The Fellowship

January 31

(Acts 2:42 NIV) "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship…"

(1 John 1:3, 6-7 NIV) "We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ… {6} If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. {7} 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, purifies us from all sin."

(2 Corinthians 13:14 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."

Scripture says the early church was devoted to “the fellowship”. This term was used for those who made up the local church. Instead of being self-centered, they became community centered. It is amazing what we can get past when we have someone else’s benefit at heart. Soldiers often have strong differences with fellow soldiers, but they remember who the real enemy is, and they stick together. They have each other’s back. Differences are minimized when there is a common mission. The early church was much the same. Getting our way is less important when our wills are bent toward the good of the community. Unfortunately, rather than watching our back, the church is often known as a place where someone stabs us in the back. This should not be. It is not God’s will for the church. The early church was devoted to the fellowship. That calling has not changed. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day