True Fellowship as defined by God
There’s much more to the biblical concept or the biblical doctrine of fellowship. It is indeed a very, very rich reality.
I want to read a portion of Scripture that will get us off to a good start. First Corinthians chapter 12. First Corinthians chapter 12:12, and here is an analogy that will act as a kind of initiation point for our discussion of fellowship, gives you a very, very vivid description of the church. First Corinthians 12:12, “For even as the body is one...that’s the human body...and yet has many members, and all the members of the body though they are many are one body, so also is Christ.”
Now that is the foundational analogy of understanding fellowship. They were all a part of one body. We all share in common life and we are all dependent on each other, although we differ, like members of the body do.
Verse 13, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many. If the foot says, ‘Because I’m not a hand, I’m not a part of the body, it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body.’ And if the ear says, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,’ it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?”
“Now God has placed the members, each one of them in the body just as He desired. If they were all one member, where would the body be? But now there are many members but one body and the eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ or again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor and are less presentable members become much more presentable.”
In other words, while we make much of the features that can be seen, it is the organs that are invisible that are the most important part of the body. Whereas our more presentable members, verse 24, have no need of it. “But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, so that there may be no division in the body but that the members may have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. If one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Now you are Christ’s body and individually members of it.” We’ll stop at that point.
In the sense that the Father and the Son are one in essence, one in shared life, one in will, one in purpose, one in mutual love, the prayer of our Lord is that we, the church, may enjoy that kind of oneness, that kind of unity, spiritual unity, unity of shared life, shared love, shared purpose, shared will, shared ministry, shared actions, shared truth, shared power. That’s fellowship! That’s what it is. It is the common sharing of the life of God in our souls. And it is why the Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 6:17 and said, “He that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit with Him.” If you’re joined to the Lord, then you have His life. If I’m joined to the Lord, then I have His life and therefore we have the same life. We share the common life of Christ. He that is joined to the Lord is one with everybody else who is joined to the Lord. This is fellowship.
"God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Cor 1:9
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?" 2 Cor 6:14
"That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 Jo 1:3
"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 1 Jo 1:6-7
"4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another." Romans 12:4-5
"15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
Ephesians 4:15-16
"19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
Ephesians 2:19-22
True fellowship with other belivers is only possible because we all share a common bond with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Unity vs. Physical Gathering.
The New Testament makes a distinction between the universal body of Christ (all believers spiritually connected by faith) and the local assembly (believers physically gathering).
Let's explore that beautiful contrast.
The assembling of ourselves together:
In the King James Version, Hebrews chapter 10:24-25, urges believers to consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." This speaks to the vital importance of local, visible community—meeting together, encouraging each other, and building one another up in faith.
The spiritual fellowship mentioned:
In contrast, the spiritual fellowship mentioned in 1 John 1:3 is a deeper, mystical bond: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." This is a universal reality based on the shared spirit of all believers, marking them as new creations in Christ, where old things are passed away and all things are become new, transcending distance and even personal acquaintance.
Our spiritual connection to the body of Christ is not created by sitting in a church building. It is created by the Holy Spirit the moment you believe.
"8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10
Because you share the same Spirit, you have a fundamental spiritual fellowship with a believer on the other side of the world, even if you never meet.
"17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."
2 Corinthians 5:17
A note here on digital ministry and my in person global missionary work witnessing, as I am doing right here via this website and my traveling to other countries for bible tract distribution in the highways and bi-ways. As the Lord works in me, for His good pleasure and will to glorify His Son Jesus Christ.
My approach highlights the beautiful breadth of the body of Christ. While I don't participate in a traditional local church, this online ministry website, and my travels to other countires and local missionry outreach distributing Bible tracts, are all powerful ways of expressing spiritual fellowship and serving the global family of believers. This is my part of the body of Christ, that God created for me.
This contrast lies not in my value as a Christian, but in the mode of connection: while the Hebrews passage emphasizes physical, face-to-face gatherings, This online ministry creates a digital assembly, connecting with thousands of people across distances to share the truth of Christ.
It doesn't make me different in terms of my standing before God, but it offers a unique and impactful expression of being all about Christ in today's world in global outreach.
