Church Fellowship

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 (1John 1:7a).

Jesus emphasized that believers should fellowship with one another and with Him as He fellowships with the Father This establishes a triangular exchange that edifies, teaches, and supports us. It's the way Christ designed His Church from the very beginning because it grows our faith and makes us stronger.

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another  (1John 1:7a).

Matthew records Jesus telling us, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). Christian fellowship pleases the Father, draws Jesus into our midst, and causes His Holy Spirit to move among us. This is illustrated in the fellowship the apostles experienced and in the early churches they and their contemporaries started. It was God's plan and Christ's design from the beginning.

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 (Hebrews 10:25).

In these troubled times, it is even more important that we gather together in love, encouragement, and support as Jesus taught us. We cannot get the same experience or the same benefits from distant churches, although they can be a blessing, too, and certainly have been during our semi-quarantine. As we begin to return to normal (although it might need to be a new normal for a while), it doesn't need to be an either/or situation. We can learn from and enjoy all types of Bible study and worship. But let's not forsake ourselves from gathering together in Jesus' name.

Wherefore comfort one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

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