God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:9-10)

Fellowship With Christ And One Another

In the Garden of Eden God saw that it was not good for man to be alone so He created the woman to be a helpmeet for the man completing his need for companionship. The establishment of the home is the first level of personal connection man has. It is there he learns the value of family and kinship. Blood relationships are very strong sharing in the nature of common values, ideals and goals. Families united together are very strong bonds of community that make unbreakable ties binding hearts and souls together as one. Men united together for a common cause build nations and establish a long history of communal strength that last for ages. The strongest bond man has known is found in the community of believers that have made up the brotherhood of godly men and women serving the true and living God. Noah and his family saved the world from complete annihilation because they were united together for the common cause of righteousness in a world given over to everything unrighteous. Abram was called away from his home as a man who ruled over his house united under the banner of faith that God would care for them. His family would become the seed promise to fulfill the plan of redemption in Jesus Christ where all the nations of the world would be blessed. In the fullness of time man’s redemption was found at the cross on Calvary where Jesus died and shed His blood to purchase the church, the family of God. There is no longer a distinction made between Jews and Gentile for all men are one under Jesus Christ. United under the flag of grace the blood of Christ draws men from different walks of life, diverse backgrounds and a multitude of personalities to be one in the body. On the day of Pentecost three thousand devoted people from various nations came together as the first converts to form the beginning of the church of Christ. What happened next was a remarkable story: they had fellowship with one another.

As the early church grew there were questions on how to mix together the people that would become known as Christians. In the church of Corinth there were factions of people who followed Peter, some who were aligned with Apollos and others who fancied themselves followers of Paul. The unity of the spirit of God was divided through carnal minds seeking to establish their wisdom by the philosophies of men rather than the pure gospel of Christ. Forgotten by the Corinthian brethren was the fellowship they all shared with the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He was their Lord. They were to serve Him. All of them were to serve the Lord Jesus Christ. If they were all to serve Him they should remember they have the same fellowship with one another. God was faithful to unite them as one in the body and they had forgotten to keep that unity in their relationship with one another. It was easy for them to see their fellowship with the Father but they refused to acknowledge their fellowship with one another. What they failed to understand is that without fellowship with their brethren there could be no fellowship with the Father. Every Christian is called into the fellowship of Jesus Christ which demands a fellowship with one another.

The result of their carnal minds led the Corinthian church to be divided into factions. They were divided under the flag of confusion, distrust and disfellowship. Fellowship with Christ demanded fellowship with one another. This communion came from their unity of speech in the same mind and the same judgment. Fellowship suggests having things in common with others unified with the same hopes, goals, aspirations and purpose. As people of God there is a unity of spirit to hate sin, exalt righteousness and seek those things that are above where Christ is. Albert Barnes said, “They are united in feelings, in interests, in dangers, in conflicts, in opinions, and in the hopes of a blessed immortality.” Fellowship is having a common bond for the desire of eternal life together will all the saints of God from every nation and from every age. If fellowship cannot be achieved in the church of Christ here on earth it is going to be very difficult to imagine fellowship in Heaven with all the saved from time beginning. Every member should strive to learn to power of spiritual fellowship binding the hearts of God’s children together as one so the world can see the grace of Christ living in the hearts of saved people. God is faithful to call us into fellowship with His Son. We must be faithful to call others into the fellowship of brother love.