[Pastor Ralph]

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

[Helenmm]

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

Koinonia means an intinate fellowship with bonding. Would it be fair tosuggest that a baby, on being born, enters into bonded fellowship with its established family? It has an inheritance inthat family. It also takes on family responsibilities, for example a carpenter's son used to help his father and eventually become a carpenter himself alongside his father. They had a deep fellowship and a bonding, and the son would inherit a share when the father died. I think this principle of adoption into family is the best way to describe the koinonia kind of fellowship that Christians experience in the deep sharing of the communion. We are bonded together in the family lifestyle that Christ established on earth and we have the responsibilities and inheritances that go with that. We "eat" together, and we "drink" together as evidence of the depth of fellowship we share.

The word "Christ" is Greek for "annointed one". We are Christians, sharing in the very annointing that came on Jesus at His Baptism, actually (sur)named with that name. Proudly we wear the name of Christ before our communities, whether or not they respect it. Everything that Father vested in Jesus is now vested in us, and we have His mission, just as He once had the carpenter's mission from Joseph.

Koinonia is the fellowship of those who bear the annointing of JesusChrist, who share His baptism into death and resurrection for eternal Life. We exhibit this fellowship distinctively in the Holy Communion, the partaking of the body and blood of Jesus, the demonstration of our sonship (and daughtership), the identification of our family membership. As families love to get together and eat, so we love to get together and take Holy Communion, and in so doing, demonstrate our partisanship.

Praise be to Jesus!

[RonS]

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

To me koinonia means deep intiment sharing one with another. You are joing together with the other person.
If you partake of the Lord Table you join with him in all that He did and all that He stod for.. even the cross.
Are we willing to go to the cross and die to self and live only as Christ would have us live? If not maybe we should not partake of the Lords Table

[Jezemeg]

Koinonia to me is sharing and participating fully, without reservation. In Biblical times, when someone was adopted into a family, that person had the same rights and privileges as any of those born naturally into the same family. So it is with those of us who have the privilege of being adopted into God's family, we are all bonded together in love.

Just as in any families there are occasional disturbances, petty arguments, etc., that may bring some temporary separation, that's why, when planning to participate in the Lord's Supper, it is important to first do one's part in resolving these differences, before sharing in communion. After all, how can one be in communion with other members of God's family if one is nursing a grudge in one's heart?

[pickledilly]

Koinonia is a rather rich word. I've always understood it to mean intimate fellowship and communion together that brings a close association. It means being so closely united that you have an equitable part in something shared. It means you are a participant with something common to everyone involved.

Wow. That Christ would offer that kind of personal involvement to me is beyond my imagination. He has given me the right to enjoy all the benefits and rewards that He gained through His death on that cross. I have a share in everything accomplished through His holy blood that was sacrificed and then accepted as my atonement. I am a participant in His defeat of sin. I am united with Christ in His resurrected victory over death. I can fellowhip with the same Heavenly Father. I share in common the same spiritual inheritance of glorious everlasting life. He gave all the blood, sweat, and tears; then He shared with me the glory of all that was gained. Oh, that I could ever truly understand such grace.

I am also called to associate myself with the same pouring out of self that Jesus chose when He sacrificed Himself for sinners. To participate in the blood of Christ would then mean I'm to participate in a life of sacrifice on the behalf of others. Oh, that I would be truly willing.

As a body, we're collectively called to share in this bond we have together in Christ. In taking the Lord's Supper, we are all participants in the same body and blood of the Savior, the same koinonia. Oh, that we could operate in that unity in all we do!

[charisbarak]

Koinonia means participation, communion, a common ground.

As a Christian, I participate in taking communion to remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for me and my brothers & sisters in Christ. This is the common ground for us to gather to remember Him & His sacrifice of blood on our behalf.

[Stan]

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?


It means that as Christians we have now taken on the result of Christ's work. We are the redeemed and as the children of God, Brothers in Christ we are to share the work of the cross by making sure it is remembered till the return of Christ to take away His chosen ones. We are to pass it down generation to generation being sure that it is kept in accordance with God's word to do it with a right heart and mind. We are to participate as often as we can in told devotion to Christ and all He has done for us.

[steve.c]

Pastor Ralph, on Apr 24 2006, 12:25 PM, said:

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

The word "koinonia" means "to participate", "to share with others". At the Lord's Supper it reinforces that we are all members of Jesus' church, brought together because of His sacrifice for us, products of His sacrifice. Then it is a gift by God's grace that He shares with us: salvation and eternal life which He achieved through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Sharing in the blood of Christ is the greatest privilige; it is life giving and it encourages me to witness so that others may share in this incredible gift.

