This morning I woke up with love on my mind. God and His love are the centerpiece in the Kingdom koinonia we have all been called to in Christ. We know that. Praise the Lord!
This morning I saw the corresponding expression of agapē as it relates to koinonia. In other words, there is no koinonia without agapē… the agapē of God is what seeks out and builds koinonia with fellow believers. LOVE is the nuts and bolts of the Kingdom of our God!
Back to Jesus’ conversation with Peter at the beach after His resurrection… Jesus is talking agapē, Peter relates to Jesus in phileó. At this point in their relationship, Peter has experienced the agapē of God through Jesus, but his corresponding response to Jesus is phileó. That’s as far as his love and understanding went. He couldn’t fake it. Peter knows phileó (friendship, regard with affection). Peter gives phileó.
Jesus had expressed and manifested agapē the whole time with the disciples and they had observed and experienced the koinonia of God with Jesus, but they couldn’t match His agapē or koinonia without the Spirit, who had not yet been given to His disciples. Phileó was as far as the disciples could go with Jesus. At this point in Peter’s relationship with Jesus, he didn’t even know what was possible. Phileó was his most deeply and sincerely held expression of camaraderie and heartfelt friendship. That’s where Peter was coming from.
Let’s just say, on a Sunday morning, there is a mixture of love. Some agapē and some phileó. But let’s say some folks are expecting a lot of agapē when they come “to” church, because churches are supposed to be full of agapē!! Maybe it’s mostly phileó that collects in small cliques based upon certain affiliations (hunting, quilting, homeschooling). An insider in an affiliation circle might be saying to themselves, “This is great fellowship, I really can relate to these people! I feel loved and accepted here!!” But someone outside the affiliation circle might say to themselves, “I don’t relate to any of this. Where’s the fellowship in this church? I don’t feel loved here!!” Are they talking agapē or phileó?
That’s just one example that comes to mind. In reality, there are lots of affiliations. I wonder how much of our understanding of love and our understanding of fellowship permeates our experience on any given Sunday or Bible study during the week? If we show up hoping for koinonia, but we experience affinity circles, do we bag church? Why would we continue to go where we don’t experience true agapē fellowship? What are we looking for? Where are we coming from? Phileó or agape?
It’s so remarkable to think that Jesus was full of agapē, but He experienced mostly phileó from His closest disciples. Then suddenly one day everything changed! Peter knew LOVE as being plunged into Christ and FULL of the Spirit! Years later, we are here because we are loved by God and filled with the Spirit so we aren’t thinking affinity circles are the same as koinonia. An affinity circle might be FULL of agapē and koinonia, but it’s not the affinity that makes the koinonia so GREAT!
What might prevent us from going deeper?
