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Creekside Church, Sunday, May 31, 2026
Koinonia
Locations & Times
Creekside Church
660 Conservation Dr, Waterloo, ON N2J 3Z4, Canada
Sunday 8:25 AM
Sunday 9:45 AM
Sunday 11:15 AM
This teaching series is about how the Holy Spirit animates the lives of Jesus’ followers. The Holy Spirit energizes us, transforms us and breathes God’s life into ordinary people like you and me.
Who is the Holy Spirit? (See the link below)
Jesus Promises The Spirit
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever … He lives with you and will be in you … I will not leave you as orphans.” John 14:16-18 NIV
On the night before Jesus went to the cross, he told his followers that although he was going away, he would not leave his followers as orphans. God the Father would give them “another Counselor”, the Holy Spirit. This promise stands for Jesus’ followers today. We don’t do life alone. Jesus lives in us, through the presence of the Spirit.
The Spirit Comes at Pentecost
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 NIV
Pentecost (50 days after Easter Sunday) was the day Jesus’ promise to give the Spirit was fulfilled. While the disciples were all together, they were filled with God’s Spirit and given special ability to speak in other languages, to share God’s saving message with people from other places. From this day forward, every follower of Jesus is animated by God’s Spirit, giving us power to live for Him.
Koinonia
Koinonia is a Greek word that beautifully captures how God’s Spirit animates our lives. Koinonia is a Spirit-enabled sharing in the life of God that overflows into a deep connection with other followers of Jesus. Koinonia is the experience God wants us to have, that we would be animated in our relationship with God and each other.
The early followers of Jesus experienced koinonia and taught about it.
“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning – whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. this one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship (koinonia) with us. And our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3 NLT
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by mean of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share (koinonia) his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
Union and Communion
Koinonia means we have union with God. “God, who has called you into fellowship (koinonia) with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, if faithful.”
1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)
Union is our objective relationship with God. We belong to him. Nothing can separate us from him.
Koinonia also means we can experience communion with God. This is our daily experience of walking with him and knowing him through habits like prayer and reading the Scriptures.
Communion with God is about remaining (abiding) in Him.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
The Spirit animates our lives so that we can live out our true and highest purpose.
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Fellowship (Community) with One Another
“We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship (koinonia) with us.” 1 John 1:3 NLT
Koinonia means we experience community with other followers of Jesus. Through his Spirit animating our lives, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Spirit animates our community with one another through:
Love – we are empowered to love one another as Jesus loves us. (see 1 John 3)
Desire – we are given the desire to connect and grow together.
Insight - we share biblical insights with each other.
Courage – we are given boldness to be open about our lives.
Discernment – we are given wisdom for guiding one another.
Prayer – we are given help in our prayers for each other.
Living In Koinonia
Trust – lean into Jesus’ promise that he is living in you and animating your life to live for him.
Rest – accept Jesus’ invitation to stop striving and rest in him.
Savour – enjoy God. He is your friend. He loves you and wants to spend time with you.
Receive – open your heart to him. “God, I receive your love. I receive your salvation.”
Cultivate – seek to build relationships with other followers of Jesus. Be in community.
Who is the Holy Spirit? (See the link below)
Jesus Promises The Spirit
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever … He lives with you and will be in you … I will not leave you as orphans.” John 14:16-18 NIV
On the night before Jesus went to the cross, he told his followers that although he was going away, he would not leave his followers as orphans. God the Father would give them “another Counselor”, the Holy Spirit. This promise stands for Jesus’ followers today. We don’t do life alone. Jesus lives in us, through the presence of the Spirit.
The Spirit Comes at Pentecost
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Acts 2:1-4 NIV
Pentecost (50 days after Easter Sunday) was the day Jesus’ promise to give the Spirit was fulfilled. While the disciples were all together, they were filled with God’s Spirit and given special ability to speak in other languages, to share God’s saving message with people from other places. From this day forward, every follower of Jesus is animated by God’s Spirit, giving us power to live for Him.
Koinonia
Koinonia is a Greek word that beautifully captures how God’s Spirit animates our lives. Koinonia is a Spirit-enabled sharing in the life of God that overflows into a deep connection with other followers of Jesus. Koinonia is the experience God wants us to have, that we would be animated in our relationship with God and each other.
The early followers of Jesus experienced koinonia and taught about it.
“We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning – whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. this one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us. We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship (koinonia) with us. And our fellowship (koinonia) is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3 NLT
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by mean of his marvelous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share (koinonia) his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT
Union and Communion
Koinonia means we have union with God. “God, who has called you into fellowship (koinonia) with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, if faithful.”
1 Corinthians 1:9 (NIV)
Union is our objective relationship with God. We belong to him. Nothing can separate us from him.
Koinonia also means we can experience communion with God. This is our daily experience of walking with him and knowing him through habits like prayer and reading the Scriptures.
Communion with God is about remaining (abiding) in Him.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:5 NIV
The Spirit animates our lives so that we can live out our true and highest purpose.
“Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.”
Westminster Shorter Catechism
Fellowship (Community) with One Another
“We proclaim to you what we ourselves have actually seen and heard so that you may have fellowship (koinonia) with us.” 1 John 1:3 NLT
Koinonia means we experience community with other followers of Jesus. Through his Spirit animating our lives, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
The Spirit animates our community with one another through:
Love – we are empowered to love one another as Jesus loves us. (see 1 John 3)
Desire – we are given the desire to connect and grow together.
Insight - we share biblical insights with each other.
Courage – we are given boldness to be open about our lives.
Discernment – we are given wisdom for guiding one another.
Prayer – we are given help in our prayers for each other.
Living In Koinonia
Trust – lean into Jesus’ promise that he is living in you and animating your life to live for him.
Rest – accept Jesus’ invitation to stop striving and rest in him.
Savour – enjoy God. He is your friend. He loves you and wants to spend time with you.
Receive – open your heart to him. “God, I receive your love. I receive your salvation.”
Cultivate – seek to build relationships with other followers of Jesus. Be in community.