Delight Series #5: The Delight of Fellowship Among Believers.
I have been disappointed and disillusioned more than once in Christian fellowships and churches. As the years have passed, however, my understanding has grown. It seems all of us have eccentricities, don’t always agree on things, and tend to see ourselves as knowing better than some of those around us. Imperfect people can make lots of mistakes. So how do we get past the difficulties and pitfalls in Christian relationships to maintain them and even enjoy them? Can’t we just “go it alone”? Would that be better?
The exhortations from the Word make it clear that the body of believers is meant to be in relationship with each other, and Christ’s example among the disciples sets the tone. Relationships among Christians are meant to be satisfying and fruitful, but they are also the proving ground for love in action. Our love for each other as believers is a witness to those who do not know Christ.
Have you ever worked at a task where you push yourself to complete something alone because you believed you could do it better? Sometimes I heartily believed it was easier to just get the job done because it was much harder getting someone to work with me. The same kind of situation occurs among believers. Self-sufficiency, however, takes a real hit in the Scriptures when Jesus says that people will see that we love each other, because those relationships show that we have been with Jesus. In other places in the Bible, it gets personal as verses speaks of needing to forgive a brother if he sins against me many times. It also speaks of avoiding offense. It even speaks of making things right when we cause an offense, if it is in our power to do so.
I have learned some of these things myself, but it took a while, and I am still learning. We are not called to be lone warriors or lone believers. Perhaps that is why Jesus speaks so much about how we need the Helper (the Spirit) to make it all happen.
I can testify, it’s worth pursuing God’s command to love each other as members of a people on the same team, with the same God, and with the Holy Spirit, whom He sent to help us. It is a core part of His calling a people to Himself. In the long run, it becomes a delight to follow this path.
So, meaningfully love your brothers and sisters in Christ. Do not neglect meeting with each other. It might be a church, a home group, or a commitment among a few toward each other. Whatever form it takes, it takes more than a lone person or household.
John 13:34-35
I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
Hebrews 10:25
…not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near
