Fellowship

God has created fellowship, the fellowship of the saints, where Jews and Greeks, poor and rich melt together in an intimate unity in the Spirit. For through Him (Christ) we both have access by one Spirit. Eph. 2:18. You can find hundreds of fellowships, but there is only one fellowship in the Spirit and only one access to the Father in that same Spirit. “Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come.” Heb. 13:13-14.

All those who have determined to seek the city that is to come, and who have relinquished all their rights within the camp for the sake of that city, will soon find one another and learn to love one another in the same Spirit.

“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace . . . .” Eph. 2:14-15.

God gave the law on account of transgression. Because of the sin in human nature, when one person transgressed against another, enmity arose between them and hindered all fellowship. But now, in the flesh of Christ, God has broken down the enmity, first between the Jews and the Gentiles, and then the enmity between all people, regardless of their nationality. So a reconciliation quite naturally followed. When the enmity disappeared, peace ensued, and with it, fellowship. He reconciled them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.

Some say that Christ put to death the enmity through the cross, and so it is gone forever. But in spite of this, we see that enmity is extremely prevalent, even among Christians. They are divided into numerous denominations, all isolated from one another, because they are completely incapable of having fellowship. This shows us more clearly than all their words that all these people have not sought access to the Father in one and the same Spirit. It shows that they have not put to death the enmity in their flesh through the cross, which would have made a way and opened the possibility for us to do the same.

Everyone who puts to death the enmity through the cross gets fellowship in the Holy Spirit. Much is said about the Spirit, but not much is said about the cross, which is the instrument that the Spirit uses to create spiritual unity among brothers.

“And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.” Peace without the cross is of the flesh, of the world, and of Satan. The peace of Christ requires the cross before it can enter into the heart.

The glutton must stop pleasing his own stomach; the drunkard must stop satisfying his urge to drink; the vain person must put away his finery; the miser must open his heart and wallet, etc. Whatever caused enmity must be broken down; but not only that, the enmity itself—sin in the flesh—must be destroyed.

The cross is the peacemaker—oh, glorious cross. People say, “This is bondage!” It is bondage for those who love sin and the world; but for those who hate sin, the world, and themselves, it is a blessed means of attaining peace, love, longsuffering, brotherhood, and all the other divine virtues—virtues that could not break through due to sin, but which now can flourish because sin is nailed to the cross. Through the promises, divine nature grows within when we flee from the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Pet. 1:4.

How can fellowship be attained without the cross? Down through time, countless people have tried to glue things together. And that can work for a while, but eventually someone gets offended about something or other. The glue dissolves, and the whole thing ends up in enmity, just like before.

People assume that once they have become a Christian, fellowship will surely be wonderful and problems will vanish. No, my dear friend, Satan runs rampant, precisely among Christians who have not taken up their cross. The cross crushes the enmity, and then fellowship comes quite naturally.

As simple and straightforward as these truths are, they seem to be a complete mystery to those who would prefer to be Christians but still want to partake of the world and enjoy its approval.

Reject and deny worldly esteem and the lust for pleasure, and we will have fellowship in the same Spirit. From that day on, there will be no need to glue things together, because the nails of the cross will take care of that. However, if you want to have a good relationship both with God and with the world, God will see to it that your peace with Him will be broken.

It is possible to be in a deep, spiritual sleep and mistake this for peace. When several people sleep peacefully in the same assembly, they can think they have fellowship, but in the Scriptures this kind of assembly is called: the assembly of the dead. They have all wandered from the way of understanding. Prov. 21:16.