A Few Thoughts On Fellowship

     Where many have concluded that fellowship is the thing Christians do over fried chicken, a cup of coffee, and conversation; the New Testament use of the word shows it to be spiritual in nature. We have fellowship with those who stand for the truth, worship God in the ways He said He wants to be worshipped, and live their lives making every effort to walk worthy of their calling. New Testament Christians take tremendous delight in laughing with one another over a meal and recognize such intimacy to be a product of the blessing of being in fellowship with God. They recognize this foundatinal truth: it always comes back to God!

     How is the fellowship God desires established? The answer is found in 1 John 1:5-7. This is the message we have heard and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in Him is no darkenss at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. To claim fellowship with God is to walk in the way He walked. Look at Jesus Christ and do what he did. Love truth as he loved it, walk according to the Father’s will as he did, and love souls the way he loved them. Those who are willing to do this will not hesitate to put him on in baptism and will, as a result, join with those who share the same faithful commitment. They will work and worship together, fellowshipping one another because they are in fellowship with God. Anyone can claim to love Christ, sit down over a hearty meal with other such claimers, have a grand old time, and call the whole thing fellowship. But if one wants to be part of the spiritual fellowship in which God delights 1 John 1:5-7 tells them how.

     Not long ago a brother declared, “We cannot have fellowship with someone God does not fellowship.” If by “cannot” he means it should never happen then he is absolutey right. If by “cannot” he means it couldn’t actually happen…Well, that’s a different story. Let’s consider Scripture.

     We read the following from 3 John 9-10. I have written something to the church, but Diotrophes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknoweldge our authority. So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. Diotrophes refused to fellowship a group of traveling preachers (5-8). What’s more, he raised his fist against his brothers and sisters in the congregation who did welcome them, casting these faithful Christians out of the church. Further, he refused to recognize the authority of the apostle John. Thus, Diotrophes refused fellowship to faithful traveling preachers, faithful brothers and sisters within the congregation of which he was part, and an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. Note this well, beloved: God fellowshipped while Diotrophes didn’t. Severing fellowship with a brother or sister in Christ is never something to be done without prayerful study and meditation. Neither should it ever be the result of an emotional reaction. Man’s emotions lead him wrong. A lot. When fellowship is severed it must only ever be for a single reason: a Christian or group of Christians has chosen to no longer walk in the light. That conclusion should only ever be reached after calm and prayerful consideration of God’s Word. Otherwise, one may disfellowship where God has not. What a frightening proposition!

     Turning to 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 we find a different, though equally disturbing, situation. It is actually reported that there is sexaul immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rathe to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” These brethren had among them one walking in darkness. He was living in sin without remorese or repentance. They were aware of it and yet took no action to remove him from their midst. His wicked influence (leaven, v. 6) was left unchecked and could easily have ravaged that church had not Paul stepped it to get it sorted. Note this well, beloved: God did not fellowship while the Corinthian brethren did. When calm and prayerful study reveals that fellowship must be severed faithful saints had better have the courage and conviction to follow through. It is no better to extend fellowship where God does not than to sever fellowship where God extends it.

     What determines biblical fellowship? What are its boundries? What is to occur when those boundries are reached? Man has had much to say about this throughout the centuries and has left folks more confused than ever. So stop listening to man. Let us resolve to simply hear God. We know with certainty that He will never lead us wrong.