A value that I try to instill in my children is to share. Share your toys. Share your granola bar. But you know what I’ve been thinking about? As an adult that asks my son to share about 40977 a day, I don’t think about sharing that much unless it pertains to my kids. I’m not talking about the sharing of material things, I believe we are all aware of this type of sharing, instead I am talking about a specific word, κοινωνία a Greek word for sharing or fellowship that is referenced in the Bible. As Americans living in an individualistic society, this principle can be hard to swallow.
But, in the Bible to share is to know God’s purposes and to participate in his work. To share is to shoulder His burden’s for the sake of His Kingdom. The Greek word sharing (κοινωνία) translates as both to share and as fellowship. When we share, we become “fellow workers” with him, and we get to partake in, “His Glory” and “His comfort”(2 Cor 1:7) and “His power” but, also it says we partake in “His suffering.” (Phil 3:10) Friends, we are sharers in his suffering for the sake of the Gospel.
We see Paul talk about this partnership in Philippians, he is aware that, “to share” means to participate in Christ’s call, which means to share in Christ’s sufferings, which helps us to know and love Christ on a deeper level.
To SHARE God’s comfort, power, grace, and strength means that we must first share in his suffering, and pain. You and I will experience this shared burden of the Gospel, and we should not be surprised if it unifies us as a church of believers.
The shared suffering of Christ results in shared glory,
“Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.” (1 Peter 4:13)
I am reminded that sharing in the joy of his call, also means sharing in the hard part as well.
