Koinonia: God with skin on

3rd in a 5-part series on the pillars of life

Just as we were fashioned to find our true identity in God,
so we were created as social creatures to interact with one another and in that
interaction, find our context in a group of people whom we love and whom we are
loved by. This inter-working is grounded
in the Greek word,
koinonia. It forms the basis for our understanding of
what church should look like.

Some might call it “fellowship,” but that word has
connotations of potluck dinners in fellowship halls. It is insipid next to the red-blooded, full
throttle corporate celebrations and nurturing body life that God designed us
for. The deep peace and security that we
experience in being known and accepted by a group, the celebrating which we do
together and the grace we offer and experience, are all foundational aspects of
Kingdom living.

True koinona produces the fruit of intimacy within our
fellowship. The profound commitment to
one another that makes this dynamic possible is called “covenantal.” This is a term that has fallen on hard times
in our individualistic, mobile society.
It is hard to commit when neither you nor others know with any certainty
whether you’ll be there in the next year.
True covenantal relationships are based on shared responsibility and
mutual accountability.