The True Nature of Christian Fellowship
Recently I spoke on “Fellowship.” In it I tried to encourage increased fellowship. One of my observations is a lack of this somewhat. And a strikingly obvious way to see this is to note that there are several I personally have had very little fellowship over the years. Granted, time and circumstances affects that. But the fact remains that where time and circumstances allow and even are obvious, there can be little or no fellowship with certain of the brethren. Remember that fellowship is a joint interest in the Lord Jesus Christ. When this is true, we mutually visited around the Lord Jesus. Or we find the Lord Jesus via His Word is involved in our relationship between ourselves. Let me go further, one of the striking marks of good fellowship is when we openly talk about our lives and the Lord’s work in them at present. Granted we can have “doctrinal discussions.” I enjoy them. Maybe too much! But I am speaking of personal lives and the Lord’s work in them. You have noticed, have you not, how two friends can be together; visiting without relief about their lives, what is new and not so new. So likewise fellowship is when two or more are doing this in light of the Lord’s Word in our lives. Paul used the word “enlarged” when speaking of this. Why is it, then, that so many of us can be together, but so little fellowship at times? Oh, maybe it is there on one side, but not both together? Well, many reasons contribute to this, none of them good. This lack of “walking in the light” is often so because of pride or fear, self centeredness, a lack of humility, bitterness, anger, etc. Whatever it is, it is not good. I will put is plainly again. We ought all of us, believers, to find ourselves freely fellowshipping with one another- with all of the Lord’s people. If not, be sure of this, the fault lies in your or my own life. Don’t blame the other person. They may be hard, critical, or even deceitful, but none of that is any excuse to not fellowship. Maybe we need to tell them that! Oh, they will get offended, you say. Well, great peace have they that love thy law, and nothing will offend them, the Psalmist said. Brethren, are there some here that you do not, will not fellowship with? If so, you need to correct that. You and I are to greet all the brethren. We are to fellowship with all the Lord’s people. Make no excuses. Do what you have to in order to get by yourself, so you can fellowship with that undesirable fellow believer. It is sin to not fellowship with one another. You are sinning against me to refuse my fellowship. And so I you. Let us go forward in this matter. Let us humble ourselves, and become surprised at the great benefit that comes into our lives from learning to fellowship, and to fellowship with all the Lord’s people.