They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Acts 2:42
“As we look further at the description of this community in Acts, we must pay close attentino to the word koinonia, by which this community is described in Acts 2:42. The New Revised Standard Version and the New American Standard Bible translate it as “fellowship,” and the Jerusalem Bible as “brotherhood.” This is the common understanding of this word, which is usually taken to refer to the inner disposition of goodwill – “fellowship – toward other members of the group. Thus taken, what Acts 2:42 says is simply that there were good relationships within the community.
Yet koinonia means more than that. It also means partnership., as in a common business venture. In this way Luke uses the related term koinonós, member of a koinonia, for in Luke 5:10 we are told that the sons of Zebedee were koinonoí with Peter, meaning that they were business partners.” The same usage appears outside the New Testament, sometimes in very similar contexts. Koinonia means first of all, not fellowship in the sense of good feelings toward each other, but sharing. It is used in that sense throughout the New Testament, both in connection with material goods and in other contexts.”
Justo L. González in Faith & Wealth: A History of Early Christian Ideas on the Origin, Significance, and Use of Money (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2002) 82-83.
You may recognize the header photo from November 2022. That was my first trip to Panama. I return today for a week to activate a task force to form another peer accountability group.
In USA, the peer accountability group (PAG), ECFA, enhances trust in 2,800+ churches and ministries and last year motivated more volunteer service and greater giving ($32+ billion USD).
GTP has been invited by influential workers to host meetings in multiple cities, give a TV interview, preach, train, and more. We pray it will unleash koinonia in Panama!
I grabbed the classic work by Latino scholar, Justo L. González, off my shelf for my travel reading and meditations. I hope you enjoy his perspective. Today he unlocks koinonia.
Too many people see it as a warm “sense of good feelings toward each other.” It’s not that. It’s vested partnership in the gospel. Think in terms of a business venture as he urges us.
But the business we are about when we bring our giftedness and resources to the table is the King’s business. That’s how GTP sends teams to places like Panama.
God’s people want to see flourishing ministries in places like Panama so they share their resources with GTP generously. The result shapes the future of God’s work in countries.
This trip with events serving hundreds of the top Christian workers will cost about $10,000 and when we activate a PAG we will help them build capacity with a $10,000 matching grant.
As God’s workers there give to help the entity get started, we teach them how to raise local funds and when they raise $10,000, we match it with $10,000.
I pray someone out there reading this will make a gift today. If you contribute $10,000 you will cover the cost of our trip and $20,000 will help us launch the PAG in Panama.
Consider your giving as koinonia. Click here to have a share in this ministry. Your sharing brings accountability and grows local generosity. It shapes the future of ministry in a nation.