Spirit-Filled Fellowship

And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

- Acts 2:42

For whatever reason, this month of January, the global church has been on my mind. And so today, I wanted to share about a church in Myanmar. It was where I was introduced to a pastor whom I had never met or talked to, but instantly, we just clicked.

Now, you see, Myanmar is a Buddhist nation. Right when you get off the plane, you can see the beautiful architecture of the temples. They are big, bright, and a call to prayer is heard throughout the day. And at night, the temple still can be seen as a reminder that this is their god. Oh, and because it is the nation’s sacred religion, you need to be careful what you say about it.

So for this pastor and myself, we are in entirely different worlds. I live in America, where churches are on every corner and you can freely worship. We speak different languages. We have different backgrounds.

However, right when we met, we instantly connected. Was it my winsome personality? Was it his great sense of humor? Possibly.

But, I think it was koinonia.

Koinonia is the Greek word for fellowship. It is what Acts 2:42 is referring to. Koinonia is the spiritual bond we have with God through the Spirit, and it is the spiritual bond with fellow believers in Christ.

Christians experience koinonia. Sure, sports teams, frats, mom’s clubs, and best friends come close to having that bond. But Christians are glued with something more profound and spiritual. This koinonia is the fellowship the Trinity has with one another, and we too get a glimpse of this as the body of Christ.

This is why, even though this Myanmar pastor was a stranger, we became spiritual brothers when we met. The blood of Christ bonded us. We clicked. We were on the same page. We were on the same team. We had the same kingdom purpose.

Friends, I share this today because this is what I felt when I came to The Church at RB a few months ago. I did not know you, but to the many I got the privilege to get to know, I felt this connection, this bond. This fellowship, koinonia, is more than the conversations and eating together. It is a spiritual glue that binds us in Christ together.

We are living in a unique season. Some are coming to in-person services, some worship with us online while in San Diego, and others join us online in other parts of the nation. First of all, regardless of how you participate, you are family. We are family. Amen! Secondly, because of Christ, we have a bond like no other. We are connected. We are in this together. We all share the same purpose of becoming Good Neighbors in 2022.

As always, remember today, you are loved.

Pastor Sean

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