Band of Brothers

In 2001, a TV mini-series called “Band of Brothers” aired. It is great television, one of a rare few productions worth seeing again and again. It is the story of Easy Company of the US Army 101st Airborne division and their mission in WWII Europe from Operation Overlord through V-J Day. Malarkey, Nixon, Winters, and Roe were from completely differing backgrounds but they became brothers under fire. The men who told the stories that are the basis of this docu-drama remained friends through the decades that followed WWII. They were connected in a way that went beyond blood bonds, beyond mere association. They treasured the ties that had been formed in those terrible years.

God gave us a treasure that few disciples value as they should. It is sometime neglected, sometimes ignored all together, often criticized, and a few reject it completely. Only after time do the results of those choices show up in life. I’m talking about the Church, the fellowship of Believers! In Acts 2:42, we read that the first disciples “devoted themselves to the fellowship.”  The NT word is “koinonia” and takes in much more than simply going to a worship service on Sunday morning! “Two fellows in a ship” was the way a Sunday School teacher helped me to remember it. Koinonia is about creating life together, staying in touch, helping one another out, laughing and crying with each other. "All the members care for each other. If one … suffers, all … suffer, and if one … is honored, all … are glad." (1 Corinthians 12:25-26, NLT)

A church ought to be a kind of band of brothers (and sisters), with a connection so strong that nothing of earth or the spirit realm can tear it apart. The Scripture calls it ‘the unity of the Spirit.’  This kind of fellowship (think, ‘koinonia’) never happens without real effort, investment of time and resource, and willingness to love in a way that goes way past Hallmark sentiment! But, what a rich return on that investment. When things are going well for us we have almost no appreciation for the value of the church. When life goes awry, it is often too late to try to create the relationships that keep us going through the storm.

• Are you building ‘koinonia’ in your church?  
• Are you making ‘the fellowship’ one of life’s highest priorities, making connections that will last for life, connecting your kids to a way of life that makes building connections with other disciples something they do almost naturally?
• Are you sacrificing Self to build up the Body of Christ?  Let me be clear – this is not about making some program more successful or feeding the pastor’s ego. This is about the family of God.

Here’s the word from the Word. May it challenge us to move beyond just ‘going to church,’ to a life of real koinonia that encourages us to be mature, effective, fruitful, and secure followers of Christ Jesus.

"And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences. You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly." (Ephesians 4:2-4, The Message)

“At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.”  (Ephesians 1:22-23 The Message)
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