Matthew 18:20
King James Version (KJV)
20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Day Twenty-Seven
Fellowship
This journey that we are on called life, can be a very hard to endure. This is especially true when you are trying to leave out of the shadows and walk in the Light. Our walk can become very lonely, particularly when we don't act the way we used to act, when we don't talk the way that we used talk, and when we don't go the places that we used to go. Lifelong friendships and relationship can dissipate because we have chosen to follow Jesus. These things are bound to happen because if we are to move forward we must leave some things and some people behind, still sometimes the route that we have chosen can become a lonely one.
The good news is the God wants us to know that we are not alone. We have our Christian brothers and sister to confide in, support, and encourage each other when this journey becomes hard to bear. This is why it is so important for us to fellowship with one another every chance that we get.
While having a personal relationship with our Lord brings us closer to Him, fellowshipping with a fellow believer can have an even greater impact to our relationship with God. For as the text above states, Jesus said that whenever two or more are gathered in my name there I am in the midst of them. Think about how much stronger our relationship with our Lord will be if we added fellowshipping to our daily routine. Our spiritual growth would increase at a rate much faster than if we attempted to only have solitary relationship with God.
Fellowship is defined as a group of like-minded who share the common interest, goals, experiences, and/or views. While attending weekly worship services is considered a form of fellowshipping, this is not the type of fellowship that I am referring to in this topic. Please note that we should regularly attend our worship services, for this is the time of the week that we sat aside to praise and worship God as a whole body (congregation). It's just that the type of fellowship that we are going to discuss is one that is more personal and more intimate.
The type fellowship that I am talking about can range from many different things but here are a few examples. Weekly or daily bible study, daily prayer partners, or even someone that we can call or someone who knows they can call us just to talk.
Having weekly or daily bible studies with another person or a group can strengthen our knowledge of the word, thus it helps us walk closer and more according to the Lord. Having a prayer partner can be a great weapon against keeping temptations at bay. It can also help us if we have problems with remembering to pray every day, with a prayer partner we can hold each other accountable. Having someone to call and talk to is just that. As we stated a fellowship is born out of having a group of people that share the same interest, goals, and experiences. How great is it to discuss our journey with someone who is experiencing the same success, trial, and setbacks that we are experiencing.
Before we continue let us discuss what kinds of fellowship that are not approved by God. Anything that involves slandering another person, gossiping, backbiting, or anything expressing malicious feeling about someone or something is not a fellowship of God. This is true even when such meetings are held within the church house. The bible tells us not to slander one another (James 4:11, 1 Peter 2:1) so we are to consider this before we judge someone, even if we feel we are doing it out of love. The bible also says that we should be encouraging one another not discouraging each other. (Hebrews 10:19-25).This form of fellowship allows room for the enemy to come into our churches and influence us negatively.
Lastly, we can fellowship with nonbelievers as long as we follow the example set by Jesus. Jesus was notoriously known for fellowshipping with so called sinners. Though He always pointed out that He had come to help the sick (spiritually) not the healthy and He called us to do the same. However, whenever we are fellowshipping with someone outside of our faith the kingdom of God must shine through us just as it did through Jesus. If we think about we know that people respond to actions better than words, so when we show much we have change, as in our speech, actions, reactions, and mannerisms, since we have been walking in the light it will make others what to change as well. So we become a witness to them as we fellowship with them.
Fellowshipping is something that I struggle with because I am a naturally introverted person. However, I knew that if I want to continue to grow in the Lord I must commune with others in His name sake. So this is something that I am working on daily and I do so by starting with someone close to me, my wife. Each day we try and fellowship with one another and try to encourage each other. The result of this have been twofold, because it has help me become more comfort with expressing my feeling about the Lord and it has also strengthen the bonds of our marriage. If you are struggling with fellowshipping with others like me, I encourage you to start doing so with someone that is close to you and who you are comfortable with. God will give you strength in this as with everything else. All you have to do is ask
Please join us tomorrow as we continue our journey. Until then God Bless
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