SHOULD A DISFELLOWSHIP CHRISTIAN BE ALLOWED IN FELLOWSHIP?

By: Bro. Morotoluwa Isaac.

What Is Fellowship?
The root from which  fellowship is usually translated is ’koin’. Words formed from that root are: (a)Koinos (b) Koinonia” (c) Koinonos” (d) Koinoneo. The root itself suggest the basic idea of SHARING
(a) Koinos: Belonging equally to several or all e.g. Acts 2:44 Food, Hall,
Hymn book, Church bus.
(b)Koinonia:Association, Joint participation. Acts 2:44, Singing, Bible
Class, giving, prayer and communion.
(c)Koinonos: Companion  Preaching together, attending naming
Ceremonies, wedding ceremonies.
(d) Koinoneo:To come into fellowship, to become a sharer, to enter into
     fellowship, join ones self as an associate, (Irrespective of our spiritual 
states)
While it is not our role to decide membership in Christs church or to judge the
eternal destiny of men, it is our duty to determine with whom we may share
spiritual activity with either individual or a local church.

What is Disfellowship or Ex- communicate? To punish someone by no longer allowing
them to be a member or be in fellowship.
Fellowship begins when one is called of God (1Cor. 1:9). This calling is through the
gospel of Christ (2Thess. 2:14). The child of God enjoys fellowship on two levels. On
one level, they have fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, when the eunuch of 
Ethiopia was baptized. He enjoined fellowship with God but yet to be in fellowship with any
local Church physically even though God has added him to the Church universally
(Acts 8: 36  39).  
On another level, they have fellowship with fellow saints. Only God can serve or withdraw
the first level. No act of another person can snatch one out of the Fathers hand
John 10:29, Eze.18:20.  While the actions of others cannot severe a persons fellowship with
God, one own iniquities can and will make a SEPERATION between him and the Father.
For example: Man was physically 

Man was physically and spiritually separated from God in the Garden of Eden. Man dies spiritually the day he ate the fruit. (1Tim. 5:6, Isa. 59: 1-2) God drove out the man and at the East of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Gen. 3:24
Another example of disfellowship was the case of Ananias with his wife Sappira; The
couple God removed them from the fellowship of brethren by capital punishment so as not to
contaminate the rest of the brethren. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole
lump? Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person (1 Cor. 5:13) and
deliver such one unto Satan.. such one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the
spirit may be saved  in the day of the Lord Jesus. (I Cor. 5:5) There are but two Kingdoms
recognized in the scriptures, the Kingdom of God or the Church and the Kingdom of the
world which is regarded as under the control of Satan and that to exclude a man from one is
to subject him to the dominion of the other physically & spiritually (Col 1:13). There can be
no doubt that excommunication is here intended as seen in the case of Adam and Eve in the
garden of Eden.
The basis of fellowship with the saints is fellowship with the Father, Son and Holy
spirit (I John 1:3-7). Local Church fellowship is extended when one presents evidence of
faithfulness. No local church is obligated to accept automatically every person who claims
to be a Christian and desires partnership. The brethren at Jerusalem investigated Paul and extended fellowship when Barnabas gave testimony of his conversion. (Acts 9: 26-31, Galatians 2:9 ). Thus the extension of fellowship involves human judgments base on divine instructions. We are to have fellowship with all those who are in fellowship with the Father,
Son and the Holy Spirit. A local Church fellowship begins when one presents evidence of
faithfulness. It ends when one presents evidence of unfaithfulness. I Cor. 5:11.
These individuals walking disorderly have separated themselves from God and thus have severed their fellowship with the saints. Can we continue in fellowship with those known to be out of fellowship with God? Of course not!
Separation between faithful and unfaithful is a division approved by God
(a) To have any religious ties of fellowship: with those in sin/error is to show approval and acceptance of them and their error, after all, it wasnt the whole Christian at Corinth that sinned but they were all guilty of harboring or keeping a sinner within or fellowship with faithful: Paul through the Holy Spirit instructed the Corinthians as follows. (i)That he that has done this deed might be taken away from among you  (1Cor. 5:2b) How? 
ii) Purge out therefore the old leaven that ye may be a new lump (I Cor. 5:7a)How?
iii) But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that was called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous or an idolater or a raider or a drunkard or an extortioner with such one do not eat (I Cor. 5:11) How?
iv)   Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person (I Cor. 5:13). How will someone who is put away suppose to be in fellowship with you?  God put away spiritually, the Church puts away physically.
v) Paul to Timothy he said . have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. II Thess. 3:14.
The beneficent purposes God intended for scriptural fellowship reveal the importance of Gods people keeping within Gods prescribed bounds of fellowship. However, it is also important that we receive the one who has repented, like the prodigal son was received
(Luke 14:22-24). Otherwise, we have fallen victim to Satans scheme 2Cor. 2: 10- 11.
But all immoral brethren, false teacher, dividers, fruits of darkness etc. Any effort or attempt to bring about a common bond, joint participation, a sharing with them will never have Gods approval and its a false view of scriptural disfellowship. The right hands of fellowship cannot be extended either on a part  time basis, or on full time basis, because there is no scriptural authority for it. There is neither precept, necessary implication nor apostolic approved example which can be cited for such. Allowing disfellowship in worship would be, in a very real sense be bidding them God speed and lending encouragement to their unscriptural practices. To ignore these principle and go along would soon lead us to the point where the whole exercise of discipline is ineffective and meaningless as it is seen in many cases. Nevertheless, a disfellowship member should not be treated as enemy, but be admonished as a brother / sister whenever we come across them or visited us. II Thess. 3:15.

MOROTOLUWA I.B.
morotoluwai@gmail.com
                                                                                                                  March 7th, 2017.