[linda sue]

Pastor Ralph, on Apr 24 2006, 06:25 PM, said:

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

What does koinonia mean? I would think that how it is used here is probably the same way that Jesus uses the the words in Rev 3:20. "If anyone hears my voice and ipens the door, I will come in and eat with hime, and he with me." It wasn't the food per say, but the intimate relationships and the representation of the food, that is important. Mealtime in old testament and new testament times was very meaningful. Not like our drive thru society. Mealtime was where they built relationships. Jesus is wanting us to share this ONE cup of His blood with our brothers and sisters. In doing so it units us to one another, to God the Father through His gift, to Jesus through His Suffering. What does it mean to "share" in the blood of Christ? This is something that every christian must do as God wills it. It is not my life but Christ who lives in me. If I suffer for Christ's sake then it is God's will and I have "shared" in the blood of Christ for real! If I take the Cup of the Lord's Supper and realize that I am willing to "share" in His suffering, then I am offering my body as a sacrifice to God, for Him to use as He wills it.

[Nancy Decker]

When I was adopted into the Body of Christ .....my Father God became the Head of my life...through Jesus Christ....and the shedding of His blood for all of His sheep. As a member of His family, I share in the inheritance of Christ from our Father, which means we all participate in our relationships together between God and His family. It is an intimate relationship, with all the responsibilities involved for the whole Body of Christ, and we equally share in the pains and glories which Christ suffered and will eternally be connected together as a family where we participate in together with each other now and eternally. It is a relationship where we are members of each other's lives, even when we do not know each one, and what we do or do not do, affects the whole Body of Christ, because we are so intimately connected.

[heavenlymann]

Pastor Ralph, on Apr 24 2006, 12:25 PM, said:

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

In that Christ died in my place I share in His blood poured out for me. I receive the benifit of that sacrifice--eternal life. My life has been bought at such a high price it no longer belongs to me. it belongs to Him. His blood is the price He payed for my life. I no longer have a right to live other than for Him. But will I?

"He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." Matt.10:39

[masika]

Koinonia is a Greek word meaning participation or communion or sharing .It means sharing something in common with others .
Believers relationship to the bllod of Christ and the Body of Christ..
We are shareholdes in the Cross.

[Blessed Me]

Q2. What does koinōnia mean?
koinōnia
koy-nohn-ee'-ah
From G2844; partnership, that is, (literally) participation, or (social) intercourse, or (pecuniary) benefaction: - (to) communicate (-ation), communion, (contri-), distribution, fellowship.


What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

The believers share in the benefits of the blood of Christ, we share the same blessings together. When we partake of the communion, we are one body, united by the blood of the Lamb. Fellowship, that is what God desires of us to have one with another, as seen in His commandment to "love one another". How can this be done? Life given power found in the blood of our redeemer. What Joy, what wonderful fellowship there can be - when we truly participate, give thanks for the new life found in Him.

[MannyVelarde]

Q2. What does koinōnia mean? What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?

deep intiment sharing one with another.

Only like minded believers can participate or share in the blood of Christ - with understanding - Christ has allowed me the privilege of sharing in all that His death, buriel and resurrection has bought for us. To share in the blood of Christ - may mean to suffer for the faith - for the body - we are one body - united by the blood of Christ and our faith and belief.

[JustJeff]

Koinonia, as defined in this study is sharing, participating. To do this together by drinking of the cup filled with His "blood" is the act of the participants sharing in the New Testament. Our Saviors blood was shed for us that we would have the New Covenant to live by, free from the sin of the old and the death of the law. Together, we share the freedom He gave and His love for His own, which we have, joined together by the communion.

[ilenel]

I found it interesting and enlightening to read the thoughts of the participants in this study. However, do we really understand what sacrifice really is? Partaking in Christ's sacrifice, allowing His death to be a substitute for our own is releasing our guilt in order to be born into that new family. As one fellow participant posted, as a newborn baby is assimilated into a family, loved and cared for unconditionally. In ancient times, the priests and participants actually ate the sacrifices to be cleansed from their sins. Holy Communion would relate in that way, but would the person who never took communion not be saved? I don't believe that it is a salvation issue. In modern times we don't understand total sacrifice, not in this "Me" generation. We just don't have an equivalent. Jesus really does stand alone in amazing His love for us.

[Saved55s]

What does koinōnia mean?
Koinōnia means to participate, to share in something.
What does it mean to "participate" or "share" in the blood of Christ?It means that when I partake of communion, I am doing so as a member of a body of believers who have made Christ the center of their life.

