We meet here today in fellowship with one another. But this process first of all involves fellowship with the Father and the Son. As the apostle Paul says: “God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” As a consequence of this relationship he continues, “I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Cor. 1:9,10).
The more we understand the true blessedness of our calling in Christ, the greater value we will place on the fellowship we are invited to share. We have been invited to the very highest form of fellowship: one with God Himself, with His Son and with those who are His chosen people. We surely cannot be casual or indifferent about the true implications of its meaning.
The basis of fellowship
Formal ecclesial fellowship began after the ascension of our Lord to heaven. There was, of course, fellowship between the Lord and his disciples prior to that time. But fellowship in an ecclesial setting, with large numbers of believers, is indicated by the words, “they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers …continuing daily with one accord…” (Acts 2:42,46).
These words give a summary of what fellowship is all about. It was then, and still is, based upon adherence to the apostolic doctrine. This doctrine included the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ and a high moral code based upon the commandments of Christ. It was, however, more than just an agreement with right ideas; it included a state of mind that motivated a person to develop true love, agape love.
Since apostolic times, agape love has been the very foundation of fellowship. The Lord Jesus said to his disciples, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23).
Real action involved
Love of the Lord cannot be rendered in mere lip service; it requires much more than that. The harsh legalistic formalism of the Pharisees and Sadducee’s did not remotely reflect the correct spirit of saving faith. It was for this reason the Lord set forth conditions of worship that would require us to examine the true state of our hearts.
We can go through formal religious rituals without having our hearts moved by them. But “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith” cannot be faked for very long. When we assemble together and search our conscience against a godly standard, our hearts will condemn us if we are seriously deficient. Unless our motivation is strong, we will never sustain the extended conflict against the flesh that is necessary to be obedient.
Fellowship with the Lord involves keeping the moral code that is enshrined in his commandments. It is a fellowship of kindred spirits. We must become a living expression of his morality. We cannot claim fellowship with the Lord unless we draw near to him in spirit and in truth.
Fellowship restrictive
The apostle Paul expands upon the prerequisites of fellowship to the Corinthians in II Cor. 6:14-18. In this passage, a warning is sounded against unequal yoking.
We are cautioned, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial…and what agreement hath the temple of God with idols?” God desires His people to be a temple in whom He dwells and He will not share His temple with idols. This passage reveals the jealousy of God on behalf of His people. We must keep ourselves separate from the uncleanness of the world. This includes a separation of our minds from the defilement of worldly thinking as well as physical separation.
Love is the motivator
We have seen that obedience is an evidence of our love of the Lord. Our love for him is the motivator which empowers our willingness to adhere tc his commandments.
This love will not be developed in a day. It requires a growth of knowledge and appreciation of divine principles. The process may be very slow in some people and rapid in others. In every case, it will involve experiences both good and bad that we encounter in life. From those experiences, rightly viewed, we can draw strength and wisdom in the light of God’s word. Our minds need to be exercised in concert with the Word as we grow daily in faith.
Love in others
“Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful. It is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way. It is not irritable or resentful. It does not rejoice at wrong but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, endures all things” (I Cor. 13:4-7 RSV).
These attributes of love are beyond price. They should be treasured very highly in our brothers and sisters. They are developed only through much labor in the Truth. In beholding these characteristics in them, we are beholding the face of Christ.
Unity in fellowship
The commandments are the same for all in the fellowship of Christ. All must strive to reflect his attributes and believe his words. So the apostle can say, “I beseech you brethren…that you all speak the same thing and that there be no divisions among you; but be joined together in the same mind and the same judgment.” This unity is based on agreement about what is believed among us as we all strive to reflect Christ in ourselves.
The apostle sends the same message to the Philippians. In Phil. 2:1-4 he clearly shows that fellowship of a Christ-like spirit is to be manifested in members of the ecclesia. He exhorts them to use the resources of Christ’s example to guide them toward developing the true attributes of fellowship. “If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”
We can enjoy fellowship with the Lord and likemindedness with one another by progressively becoming more acquainted with Him, by understanding His ways more clearly and transforming our minds into His thought processes.
The apostle Paul’s strategy
In Philippians, the apostle indicates some of the strategy he used in seeking to implement the will of God in his life. He characterized himself as a man in hot pursuit of a spiritual frame of mind. He desired to follow his Lord and made it a clearly-defined goal of his life.
He refused to claim that he had attained completeness of character but viewed himself as only being in the process of attaining it. Forgetting the mistakes of his past life, he reached out for the things that lay ahead: “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).
Paul was urgent! He was a man in fast pursuit of an elusive objective. But he would not entertain the idea of being diverted from his course. He would seize the prize! He would possess it! He knew he had deficiencies in himself so he did not rely on his own strength but looked to Christ as the source of ultimate victory.
Fellowship with the Father, the Son and the brethren and sisters would not come without specific effort. Paul knew it and was willing to work at it. This should be our attitude.
Maturing in fellowship
We like to think about the benefits of maturity. We surmise that aging will make us more settled in our spiritual judgments. We trust our spiritual wisdom will be greater as we grow older.
While spiritual maturity should develop more strongly with longevity in the Truth, that is not always the case. Our spiritual maturity will develop in direct proportion to our acquaintance with the word of God. Spiritual growth, at any age, will be achieved only by purposeful pursuit of divine wisdom. We owe it to God, to ourselves and to our brethren to be zealous for the wisdom of God. We need to add to ecclesial fellowship our spiritual talents. We must push our growth to the limit of our capability. There is no point at which we can claim that we have grown enough. We may retire at age 65 and relax from our daily employment, but such cannot be the case in regard to spiritual things. Only death, or the return of the Lord, should mark the end of our struggle against sin.
The Lord is near
Let us remember that the Lord is always near for we are in fellowship with him and he makes his abode in us. He is near to answer our spiritual needs, to help in our struggle against sin. Because of this, we should always rejoice in him. We must let all men know and perceive our unselfishness, our consideration, our forbearing spirit, remembering that the Lord is near.
Even so come Lord Jesus!
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One