"KOINONIA".... Fellowship with God

Recently on a College campus, a preacher's son, also a science major, said,..... "I've been reared all of my life around Christianity, I've eaten with it three times a day and slept with it at night. The bible was crammed down my throat until it made me vomit intellectually. I'm here to tell you I'm through with it all. God is dead, the Bible is a myth, and Christians are a bunch of hypocrites. The Church, even the Establishment has nothing to offer!"

A statement such as this does not weaken my faith in my Lord, but it does point up to the fact that the lines of communication with those around us have often broken down or have been allowed to dangle in a state of disrepair. Instead of continuing merely to talk to ourselves we need to face up to charges being made. I want briefly to analyze the nature of our contemporary world and its real needs, and see what, if anything the true family of God has to offer, in meeting the tough problems of life head on.

Christianity is related to people, not things, and there's something about man which 'things' can never satisfy. Jesus said, "that a man's life consisteth not of the abundance of things which he possesseth." Man has not really changed at all, he is basically the same with his nature, his drives and motivation. He then killed his fellow man with a rock or a stick, now he's modern, civilized and educated, he uses bullets, and chemicals, and atomic bombs.

Those who initially surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ weren't originally called Christians. The church was not given a title back then. God's program was simply called the 'Way'. Those who accepted it were the people of the Way. Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." He was not a way to heaven among many ways, He was the Way! The church can show men the Way, not by pointing people to a book on 'systematic theology', but pointing them to the creator of the Way and living the Christ-life in front of them. When people tell the world about Jesus, and then go out and live anyway they choose, they negate anything they might have said! Actions truly, speak louder than words!

The Koinonia of Christ, was a sharing in the common life in a new way, since they now had a common Heavenly Father and their sins were now forgiven. These were called saints, not little plaster images, nor goody-goody squeaky-clean righteous folks. The saints of God then were a pretty hardy lot. They were down-to-earth people who had been caught up to heavenly places by the grace of God.

The Way is not following a code of laws interpreted and applied by the courts of fallible human lawyers. It is not another system of religion with its liturgies, rituals and rules to be interpreted by mankind. It was the Word made flesh in the babe of Bethlehem, and it must be that same process for each of us, in order to live eternally with God, we are to be one with Him and he with us. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And when He lives in each of us, then we will be the light of the world, as we were told that we should be.

Fellowship, koinonia, is simply the sharing in His Glorious new life. All who are in Christ are in that fellowship, partakers of that life. What does the Way have to offer the tired and jaded, the sinful and oppressed? Life and joy, the joy of fellowship that makes life real!

Get on board, the ticket for your salvation has been paid, Christ the Gospel Express only comes your way pleading for you to step out in faith and trust Him to get you from earth to Heaven. Death to life. This is a truism, "We only go around once, so go for all the gusto!" Christ does want you!!!! He wants you to surrender to Heavens call! Jesus said,..."Come unto me all ye that are heavy laden, and ye shall find rest unto your souls, my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Yours for Truth and Freedom.....Horace Hooper