My greek and hebrew is a bit rusty, but I took two years of each, so I think this is right... κοινωνία = koinonia (kinda.) It means, at its simplest form "community" but in practice, it is way more than that. The New Testament church did everything together... Ate, slept (now don't look at me like that!), worked, and built together... Including worship, prayer, and their whole experience of God...
Just like the Greek word συναγωγή, which is synagogue, and in Hebrew, בית כנסת, which means to gather together... In Hebrew it is like "assembly hall"... This is the foundation of the Hebrew religious experience, after worship in the temple ceased. "To gather together..." This stuff doesn't talk about God, but that is where God is worshipped... God is worshipped 7 days a week wherever you are, and on šhabbat (Sabbath) is when we chill out, and hang out (koinonia) with our brothers and sisters and worship communally... I think that the fellowship you have there is almost as important as what takes place there. Sunday is not the day of worshiping God, that is seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Sunday is when you gather, and learn, and eat, and fellowship, and just be with eachother in God's presence... Maybe we look at church a little different these days.
Communion... same exact word as koinonia.
Communion means fellowship and a close relationship with Christians, individuals, a church, communing with God. That is what Jesus was talking about when he gave them wine and bread. He was saying fellowship with eachother while you fellowship with God. Do this WHENEVER YOU MEET (not only on the first sunday of the month).
I think the Methodists have it right. ANYONE can take communion, even if you are saved, unsaved, have been baptized, haven't been... Buddhist, Mormon, Hindu, Muslim... They just say something like anyone can take if if they want to live in relationship with God and with one another. I am saying this, and I am not Methodist... Though my denomination came about from a revival in the methodist church...
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κοινωνία
Date: 2007-02-26 07:11 pm (UTC)κοινωνία = koinonia (kinda.) It means, at its simplest form "community" but in practice, it is way more than that. The New Testament church did everything together... Ate, slept (now don't look at me like that!), worked, and built together... Including worship, prayer, and their whole experience of God...
Just like the Greek word συναγωγή, which is synagogue, and in Hebrew, בית כנסת, which means to gather together... In Hebrew it is like "assembly hall"... This is the foundation of the Hebrew religious experience, after worship in the temple ceased. "To gather together..." This stuff doesn't talk about God, but that is where God is worshipped... God is worshipped 7 days a week wherever you are, and on šhabbat (Sabbath) is when we chill out, and hang out (koinonia) with our brothers and sisters and worship communally... I think that the fellowship you have there is almost as important as what takes place there. Sunday is not the day of worshiping God, that is seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Sunday is when you gather, and learn, and eat, and fellowship, and just be with eachother in God's presence... Maybe we look at church a little different these days.
Communion... same exact word as koinonia.
Communion means fellowship and a close relationship with Christians, individuals, a church, communing with God. That is what Jesus was talking about when he gave them wine and bread. He was saying fellowship with eachother while you fellowship with God. Do this WHENEVER YOU MEET (not only on the first sunday of the month).
I think the Methodists have it right. ANYONE can take communion, even if you are saved, unsaved, have been baptized, haven't been... Buddhist, Mormon, Hindu, Muslim... They just say something like anyone can take if if they want to live in relationship with God and with one another. I am saying this, and I am not Methodist... Though my denomination came about from a revival in the methodist church...