Fellowship and Abiding In Christ

The women in my church started a Bible Study last week on I, II, II John and Jude.  I was reading through I John this week. One of the key words is fellowship.  The Strong's Concordance says that the Greek term is "koinonia" and means fellowship, contribution, participation or sharing.  It means to partner with or enjoy membership in a shared body or organization.  As believers we partner in the Gospel.  We extend hospitable love to one another. Our hearts are to be filled not only with love for God but also for one another.  Just as there is unity among the members of the Trinity, so should there be unity among the true brothers and sisters in Christ. In John 13: 34 Jesus states: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another."  It is piercingly convicting to note that the love we should posses for each other parallels Christ's love for us.

There is perfect unity among the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. One fine day the body of Christ will forever live in full harmony.  In heaven there will be no discord, disharmony, disagreement or disdain.  We will be unified as the Bride of the precious Lord and Savior.  What a blessed time that will be with sin forever banished!  Christ's death dealt with the penalty and the power of sin.  Our future glorification promises that we will forever be banished from sin's presence.  Until that time we practice and live out the command to love one another as Christ loves us.  According to I John such fellowship of believers embraces confession of sin, prayer, assembly, exhortation, communion, bearing each others' burdens and mutual edification.  Fellowship with God is absolutely critical to the fellowship with other believers and is essential to effective fruit.  There is a reason why it is called the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It's not human fruit. It is His fruit manifested among His people surrendered to do His will.

The word "abide" is another key concept in I John. The Greek term is "meno". According to the Strong's Concordance it means to stay, abide, remain, await, continue, endure or stand.  It connotes to continue in, dwell, endure, remain, stand, tarry and to persevere. There are various forms of the word "meno."  "Diameno" means to continue throughout with interruption. "Emmeno" means to remain in.  "Epimeno" means to remain on in addition to upon, to continue long.  "Parameno" means to remain near or by and to continue or persevere in anything.  "Prosmeno" means to remain with, to continue with a person, to cleave and tarry.  "Proskartero" is to be strong toward, to endure in or persevere in and to stay steadfast. We see here the characteristics of Christ. Only Jesus the Lord fulfills all of these forms perfectly.  In our striving to emulate Him we must manifest the same commitment to remain by the power of His indwelling Holy Spirit. Our flesh isn't sufficient. God never intended such.  Only as we surrender ourselves to the inward working of Christ can we be vessels of abiding with one another. May we persevere in this charge even more as the day of Christ draws near.

Hebrews 10: 19-25:
19 "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."