Fellowship with Christ

20:31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. 

Fellowship With Christ 

noun 

friendly association, especially with people who share one's interests. 

"they valued fun and good fellowship as the cement of the community" 

the status of a fellow of a college or society. 

"she held the Faulkner fellowship" 

COMPANIONSHIP, COMPANY 

looking for the fellowship of friendly people 

community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience 

their fellowship in crime 

the state of being a fellow or associate 

a company of equals or friends : ASSOCIATION 

a youth fellowship 

the quality or state of being comradely 

meaningful communication for building trust and fellowship 

obsolete: MEMBERSHIP, PARTNERSHIP 

the position of a fellow (as of a university) 

applied for a research fellowship in physics 

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” 

John 13:34-35 NIV 

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NIV 

Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thessalonians 5:11 

I’m not sure who’s responsible for turning out the lights and locking up the church after our Sunday morning service, but I know one thing about that person: Sunday dinner is going to be delayed. That’s because so many people love to hang around after church and talk about life decisions, heart issues and struggles, and more. It’s a joy to look around twenty minutes after the service and see so many people still enjoying each other’s company. 

Fellowship is a key component of the Christlike life. Without the connectivity that comes from spending time with fellow believers, we’d miss out on many benefits of being a believer. 

For instance, Paul says we can “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). The author of Hebrews agrees, telling us not to neglect getting together, because we need to be “encouraging one another” (10:25). And the writer also says that when we’re together, we “spur one another on toward love and good deeds” (v. 24). 

As people dedicated to living for Jesus, we prepare ourselves for faithfulness and service as we “encourage the disheartened” and are “patient with everyone” (1 Thessalonians 5:14). Living that way, as He helps us, allows us  

to enjoy true fellowship and “to do what is good for each other and for everyone else” (v. 15). 

By Dave Branon 

Proverbs 27:17 NIV 

In the southern Bahamas lies a small piece of land called Ragged Island. In the nineteenth century, it had an active salt industry, but because of a decline in that industry, many people emigrated to nearby islands. In 2016, when fewer than eighty people lived there, the island featured three religious denominations, yet the people all gathered together in one place for worship and fellowship each week. With so few residents, a sense of community was especially vital for them. 

The people of the early church felt a crucial need and desire for community as well. They were excited about their newfound faith that was made possible by Jesus’ death and resurrection. But they also knew He was no longer physically with them, so they knew they needed each other. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teachings, to fellowship, and to sharing Communion together (Acts 2:42). They gathered in homes for worship and meals and cared for others’ needs. The church is described in this way: “All the believers were one in heart and mind” (4:32). Filled with the Holy Spirit, they praised God continually and brought the church’s needs to Him in prayer. 

Community is essential for our growth and support. Don’t try to go it alone. God will develop that sense of community as you share your struggles and joys with others and draw near to Him together. 

By Anne Cetas 

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT 

Luke wrote his gospel to provide an account of the ministry of Jesus (Luke 1:1-4). He followed up with a second volume, The Acts of the Apostles, which documents the work and ministry of Christ’s disciples in bringing the good news to people “in Jerusalem” (chs. 1-7), “in all Judea and Samaria”  

(chs. 8-12), “and to the ends of the earth” (chs. 13-28). Luke describes the birth of the church on the day of Pentecost (ch. 2) where three thousand people (v. 41) were added to the initial group “numbering about a hundred and twenty” (1:15). In response to Peter’s preaching in the temple, “the number of men who believed grew to about five thousand” (4:4). Despite internal strife, strong opposition, and persistent persecution, the church continued to grow as “the word of God continued to spread and flourish” (12:24) and “more and more men and women believed in the Lord” (5:14; see 6:7; 11:21; 19:20). 

K. T. Sim 

1 Corinthians 1:9 NIV 

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 

2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV 

1 John 1:3 NIV 

1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 

1:7 but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 

1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

1:9 If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

2:1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 

2:2 and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 

1 John 1:5-10; 2:1-2 NIV 

6 What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. 

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. 

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace. 

Romans 6:1-15 NIV 

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ,  

if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit,  

if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being 

like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  

3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility  

value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but  

each of you to the interests of the others. 

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 

6 Who, being in very nature[a] God, 
  did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 
7 rather, he made himself nothing 
  by taking the very nature[b] of a servant, 
  being made in human likeness. 
8 And being found in appearance as a man, 
 

  he humbled himself 
  by becoming obedient to death— 
  even death on a cross! 

9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place 
   and gave him the name that is above every name, 
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, 
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, 
   to the glory of God the Father. 

Philippians 2:1-11 NIV 

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 

Philippians 3:8-12 NIV 

When we were united by faith to Christ, we were brought into such complete fellowship with Him that we were made one with Him, and His interests and ours became mutual and identical. 

We have fellowship with Christ in His love. What He loves we love. He loves the saints—so do we. He loves sinners—so do we. He loves the poor perishing race of man and longs to see earth‘s deserts transformed into the garden of the Lord—so do we. 

We have fellowship with Him in His desires. He desires the glory of God—we also work for the same. He desires that the believers may be with Him where He is—we desire to be with Him there too. He desires to drive out sin—behold, we fight under His banner. He desires that His Father’s name may be loved and adored by all His creatures—we pray daily, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 

We have fellowship with Christ in His sufferings. We are not nailed to the cross, nor do we die a cruel death, but when He is reproached, we are reproached; and it is a very sweet thing to be blamed for His sake, to be despised for following the Master, to have the world against us. 

The disciple should not be above His Lord. In our measure we fellowship with Him in His labors, ministering to men by the word of truth and by deeds of love. 

Our meat and our drink, like His, is to do the will of Him who has sent us and to finish His work. 

We also have fellowship with Christ in His joys. We are happy in His happiness; we rejoice in His exaltation. Have you ever tasted that joy, believer? There is no purer or more thrilling delight to be known this side of heaven than that of having Christ’s joy fulfilled in us, that our joy may be full. His glory awaits us to complete our fellowship, for His Church will sit with Him upon His throne as His well-beloved bride and queen. 

1 John 2:27 ESV 

28 And now, dear children, remain in fellowship with Christ so that when he returns, you will be full of courage and not shrink back from him in shame.