True Biblical Fellowship

There are four important ministries and activities in the early Church (Acts 2:42) - The apostles' doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread, and prayers. My last posting was "The Goal of our instruction" which essentially concerns the importance of the Apostles's Doctrine. I have also posted two messages concerning the Holy Communion - "Biblical Background of the Bread and the Wine" (April, 21st 2005) and "Biblical Significance of the Holy Communion" (April, 27th 2005).

This message concerns "Fellowship". Notice that the "Breaking of bread" does not mean only the part-taking of the Holy Communion but also concerns the sharing of meals together among believers (Acts 2:46). The needs of sharing among believers, being part of fellowship, will be discussed in this message.

The Basis of Fellowship

The word "fellowship" comes from the Greek word "koinonia" which means "sharing together" or "having things in common".

Paul said, "God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His son, Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9, NKJV, emphasis added).

In other words, the main purpose of our salvation is to have fellowship with the Godhead. Notice the phrase "called into" indicates that fellowship is a goal (or an end) and not a means of achieving a goal. The "means" of achieving the goal of fellowship with the Godhead are witnessing and preaching the Gospel to unbelievers.

On this basis, we can define the Gospel as God's invitation to the human race to share the eternal fellowship of the Godhead.

Eternal Fellowship of the Godhead

The Godhead is eternal in nature; God is eternally the Father; He is eternally the Head of Jesus Christ and both of Them have eternal fellowhip in the Holy Spirit. All God's purposes including creation are born out of fellowship of the Godhead.

Here are some examples:

1. Creation of man is a collective decision of the Godhead in counsel:

God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; .... " (Gen. 1:26).

2. Collective decision to drive man out of the Garden of Eden:

The Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also the tree of life, and eat and live forever .... " (Gen. 3:22).

3. Collective decision to confuse men's language:

The Lord said, "Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech" (Gen. 11:7).

4. Collective decision to send Isaiah:

Isaiah heard the Lord said, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us" (Isaiah 6:8).

The Fellowship of Believers with one another and with the Godhead

John said, "..... that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ. And these thing we write to you that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:3, 4, emphasis added).

In other words, believers' fellowship with the Godhead makes it possible for believers' fellowship with one another. The fullness of joy comes when believers enter into fellowship with the Godhead and with one another.

God's Condition of Fellowship

John said, ".... God is light and in Him is not darkness at all. If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:5, 7).

The condition of fellowshipping with God and with one another is we must walk continuously in the light. The reason being God is light. This is also the reason why believers cannot have fellowship with unbelievers because they walk in darkness before the regeneration of their spirit (2 Cor. 6:14 - 18). This does not mean, however, believers should have nothing to do with unbelievers. Believers can have friendship with them and share the Gospel with them.

The cleansing power of the blood of Jesus is also conditional. If we fail to walk in the light our sins will no be cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Walking in the light is the test of our relationship with other believers. Here is a spiritual law - Out of fellowship causes the believer to be out of the light. Because the blood of Jesus does not cleanse in the dark, the believer who is out of fellowhip will continue to walk in darkness. The only way to come back into the light is by confession according to 1 John 1:9.

The protection of the blood is continuous if we continue to walk in the light and continue to have fellowship with other believers. This means that if this condition is fulfilled, it is not necessary to plead the blood of Jesus or to apply the blood in every object or situation. The important thing is not to plead the blood of Jesus but to walk in the light. If we fail to walk in the light pleading the blood of Jesus will not help us.

Fellowship is in the Realm of the Spirit

My readers should refer to my earlier postings concerning things of the spirit, soul and body.

Every man is a spirit being; he has a soul and he lives in a body. True fellowship is made possible when the man is born again by the Spirit of God. He is now able to have true fellowship with other born again believers led by the Spirit of God. His fellowship with other believers and with the Godhead is in the realm of the spirit led by the Spirit of God.

Paul said, "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God" (Eph. 2:19, emphasis added).

All believers belong to God's family. This implies that as Christians we have horizontal and vertical relationships (fellowships). We have God as our Father and we are brothers and sisters one to another. Someone has said, you may choose your friends but you cannot choose your own family members. Therefore, whether we like one another or not we have to get along. Our soul life can be a hindrance to fellowship because we all have different temperaments. We can and will get along if we "see" one another in the spirit realm and when our soul life is under the control of our regenerated spirit led by the Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit that binds us together in true fellowship.

The Importance of True Spiritual Fellowship

By careful study of the New Testament Church we discover an important spiritual principle - no fellowship no spiritual birth. In other words, all spiritual births are born out of spiritual fellowship between believers one to another and with the Godhead.

Here are two examples:

1. The Birth of the First Church

I believe the Church was brought forth in a prayer meeting and not on the Day of Pentecost.

There were about 120 people gathered in a prayer meeting in an upper room in Jerusalem.

"These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication , with the women and Mary the mather of Jesus and with His brothers" (Acts 1:14, emphasis added).

The above verse describes a true fellowship between believers. Notice that ture spiritual fellowship always includes prayer. This is obvious because without prayer and supplication God has no part in the fellowship.

2. The First Missionary Assignment

Read Acts 13:1, 2, 3.

A group of believers including prophets and teachers were fellowshipping in the Church at Antioch. They were having fellowship with the Lord, ministering to Him, fellowshipping with one another, fasted and out of that came forth a divine purpose.

The Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them" (Acts 13:2).

Notice that this divine assignment was born out of spiritual fellowship among God's people and not out of a Church Committee meeting. The end result was that they accomplished the purposes of God as recorded at the end of Acts 14.

They've got the job done because this assignment was born out the Spirit and not out of the flesh (consensus and voting) like many of our local Church programs and projects!

John said, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6).

Notice that "consensus and voting" in the local Church usually brings forth an "Ishmael", a product of the flesh!

John also said, "What ever is born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4).

The lord of the world is Satan. Therefore what is born of God cannot be defeated by Satan. Whatever is born of God must succeed and cannot fail!