Week 34:
Topic: Fellowship with God – Part 1
Bible
Introduction
Fellowship is a friendly feeling that exists between people who have a shared interest or do something together as a group. It can be described as people with the same purpose or experience. It was written in the Bible that human beings were created to do the work of God Genesis 2: 15. Then we must have fellowship with our Creator in order to successfully complete our job/task in the land of the living.
Any person that does not fellowship with the Lord has disobey the directive of God and such people can never enjoy the benefits accrue to those who fellowship with Him. The benefits that God had stockpiled for people who fellowship with Him are the following:
· Instantaneous wonders/miracles
· Their problems will be solved
· Their lives will be renewed
· Physical and Spiritual promotion/progress
There are two methods or ways to fellowship with God namely:
1. Songs, preaching, praying and fasting
2. Holy Communion
For this fellowship to happen you must fear the Lord and obey His commandments. It is then that you can be a friend of God by winning souls into His kingdom, and sharing common interests with Him.
Your Body Belongs to God
God created mankind in His image for the purpose of using our bodies and souls to worship, serve, and fellowship with Him. He wanted us to use our bodies in just and acceptable manners to do His will and not the fulfill desires of the devil.
Lawful
but not helpful things: Nowadays, lots of things are lawful in our community/nation
and many people are doing them because it is not against the law of the land. Let
me tell you, for the mere fact that something is lawful in your country or
region of residency does not mean it is acceptable to the Lord. Paul talked
about such things saying “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not
helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the
power of any” 1 Corinthians
Do not corrupt your body: Brethren do not corrupt your body because your body is not for sexual immorality, but to be used to fellowship with the Lord. The Lord in turn will use your body in manners that surpasses your understanding 1 Corinthians 6: 13. Therefore do not pollute your body that you are using to fellowship with God. Use your body judiciously to fellowship with God so that you will not allow sin to reign/rule your mortal body, or yield to its lusts. Furthermore, do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourself completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God Romans 6: 12-13. It is time to let go of your sinful lifestyle and start a lasting relationship with your Creator. Do not let sin control the way you live and don’t give in to sinful desires, but keep your body pure and use it to fellowship with God.
Your body is part of Christ: Brethren our bodies are actually parts of Jesus Christ. Now that we know this fact, should we now take our bodies which are parts of Christ and join it to a harlot? Never! Don’t you realize that whoever joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For the scripture say, “The two are united into one”. But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him 1 Corinthians 6: 15-17. The choice is yours, it is either you join your body to a harlot/sexual immoralities or to the Lord, but I pray that you will make the right decision.
Your body is the Temple of God: Always keep your body which is the spiritual temple of God clean at all times just like how Jesus Christ cleansed the physical temple in Jerusalem by sending those that are trading out of the temple.
The
scripture says, your body is the
If
you don’t want the Lord to destroy you, then do not ruin your body, which is
the
From
this moment, you must realize that your body is the
You don’t belong to yourself, so stop saying “It is my life and I can do whatever I like with it “. Somebody paid the price, henceforth start doing the will of He who ransomed you with his blood. Use your body in ways that pleases Him, most especially to fellowship with your Heavenly Father.
Do Not Fellowship with the Darkness
Jesus Christ said “I am the light of the world”, John 9: 5. If the Son is the light then His Father our God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth 1 John 1: 5-6. Do not deceive yourself you cannot have fellowship with God unless you quit living in spiritual darkness.
Since we cannot continue in sin and expect the grace of God to increase in our lives. Then no sinful person can have fellowship with God, unless such person repents and sanctify himself/herself. Psalm 94: 20. The eyes of the Lord is bitter towards sin, therefore any corrupt kingdom or administrations can neither fellowship with God nor ally with Him. Always remember that friendship with the world is enmity with God, whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself/herself an enemy of God. Such people can never have fellowship with God James 4: 4. If you choose to be a friend of the world, you have made yourself an enemy of God. You can never have fellowship with God and He will never have fellowship with you.
