Greek · koy-noh-NEE-ah
κοινωνία
Koinonia
“Fellowship; shared participation”
“They devoted themselves to the teaching, to koinonia — fellowship — to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.”
Acts 2:42
Koinonia is not small talk after service — it is shared life: shared bread, shared burdens, shared devotion to the apostles' teaching and to the altar of prayer.
What it means
Koinonia means having in common — the early church held things in common and the need of one became the prayer of all.
It is vertical and horizontal at once: 'our koinonia is with the Father and with His Son' — and therefore with one another.
This is why the altar gathers: a coal alone grows cold; coals together burn white.
Pray the word
Father, knit me into true koinonia — a people who pray together, carry one another, and keep the fire together.
Deliver me from isolated faith; give me brothers and sisters at the altar.
Where there is division in Your house, let me be a builder of fellowship.
I am joined to the fellowship of the burning ones — together we burn, and together we will not grow cold.
In the Mighty Name of Jesus! Amen.
Where it appears: 1 John 1:3 · Hebrews 10:24-25 · Philippians 1:5 · Ecclesiastes 4:12