I have met and spoken with thousands of people in my life.  Those I have met ranged from senior executives in government and industry to laborers in a cemetery.  In all those thousands of interactions, I never met one person, not one, who wanted there to be pain in their life.  Not one of them who was in pain ever said, “Gee, I hope this pain gets more intense and last longer!”  Not one. In fact, everyone I have ever met has expressed the opposite.  They all hoped to stay well and heal quickly from any painful experience whether that pain came from a physical injury, loss of a loved one, a divorce, abuse, or illness. No one ever had to teach them that not being in pain is better than being in pain.  Whenever our children and grandchildren hurt themselves playing, whether it was bump or scratch, they did and still do two things.  The first thing they do is cry out to let you know they are in pain.  The second thing they do is to seek out the company of an adult, Mom, Dad, Papa, or Nonnie. These two actions are related.  We learn to cry out and we learn to seek out because we know that the company of another person will make the pain more bearable and that our healing, our restoration, will occur faster in the company and with caring support from another person.

          I remember a few years ago, a couple came to our home.  They had cried out in pain and sought out the company of others after their son was murdered. They needed and wanted to heal. Obviously, my wife and I could not change their circumstances.  Their son had died at the hand of another.  They came to our home on several occasions.  Sometimes just to talk but most often to eat dinner with us.  I can say with confidence that their demeanor and spirit when it was time for the couple to go home, was always a bit lighter, less despondent, than when they arrived.  The improvement in the couple was not because of anything my wife, or I said to them.  Instead, the improvement, the healing, came about because of fellowship, what Greek’s called koinonia.  In this context, the couple cried out and sought out the comfort available to them from others.  In doing so, they were beginning the healing process through koinonia.

          What then is koinonia?  Often the Greek word koinonia is translated into English as “fellowship.” In the Baptist tradition, as soon as we hear the word “fellowship” our minds turn to yummy casseroles at a fellowship meal.  While fellowship or koinonia includes eating together, koinonia goes far beyond casseroles. 

One of the most fascinating examples of koinonia is found in the Book of Acts or the Acts of the Apostles. That book is essentially the second volume of two volume set: Luke and Acts.  In the Book of Acts, Luke was describing the early Christian community in and around Jerusalem.  It was a fearsome time for the early church.  Afterall, Jesus had been crucified and his followers could expect the same treatment.  The Apostles, Peter and John, had been arrested.  A Pharisee named Saul was inciting people to persecute the followers of Jesus.  Saul’s behavior led to the death a man named Stephen, guilty only of following Jesus.  We would expect these followers of Jesus to be experiencing strong emotions such as anxiousness, anger, frustration, and hopelessness.  But Luke described something completely different.

Luke wrote, “42 They [Jesus’ followers] devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship [koinonia], to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47 NIV).

The followers of Jesus had good reason to be fearful of gathering and being known as Christians and yet that fear was overpowered by a behavior known as koinonia, fellowship.  We need to let that sink in for a moment.  Fellowship, deep fellowship, within the Christian community drove out anxiousness, anger, frustration, and hopelessness.  This type of fellowship provided comfort and healing.

          Our reading today from the Book of Acts is rich in koinonia.  Let’s explore what happened and why this account gives us hope.

          We come to Chapter 20 of the Book of Acts.  Paul was in the city of Ephesus, and he was preparing to leave the people of the church after spending about two years with them.  Paul would never return to Ephesus.  Luke wrote, “7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread” (Acts 20:7).  The first day of the week in Paul’s day was the day after the Jewish Sabbath.  In their context, and our context, the first day of the week is what we would call Sunday.  Sunday was to the early church the day of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.  They did not celebrate Easter as we do because they celebrated the first day of every week as a resurrection day.  And on the first day of the week, the church at Ephesus gathered to break bread.  To break bread meant to share a meal and to take time to remember Jesus through the breaking of the bread and sharing of the cup, what we would call a celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