When we walk and live in the light, as our God is in the light, it is then that we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son will cleanse us from all sin 1 John 1: 7.
Week 35:
Topic: Fellowship With God – Part 2
Bible
We shall continue our discussion from where we left off and the next topic will be:
Joy In Fellowshipping With God
Anyone who fellowship with God will have joy that cannot be quantified. Such humans will be light-hearted. When people notice and ask them the reason for their gladness, they won’t be able to give a specific reason(s) because the joy is divine.
Be eager to fellowship with God: King David knew the joy that can be derived from the fellowship of God. It is for this reason that he stated when he was in the wilderness of Judah that “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water” Psalm 63: 1. There is nothing for you to lose but plenty to gain. Therefore form that relationship today with your Creator and seek Him earnestly, so that you will experience the joy of fellowship with God.
Since experience is the best teacher, and King David knew there is joy in fellowship with God. He was always glad whenever he was told that they should go to the house of the Lord to worship and fellowship with Him Psalm 122: 1. Emulate King David; always exhibit happiness whenever it is time to go to the church. Worship and improve the bond between you and God when you are on His Holy Mountain so that the joy of fellowship with God will be visible in your life.
Your knowledge of God will increase: Our God is mystery and His wisdom is unsearchable. If you pray to Him from a pure heart, He will answer you and show you mighty things, which you do not know Jeremiah 33: 3. Whenever you fellowship with God, whatever you ask from Him will be done for you. He will even tell/show you remarkable secrets you do not know exists about the past, present, and future events.
If you want to know the secrets of the Lord, then fear Him and fellowship with Him. It is then that He will show you His covenant and establish it in your life Psalm 25: 14. When you are loyal to the Lord and fellowship with Him, He will make you to understand the secrets of heavenly power and glory, most importantly how to utilize the divine power to destroy satanic kingdoms and trample on the Devil. Furthermore, He will establish His covenant in your life and the lives of your descendants after you.
Moses was human being like you and he was given the grace to speak to the Lord face to face. God Almighty can give you similar or better grace if you fellowship with Him Exodus 33: 11. If you want God to give you grace that has never happen in your lineage/clan, then fellowship with Him.
Useful and righteous tool: If you have fellowship with the Lord, He will utilize you as a useful and righteous tool to propagate the Gospel and win souls into His kingdom. He used Paul Apostle to make people understand the mystery of fellowship with God. Paul was utilized to enlighten everyone and make plain the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ Ephesians 3: 8-9. If you fellowship with God, you can be chosen to further explain His mysterious plan to mankind and divulge the beneficial secrets He had kept secret from the beginning so that humans will seek the Lord their God diligently.
You are a friend: Everyone who wants to be among the children/friends of the Lord must shut their eyes to the lustful things of this world. They must fellowship with Him and obey His command John 15: 14. If you want to be a special friend of Christ then do all that He commanded you in the Bible.
Examples in the Bible
We will take examples of people who fellowshipped with the Lord in the Bible and examine how the Lord rewarded them.
Joshua: After the demise of Moses,
God exalted Joshua in the sight of all
God parted the River Jordan (Jordan River ceased flowing) for Israelites to cross on dry ground just as He parted the Red Sea during the time of Moses Joshua 3: 5-13.
When
Joshua led the Israelites to fight Adoni-Zedek King of
Daniel: Daniel was rescued from the lions when he was thrown into the lions den. He was delivered because of his fellowship with God Daniel 6: 10-24.
People of Judah: They fellowship with God through song of praise and the Lord ambushed the people of Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir who had come against Judah and they were defeated 2 Chronicles 20: 18-23.
Hannah: Hannah was given the
fruits of the womb when she fellowship with God at the tabernacle at
Elijah: When there was drought according to the prophecy of Elijah. He came to a widow at Zarephath for a meal and drink. The woman complied to the request of Elijah then He blessed her by saying “the bin of flour shall not be used up and the jar of oil will not run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on earth” and it came to pass according to Elijah’s words because of his fellowship with God 1 Kings 17: 10-16.
