Question of the Week: “What models of Christian fellowship have you found in the Bible? How have you used these in your own life?”

My model for love is Jesus.

For listening - Moses

For wisdom - Solomon

For forgiveness - Joseph

For loyalty - Ruth

Belinda, Yorktown, Virginia, United States

I have found these models in the Bible in Rom. 8:31-39. This has really changed my way of thinking of who God really is. This marvelous Love. And that nothing can “separate us from the love of the Christ.” In my daily life, I have discovered that there is no need to worry or doubt that God loves us because when you rely on Him, everything you desire will surely happen. Through all you go through, praise God and never go far away from his love. Juma, Bujumbura, Burundi

The early disciples used the greeting “Christ is risen” which must have galvanized them and helped them focus on continuing to follow Jesus’ healing message. This simple, resurrecting thought helps me to “mark the perfect man, and behold the upright”(Psalms 37:37). Sue, Portland, Oregon, United States

Considering a few Bible resources, “fellowship” is described as a relation with God and Christ (not necessarily a commonly accepted or practiced person-to-person relationship). From Harper’s Bible Dictionary, “... fellowship is characterized by a perfect oneness grounded in the closest of relationships with the Father and the Son ... .” Lori, St Louis, Missouri, United States

We can find models for Christian fellowship in the early church when the disciples found they needed the elderly, widows and others. Carlos, San Salvador, El Salvador

For me, Bible stories are like case studies meant to inform and guide my own experiences. I have come to understand my human history, current situation, and future prospects as opportunities to demonstrate the value of God’s laws being applied to the human condition. We are naturally in fellowship as we interact with each other at different levels - through art, music, literature, the media, face-to-face, etc.

As a Christian, I see my rules of engagement grounded first in Genesis, with God being good and creating us in that likeness (See Genesis 1:27). Then in the Ten Commandments, and also in Jesus’ words and works, including the Sermon on the Mount—and especially the two great commandments (Matt 22:37, 39). As I look to Bible stories and match them to my own life, I contemplate the consequences of following or not following these laws of Love. Diane, Monroe, Louisiana, United States

The model in the Bible that I remember most is Ruth. She went to stay with her mother-in-law, after her husband died. She wanted to follow her mother-in-law’s ways. Ruth meant a lot to me because I had no mother when I married. So my mother-in-law taught me how to cook and so forth. Like Ruth, my mother-in-law’s ways became my ways, too. Constance, Boonton, New Jersey, United States

Ruth comes to mind. To be Christian is to be centered in God, life, thought, deed. She lived a long time before Jesus yet she expressed all the Christian qualities naturally. How can I use this attitude prayerfully in my own life? Be it. It is a state of mind which comes by living my prayer in daily life. Not by trying hard but by acknowledging God as the very centre of being. Veronika, Bega Valley, Australia