Did you ever figure out what smurf actually means?
Maybe you’ve never thought about it – or maybe you have no idea what I’m talking about. The Smurfs was a cartoon in the 1980’s about a society of tiny blue people living in the woods. Just go with it. It was the 80’s after all. One memorable characteristic of the Smurfs was how they would substitute random words for the word smurf. You could usually figure out what they meant, but did anyone ever figure out a definition for smurf? Smurf said everything, which means it said nothing.
In the Christian church, the word fellowship is like smurf. We use it all the time. It finds its way into many conversations and almost every event announcement. But do any of us know what it actually means? Fellowship says everything, which means it says nothing.
Another way we can translate the word fellowship is sharing or participating. Having fellowship with Jesus means that we share by faith in his sufferings and glory (see Phil. 3:10; 1 Cor. 1:9). This fellowship with Jesus isn’t small talk with him. It’s sharing with him in the trials of faith and the glory of his triumph, until the day we are reunited with him in heaven.
When we talk about fellowship with each other, we’re talking about this same kind of participation. As we share in the life of Jesus, we also share our lives with each other in his church. So how do we do it? Here are a couple of thoughts:
1. Be intentional – Close relationships rarely ever just happen. They take work. They take time and commitment. If we want to share life with other people, we must be willing to put in the work. Let’s just be honest – you’ll probably find a unicorn before you find a totally free Saturday. If you don’t schedule time with other believers, it probably won’t happen.
2. Be consistent – Close relationships don’t happen in a thirty-minute conversation at Starbucks. They happen over a dozen conversations at Starbucks. They happen over dinner in each other’s homes. It takes time to build the history and trust that close relationships require, so be consistent. Commit yourself to regularly being with other believers and over time you’ll see the Lord draw you together.
3. Be brave – Sharing life together takes courage because it means sharing both the good and the bad. Sometimes you’re frustrated by work or family. That’s okay. Sometimes your house is a mess. That’s okay too. Sharing life together means being willing to abandon our masks and false facades so others can see what rests behind them. Be willing to step out and take a chance. Share life together, not a fiction.
Does that sound like a lot of work? Well, sometimes it is. But at Grace, we believe that discipleship happens through relationship. It’s when we share life with other believers that the Holy Spirit shapes us more and more into the image of Jesus (see Prov. 27:17). Fellowship is hard, but the reward is worth the effort.
In Him,
Tom