The scene then began with koinonia, fellowship with three purposes.  First, it was to celebrate the Lord’s Supper.  Scripture tells us that by Jesus’ wounds we are healed and by his brokenness we are made whole.  There is in fellowship, in joining together to remember the power of being in fellowship with Christ, a wonderful sense of being very close to God.  Second, it was a time fellowship, koinonia, to continue to build bonds between believers.  Much like an athlete works out to improve her capabilities to compete, spending time together is a muscle building exercise for the body of Christ. We become stronger and more able to help one another in good times and in crisis when we share fellowship with one another.  Third, it was a time of fellowship, koinonia, to grieve together.  Paul had been with the church for two years and now `was leaving to go to Jerusalem.  Everyone recognized that going to Jerusalem was not just a dangerous journey for Paul, it was also a dangerous destination.  Paul had made himself a target for Jewish persecution by proclaiming Jesus as God’s Messiah.  And so, this gathering in Ephesus on the eve of Paul’s departure was rich in building a spiritual understanding of being in fellowship with God and in exercising the bonds of fellowship between believers.

Luke continued “7b Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight” (Acts 20:7b). Can you imagine showing up for worship service at 6:00 pm and I kept talking until midnight!  That seems a bit much.

Now amid celebrating God’s word, Luke observed, “There were many lamps in the upstairs room where they we were meeting.  [No doubt those lamps were generating some added heat.]  9 Seated in a window [probably trying to get some air] was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on.  [You can almost see this young man, perhaps a teenager, tired from working that day, warm from the lamps, trying to listen to Paul, and all the while drifting off to sleep.]  When he [Eutychus] was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’” This is quite a remarkable account.

Let me make three quick points.  Through Paul, the young man experienced, and the congregation witnessed the power of God like few others.  God, using Paul as an instrument, resuscitated and brought Eutychus back to mortal life.  That is just an awesome moment from the history of the church.  Paul was used in the presence of the body of Christ to heal one of its young men.  What a joyful moment that must have been.  Second, this passage teaches us that we need to be mindful of our youth that worship services keep them engaged or at least keep them away from open windows!  Third, the warning from this account offered by the great 19th century preacher Charles Spurgeon still applies, “Remember, if you go to sleep during the sermon and die, there are no apostles here to restore you!"  So, stay awake.

This passage was an amazing moment but interestingly the raising of Eutychus is never spoken of again.  Instead, Luke concluded this short passage the way it began, “11 Then Paul went upstairs again and broke bread and ate.”  Think about this scene.  Paul was giving his farewell sermon.  A young man fell out of a third-floor window to his death.  Paul interrupted the service to rush down to the street with all the members of the church.  Paul threw himself on the young man who was dead and restored his life.  The group of worshippers were exhilarated and overjoyed. But when they reassembled, they did so not to celebrate but instead to celebrate the miracle but to break bread of fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ and with each other.

What then do we take away from this scene?  I think we must see that fellowship, koinonia, is an essential part of our having a healthy life.  Whenever someone asks to meet with me for pastoral counseling, I am always listening for how well the person is connected to the Christian community.

I had a phone call from a person who was angry, upset, frustrated, and exhausted.  For about 40 minutes, this person went on virtually non-stop recounting story after story of difficult interactions with doctors’ offices, merchants, and online support services all of which led to dissatisfaction because the people this person dealt with were cold, uncaring, and heartless.  This person said they were so angry they felt they were done. When I had a chance to respond, I said, “You have told me about your interactions with the world which is as you experienced cold, uncaring, and heartless.  What you have not told me about is your interaction with the Christian community who are called to be humble, gentle, patient, and loving toward one another.  Tell me about your interactions with fellow Christians.”  The person said there have been none.  This person was like a small child with a hurt.  They were just crying out in pain but was not seeking out to find genuine comfort in the company of others.  I stressed to this person that they are not likely to heal until such time as they engage in mutual fellowship with other Christians.  God has given us the gift of koinonia, fellowship, for us to be healed and remain well.

We then need to examine ourselves.  Are we being disciples of Christ by offering fellowship to others and by participating in fellowship with one another?  Until Jesus comes again, we all will experience moments of hurt and aloneness that was intended by God to soothed by the living body of Christ.  Look for the opportunities to be healed and the opportunities to heal others in and through fellowship.  Amen and Amen.