Koinonia

What the Bible means by Koinonia?

Koinonia is crucial in understanding grace, our calling into the glory of God, and how to live on a daily basis in fellowship with God. Let's explore the true meaning of Koinonia together!

//Koinonia is a Greek word that occurs 20 times in the Bible. Koinonia’s primary meaning is “fellowship, sharing in common, communion.” The first occurrence of koinonia is Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Christian fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of koinonia.

A powerful example of what koinonia should look like can be found in a study of the phrase “one another” in the Bible. Scripture commands us to be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10), honor one another (Romans 12:10), live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16; 1 Peter 3:8), accept one another (Romans 15:7), serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), admonish one another (Colossians 3:16), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13), spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24), offer hospitality (1 Peter 4:9), and love one another (1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11-12). That is what true biblical koinonia should look like.//

(from https://www.gotquestions.org/koinonia.html )

//John says that fellowship with God can’t help but be expressed in fellowship with others. And then fellowship with others stimulates us to a deeper relationship with God. This love dance is itself a picture of the Ultimate Koinonia of the Trinity—“I am in You, Father, and You are in Me. These followers of Us are in Me and I in them,” said Jesus.

Haters, judgmental, hypocritical, too involved in politics, out of touch, insensitive, boring.

Do any of these words fit Jesus? No, I’ve never heard anyone—whether in the Bible or in the history of that day—call Jesus a hypocrite, or boring, or a hater. Do any of these words fit the apostles who began to spread the message of Jesus Christ after His ascension? No! Again, I’ve never read anywhere where the early Christians were called judgmental, or too political, or out of touch.

But if these labels are thrown at Christians today—Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you (1 John 3:13)—the Bible tells us how to reverse them: By living counter culture, by living according to God’s Word. In a word, by living in koinonia.

" True Koinonia is costly—there is no getting around that. It takes the unreserved investment of heart, soul, mind, will, energy, imagination, joy, and love. It takes real time in the real lives of real people to build the shared ministry of worship leaders, deacons, and elders, and to gain an honest hearing by people who are longing to know you really do care. It takes the commitment of significant amounts of time over meals and board games, making hospital visits and welcoming impromptu conversations. It takes a deep personal investment in Scripture and prayer, in preaching and in teaching with the lasting discipleship and measurable spiritual growth of harried, distracted, sometimes dysfunctional people as the only significant goal. It takes patience, love, and irrepressibly optimistic joy. But when you experience it, when you realize you are standing in the midst of living, breathing, Koinonia—you’re ready to do it all again." //

---by Paul Detterman

(from https://www.reformedworship.org/blog/koinonia-dont-be-fooled-more-expensive-imitations )