[Lion of Grace]

Koinonia means to participate and to share in something.
To participate means to me an active thing. When we participate we are once again remembering and doing what Christ did before He died for us. This brings to mind that Christ is there in the midst of us as we do so. To share denotes many. We as many, the body of Christ, share once again with Christ in our midst. We share with each other remembering the sacrifice Jesus gave for us. It is awesome that Jesus said where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is in the midst of them. It's hard for us to really "see" what we are doing so often. We are actually communing with Jesus as His disciples. We are one with each other, just as He is one with the Father. We are remembering all He did for us. We are remembering our calling to follow Him and to live as He lived. If we would really reflect on all that, knowing He is in our midst, we would really take the ceremony and our brothers and sisters much more seriously and with much more reverance and awe. We would be deeply moved to humbly seek His will, in gut wrenching gratitude. We would take our call to be disciples and to make more disciples more seriously. Other things we thought were so important during the week would seem kind of silly then wouldn't they?

[jaunita]

Pray I offend no one by posting this--its longer than our normal replies. I did a small study on the word and meaning of koinōnia a few years ago after becoming an administrator on a Christian fellowship board.
Anyway, in my studying came across this wonderfil illustration of koinōnia--reading it gave me a deeper understanding not only of the word, but of Jesus praying that we 'be one, as He and the Father are one...'
Participating together 'as one' in the Lords Supper is actually 'practicing koinōnia'



Cups : An Illustration Of Koinonia

- Charles Elliott Newbold, Jr.


As believers in Yeshua (Jesus' Hebrew name), we are the body of Messiah. As such, we are divinely connected to each other. We are in Kingdom of God relationship with each other. We may not always feel that way; it may not always look that way; but as far as the Kingdom is concerned, it is that way.

And so, we are in fellowship with each other. The word fellowship is so cheaply used these days, as are many other important words in the Bible, that it has lost the power of its meaning.

The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. Koinonia has also been translated sharing, partaker, participation, partnership, communication, and communion. Each of these terms more deeply explains the other. Koinonia involves far more than getting together for a "covered dish dinner."

Think of it this way. Think of the spiritual relationships we have with each other as cups that are setting around on the table of the Lord. The Lord has graciously poured some wine into each of us as cups.

The wine represents the blood of his life that He poured out for us.

As members of His body, we are supposed to pour out of our cups into one another's cups. The more we pour and receive from each other's cups, the fuller our cups become. It's the principle of the loaves and fish. The more they were divided and shared, the more they multiplied. The life of His blood comes to us by His Holy Spirit through revelation, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, and spiritual experiences, and these things change our lives.

I once envisioned a table full of cups.

These cups represented people in the body of Messiah.
Many of them thought their cups were full of His wine.
They did not think others had anything new to pour into their cups. They would gladly pour out of their own cups of what they thought they knew, but would not receive from others. As far as they could tell, the wine in all the other cups looked the same, and they surmised that no one had anything to give that they did not already have.

If by chance someone's wine seemed different, they weren't about to mix it in with theirs. They failed to see that the blood of the Lamb, as with the bread of His body, is measured out in various kinds of gifts and ministries for us to share, and in the sharing of the parts, we might partake of the whole.

As a result, the cup became scattered about. Though they were still on the Lord's table, very much loved by Him, they had no true, deep, abiding, life-changing fellowship as a people knitted and fitly joined together.

Then, a strange thing happened. As I looked more closely, I saw that the cups were not filled with wine as they thought. The wine was mixed with pride. The more they separated themselves from touching each other spiritually, the more that pride filled the cups. Remember the scripture says that "pride puffs up?" Then it adds, "If any man thinks that he knows any thing, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know." 1 Cor. 8:1-8.

As time went by, however, they began to recognize their lack, their neediness, their emptiness, and their loneliness. They humbled themselves and began to reach out to each other, permitting their need for Yeshua in each other to be known.

Little by little, they began to pour the wine of Yeshua's life into each other's cups that they might receive more of Him through each other as the body. A little getting together here. A little getting together there. A few failed attempts, but gradually more and more life was shared. Cups weren't just clanging against each other, hoping that some wine-life might splash over. Real pouring-out and receiving began to take place.

When I looked again, that strange thing had reversed itself. Those cups were being filled again with the wine of His life, flushing out the pride. That's koinonia!

[charity]

Koinoina has meanings of partnership, participation, sharer and others. All are founded in relationship. There must be a giver and recipient. Christ is our ultimate example of giving Himself on the cross to a world of recipients. As diverse and unique as each one of us is individually, when we participate in the bread and the blood of Christ, we choose to lose some of that diversity, replacing it with the character of Christ, thus becoming one with Christ. In a practical sense, it means being vulnerable to other Christians, those whom we recognize as our brothers and sisters in Christ. It means stepping out of our comfort zones to share our lives in very personal ways during good times and low times. It means being tough with love, compassionate when needed and understanding when not all may be going so well. It means giving a pledge to each other to do the above. It means having it said about us, “They shall know we are Christians by our love.” Participating in the bread and the blood is not about eating and drinking, but about demonstrating righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit and experiencing the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is in Heaven.