Teleios: Christian Life

Showing posts with label Christian Life. Show all posts

Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Find Your Community

Welcome again to my blog. I am delighted you have come to visit.

Teleios and other authors have shown Christian beliefs actually can improve personal wellbeing! Therefore, we are examining the Christian life in more detail to see if we can uncover in the Bible some of the underlying causes of the improved wellbeing.

We are now discussing the practice of Christianity for which we are using Acts 2:42-47 as a basis. These interesting verses describe the activities involved in the Christian walk within the early church. They are repeated throughout the Epistles. I call them the ‘5 tools to maturity’ and can most easily be summarized as: prayer, fellowship/community, outreach, Bible study and praise.

Last week we discussed prayer. Today’s tool for consideration is fellowship/community.

Definition - The biblical word ‘fellowship’ is most closely expressed in the Greek by the word koinōnia (κοινωνία), and its derivatives, which mean basically ‘communion’ as well as the word metochē (μετοχή) which means ‘participation’.

What does the Bible say about fellowship?

The Bible describes fellowship in the most general ways:

It occurs only between Christians - This is because we cannot be encouraged or learn from those who do not have the Spirit or who do not understand the Christian faith (1 John 1:6-10, 2 Corinthians 6:14).
Do not neglect - We are not to avoid fellowship. This is because it is good for us. It is also good for other people to see God working in us. Please see below (Hebrews 10:15-18, 13:15).
Functional definition - In reality, the Bible does not give a lot of detail, or a singular text, defining ‘fellowship’. However, functionally any interaction between Christians that is spiritually based, as described in the Bible, is fellowship (Colossians 3:12-17, Ephesians 5:15-20).

Why do we need fellowship?

The benefits of fellowship are assumed in scripture. As Christians, we need the example, as well as the verbal encouragement and reminders of God's word from others, to help promote our own walk with God (1 Timothy 4:12, 16). Likewise, our actions and speech provide this to other believers.

It is our fellowship with the Holy Spirit that provides the strength of character, understanding and knowledge to encourage other believers (Philippians 2:1, 2 Corinthians 13:14).

What fellowship is not!

One benefit we derive from church is social fellowship around food, games, sports, parties, etc. However, these events may not include true fellowship which should have a spiritual basis.

Think about it! Be careful in your own life that you provide not only a lifestyle that is encouraging (1 Thessalonians 2:10), but speech that helps others (Ephesians 4:29). How do we do this? Here are some ideas:

Know God's word – This is important, so you are speaking to others correct biblical truth and not church based jargon such as ‘that is not my gift’ or ‘God will open a door.’
Plan ahead - Consider before meeting with a person how you might encourage them specifically with: gratitude, commendation, thought provoking questions, sharing God's word or recounting what God has done in your own life (Colossians 1:3-7, 1 Thessalonians 1:5-7, 1 Timothy 4:16). If you don't know what to ask them, go to their social media accounts and learn about them. If you are attending a gathering, then choose one person to target with whom to fellowship.
Listen - Be sure and listen when conversing so you can learn and discover how you can even better encourage them (James 1:19).

Thank you for joining me today. Enjoy your opportunities for Christian fellowship! Come back next week and we'll discuss outreach!

William C. Stewart, MD

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

Wednesday, March 12, 2025

Does going to church help wellbeing?

Welcome back to my blog. I'm happy that you can visit again. The purpose of Teleios is to use the scientific method to show the validity of God's word as wisdom and guidance in daily life.

Teleios recently performed a study evaluating church members’ ratings of their church and its leadership associated with their personal assessment of wellbeing. We performed this study to assist Dr. D. Scott Barfoot, faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary, with his leadership studies. Full results - Influence of church leadership on congregant wellbeing.

The survey was conducted online with 115 volunteers from 6 evangelical churches in Oklahoma, Texas and California. Participants were mostly evangelical (97%) and agreed they had good wellbeing (88%). Similar findings were shown in surrogate markers of wellbeing including contentment, peace, joy and purpose. However, there was no control group in our study, so it is difficult based on our data to make firm conclusions regarding evangelical wellbeing compared to other population groups.

Nonetheless, other authors have demonstrated that Christian belief generally is associated with good wellbeing more than in those who do not believe (1,2). The better wellbeing among Christians is most often linked to church attendance, postulated to be from socialization (2-6). Additionally, in prior studies a number of other wellbeing markers have been noted including forgiveness, gratitude, hope and kindness (7-12).

Teleios also has found that Christians who are more adherent to their faith, using what we describe as the five tools of maturity (Acts 2:42-47; praise, prayer, fellowship, spiritual service and biblical learning) have better wellbeing than less adherent believers (1,2). This was shown again in this survey, specifically for biblical fellowship (P=0.013), but also showing strong trends, despite the relatively small sample size of the study, for prayer (P=0.046), praise (P=0.038) and studying the Bible (P=0.071).

Why would the 5 tools to maturity help wellbeing? We believe it may result from the satisfaction and comfort of the Holy Spirit as we pursue God (Romans 8:16). Further, we know God’s Spirit matures us to think in a biblical manner that helps us exclude negative thoughts and actions (i.e., sin) from our lives (Romans 8:13).

In addition, the Spirit, as we allow (Ephesians 4:29), leads us and acts on our behalf according to God’s Word (Romans 8:14; Romans 6:17). The joy and freedom which come from God, help us to be excellent in all our ways, both in pursuit of God and also in our endeavors for family and professional life (Galatians 5:22; Colossians 3:16-17; Romans 8:21).

We truly have a remarkable God who provides wisdom not only for salvation but for our personal lives!

Thank you so much for joining me. Join us again next week as we continue to discuss the results of this interesting study.

William C. Stewart, MD

1. MacIlvaine et al. Association of strength of community service to personal wellbeing. Community Ment Health J 2014;50:577-82.

2. MacIlvaine et al. Association of strength of religious adherence to quality of life measures. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2013;19:251-5.

3. Parsons et al. Religious beliefs, practices and treatment adherence among individuals with HIV in the southern United States. AIDS Subject Care STDS 2006;20:97-111.

4. Reed. Spirituality and well-being in terminally ill hospitalized adults. Res Nurs Health 1987;10:335-44.

5. Keefe et al. Living with rheumatoid arthritis: the role of daily spirituality and daily religious and spiritual coping. J Pain 2001;2:101-10.

6. Cotton et al. Exploring the relationships among spiritual well-being, quality of life, and psychological adjustment in women with breast cancer. Psychooncology 1999;8:429-38.

7. Emmons et al. Counting blessings versus burdens: an experimental investigation of gratitude and subjective well-being in daily life. J Pers Soc Psychol 2003;84:377-89.

8. Froh et al. Counting blessings in early adolescents: an experimental study of gratitude and subjective well-being. J Sch Psychol 2008;46:213-33.

9. Datu. Forgiveness, gratitude and subjective well-being among Filipino adolescents. Int J Adv Counsel2014;36:262-73.

10. Krause etal. Forgiveness by God, forgiveness of others, and psychological well-being in late life. J Sci Study Relig 2003;42:77–94.

11. Otake et al. Happy people become happier through kindness: A counting kindnesses intervention. J Happiness Stud 2006;7:361-75.