The Mystery of Fellowship
In the book of Ephesians, Chapter 3, there is a central theme that seems to be evident. That theme is all about fellowship. In fact, in Verse 9, you find the phrase, "the fellowship of the mystery." I believe that our fellowship begins with our relationship to Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul says that, because of that relationship, there are three things happening as our fellowship with Christ grows.
1. We get stronger - Eph. 3:16
2. We get sweeter - Eph. 3:17
3. We get smarter - Eph. 3:18-19
In other words, when my fellowship with Christ is right, there are some mysterious things taking place in my life. I seem to get stronger, sweeter, and smarter. Now to bring this all together, we must go to First John, Chapter 1. The Bible says in Verse 3: "truly our fellowship is with the father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Then in Verses 5 and 6, the Word of God says: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth."
In this short chapter we learn that there are two rules that should always be followed: Our fellowship should always be in the Lord and in the light. Anytime we get out of those parameters we fall away from God. We should do everything we can to keep fellowship in the Lord and in the light. Then, and only then, will we experience this mystique of God's blessings on our lives.
The other night our church had a great time of fellowship. Sixty-four couples loaded up on three buses to go to an undisclosed location for what we called "Date Night." No one knew where we were going until we turned into Stone Mountain Park headed for the restaurant at the foot of the mountain. Our crowd of folks took over the whole place. The food was great, and the fellowship was electric. We laughed, we ate, we played a couple of games, and we had a wonderful time. In fact, I think it was one of the best times in the history of our church.
Here is the key. When a group of people fellowship together while keeping things in the Lord, and in the light, then they are in for God's blessings and His help. The mystery of fellowship is an untapped resource for most Christians. Let's do our part to make our relationship with Christ deeper, sweeter, and fuller!
1. We get stronger - Eph. 3:16
2. We get sweeter - Eph. 3:17
3. We get smarter - Eph. 3:18-19
In other words, when my fellowship with Christ is right, there are some mysterious things taking place in my life. I seem to get stronger, sweeter, and smarter. Now to bring this all together, we must go to First John, Chapter 1. The Bible says in Verse 3: "truly our fellowship is with the father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." Then in Verses 5 and 6, the Word of God says: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth."
In this short chapter we learn that there are two rules that should always be followed: Our fellowship should always be in the Lord and in the light. Anytime we get out of those parameters we fall away from God. We should do everything we can to keep fellowship in the Lord and in the light. Then, and only then, will we experience this mystique of God's blessings on our lives.
The other night our church had a great time of fellowship. Sixty-four couples loaded up on three buses to go to an undisclosed location for what we called "Date Night." No one knew where we were going until we turned into Stone Mountain Park headed for the restaurant at the foot of the mountain. Our crowd of folks took over the whole place. The food was great, and the fellowship was electric. We laughed, we ate, we played a couple of games, and we had a wonderful time. In fact, I think it was one of the best times in the history of our church.
Here is the key. When a group of people fellowship together while keeping things in the Lord, and in the light, then they are in for God's blessings and His help. The mystery of fellowship is an untapped resource for most Christians. Let's do our part to make our relationship with Christ deeper, sweeter, and fuller!
posted by Dr. David A. McCoy at
11:15 AM
