“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT)

If “Bible study” is what fuels our spiritual minds, one might argue that “fellowship” is what fuels our spiritual hearts. Unfortunately, fellowship has too often been reduced to hanging out on Friday night or even just scrolling through the social media app du jour. That’s not really fellowship. At least, not in any Biblical sense of the word. Christian fellowship does, indeed, include friendship, but  in a deeper sense it includes much more.

Tim Elmore homes in on that in his Habitude “Emotional Fuel.” There he identifies 6 different roles people can fill in our lives that will help us draw closer to God as we seek out companionship:

• Heroes–people we admire, who inspire us.
• Models–people we want to emulate.
• Mentors–people who invest in us.
• Partners–people who are with us on the journey and hold us accountable.
• Followers–people in whom we are investing.
• Inner Circle–those closest to us with whom we share all of life.

Among the many benefits of good fellowship are things like wisdom, strength, encouragement and accountability. So, do you have these people in you life?