowship

Philippians 1:3-8

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (1:3-6)

Paul is thankful for the Philippians Christians, particularly for 1) their partnership in the gospel and 2) God’s continuing work in their lives. The word for partnership is the same word that is used to describe fellowship throughout the bible (koinoneia)…indicating that fellowship goes far deeper than the coffee hour at church on Sundays, or believers getting together to eat food, although that is certainly part of biblical fellowship! Christian fellowship is a far greater investment than most of us think about! Therefore, true fellowship between Christians must at its core be centered around a deep self-sacrificial commitment to the gospel and partnership in the gospel. And true fellowship between Christians must show a deep interest in each others’ spiritual health and continued spiritual growth.

1. When you are with other Christians, what do you focus on? What do you talk about? What are ways you can have a deeper level of fellowship with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ?

2. What are reasons that you shy away from a deeper fellowship with other believers?

3. D.A. Carson offers several practical ways we can have our fellowship be centered around the gospel, the good news that in Jesus Christ God has reconciled us to himself… “This means that in our conversations we ought regularly to be sharing in the gospel; that is, delighting in God, sharing with each other what we have been learning from his Word, joining in prayer for the advance of the gospel (not least in the lives of those to whom we have been bearing witness), encouraging one another in obedience and maturing discipleship, bearing one another’s burdens, and growing in self-sacrificial love for one another for Christ’s sake.” –D.A. Carson, Basics for Believers: An Exposition of Philippians

Which of these areas is already a part of your fellowship with other believers? Which areas do you need to grow in? How do your relationships with believers need to change so that these things are at the center of your relationships?