Devoted to Fellowship Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A winter's day, in a deep and dark December, I am alone, Gazing from my window to the streets below On (a) freshly fallen silent shroud of snow. I am a rock, I am an island. I've built walls, A fortress deep and mighty, That none may penetrate. I have no need of friendship, friendship causes pain. It's laughter and it's loving I disdain. I am a rock, I am an island. Don't talk of love, but I've heard the words before, It's sleeping in my memory. I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died. If I never loved I never would have cried. I am a rock, I am an island. I have my books, and my poetry to protect me, I am shielded in my armor, Hiding in my room, safe within my womb. I touch no one and no one touches me. I am a rock, I am an island. And a rock feels no pain, and an island never cries. - intimate fellowship in the church is based on a personal Koinonia with God in Christ by individual believers. Koinonia is the fullest possible partnership and fellowship with God and other believers. Koinonia Our Koinonia as believers is with God and His Son Jesus Christ. This fellowship is an intimate partnership. It is the sharing of all God is with us and all we are with God. To me, Koinonia is the most complete expression of a love (agape) relationship with God. When you live in this kind of love relationship with God, you will have the same quality of loving fellowship with other believers. You cannot be in fellowship with God and His Son and not walk in godly fellowship with one another! Koinonia Expresses shared participation in Christ and the bond that Christ creates between believers. 1 John 1:2-7 2 and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us-- 3 what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete. 5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; 7 but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. Christ You Other 1 Corinthians 10:16-17 Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? 17 Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Proverbs 18:1 He who separates himself seeks his own desire, He quarrels against all sound wisdom.