When was the last time someone knocked on your door? When was the last time you were happy to answer the door?

Visiting friends and family used to be a common occurrence. You’d arrive home in the afternoon, start dinner, and there’d be a knock at the door. You would then open the door to see your brother, neighbor, college buddy or cousin standing there. You’d welcome them in, set a place for them at the table, and afterwards play cards or dominoes until it was time to settle in for the night.

Such was commonplace around my house growing up. How often I played in the yard while the grown-ups got along inside. Dominoes. Cards. Skip Bo, Uno, Monopoly. All of these visitors were friends. We (kids included) were glad to see them.

On the weekends, someone would barbecue, and we’d all contribute something to the get-together, whether it be Dr. Pepper or potato salad. We were social. We got along. We loved each other and we loved being together.

Those days seem to have gone the way of rotary phones, however. Today, when there’s a knock at the door, life inside the house stops while we see how our day is about to be ruined. More often than not, the knock at the door is a salesman, political activist, evangelist, or neighbor complaining about something your dog or kids did. To a certain degree, many are afraid to answer their doors, fearing that the knock is a prelude to a home invasion or attack.

Knocks at the door have gone from pleasure to business, as our schedules are becoming more hectic, and our daily planners fill up with business meetings, transactions, dance recitals, little-league games, parent-teacher conferences, and banquets. We have become too busy. And, it’s getting worse. We’re getting busier and less social. As such, we’re becoming more isolated.

Lost in all of this is fellowship.

Even secular scientists will tell you that humans are social creatures, and denied the ability to socialize, people develop mental illness. It’s why solitary confinement is considered a harsh punishment. It’s why crazy people tend to be hermits. (The solitude made them crazy). Leave a man alone, and he will self-destruct.

Thus, in Genesis 2, God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” God created us to be social. He created us for relationships. He created us to fellowship.

Fellowship is not just a Baptist code word for “potluck dinner.” The term fellowship refers to relationships, like a partnership, community, or the shared ties of a common background.

Have you ever noticed how two war veterans who have never met, who fought in different wars, can suddenly become friends and carry on as if they had known each other for years? That’s fellowship. The common background of having served our country in the armed forces, of having seen combat ties them together, and thus they share a certain communion.

As Christians, God wants us to fellowship with each other. He wants us to be friends, to form a community, to get together and to share the ties of our common background of redemption. And while this includes attending and participating in a local church (Hebrews 10:25), it also involves getting together outside of church, and getting to know each other (Hebrews 10:24).

So, call up your brothers and sisters in Christ. Invite them over for some barbecue. Have “company” over for dinner.

Then gather with your church on Sunday. If you don’t have a church, Grace Pointe meets for Sunday School at 10 am, Morning Worship at 11 am. We meet at the Early Chamber of Commerce at 104 E. Industrial Drive in Early, TX. We also hold small-group Bible studies at Market Place Apartments, in the 2nd Floor Club Room, Wednesdays at 1 p.m., and in our office at the Chamber of Commerce Wednesdays at 5 p.m.