God also used Elijah to revive the widow’s dead son 1 Kings 17: 17-23.
The
Apostles:
The apostles’ fellowshipped with God and numerous miracles were performed
through them. God performed many wonders and signs were done through the
apostles Acts
Dedication
of the temple:
At the dedication of the temple in
Week 36:
Topic: Fellowship with God – Part 3
Bible
At this point if we fail to mention fellowship with saints, fellowship with the Spirit and fellowship with Christ, then the study is incomplete, because the aforementioned fellowships are interrelated and interconnected to the fellowship with God.
Fellowship With Saints
Fellowshipping with the saints is one of the duties of Christianity and we must comply with this requirement in order to fellowship with God. If you do not fellowship with the Lord’s ambassadors who are humans like yourself, how then can you fellowship with God who is a Spirit that you cannot see.
Whenever you fellowship with the people of God you are fellowshipping with God indirectly. It is for this reason that John said that “what we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” 1 John 1: 3. You too enlighten and encourage people to fellowship with saints in order to establish their fellowship with God. Proclaim that when they have fellowship with the saints, they have fellowship with Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Remember do not forsake the gathering of the saints Hebrews 10: 25.
Offer prayer on behalf of saints: You can fellowship with the saints by praying for the believers. Always pray for them and most importantly give thanks to the Lord on behalf of Christian worldwide. Make requests for the saints constantly in your prayers, most importantly for their fellowship in spreading the Gospel to the four corners of the globe Philippians 1: 3-5. Do not be selfish, fellowship and offer prayers ceaselessly for the saints; because of their participation and partnership in spreading the good news about Christ till now.
Support the saints: Paul and Barnabas were accepted as co-workers in the vineyard of the Lord. The apostles encouraged them to keep preaching to the Gentiles, while they continue their works with the Jews Galatians 2: 9. Extend the right hand of fellowship by working as a team with the saints, encourage and give them necessary support in order to succeed in their ministerial works.
Give
generously to the saints: You can fellowship with the saints by catering for
their needs so that their lack will turn to abundance which will prompt them to
put in their best without fears or worries. Paul commended the Macedonians
because they begged him insistently for the privilege of sharing in the service
of the saints and participating in the service for the support of the saints in
Fellowship With Holy Spirit
It is important, necessary and essential that Christians fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Remember God is a Spirit and humans are flesh so we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit to communicate spiritually with Him. The Bible stated that we must seek consolation, comfort of love and fellowship of the Holy Spirit through/in Christ Philippians 2: 1. Since it is the Spirit of God that unites us, let us continue in the fellowship that we share in the Spirit without wavering.
We must know that, it is the Holy Spirit who helps in our weaknesses, because we do not know how to pray, or what we should pray for, but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered Romans 8: 26. Therefore do not forsake the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.
Fellowship With Christ
Jesus Christ said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me”. It means nobody can have fellowship with His heavenly Father without first having fellowship with Him John 14: 6. So ensure that you have fellowship with Christ, so that your fellowship with God will be acceptable.
God is Faithful: It is because our God is faithful that made Him to call us into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord 1 Corinthians 1: 9. It is not by might or power, but by the faithfulness of our heavenly Father that made it possible for us to have fellowship with Jesus Christ His Son. So do not abuse the grace.
You are a member of Christ: Believers are the body of Christ, and members individually. Therefore use your body which is part of Christ to fellowship with Him 1 Corinthians 12:27. Since all of us together are Christ’s body, and each of us is a part of him, so let us work collectively to make the body of Christ healthy through fellowship.
Share in the Sufferings of Christ: Believers must give up or shun the lustful things of this world in order to know Christ and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings to be like Christ in His death Philippians 3: 10. One of the best ways to fellowship with Christ is the sharing/participation in his sufferings and becoming like Him in death.
You
are citizens of heaven: Every believer that has fellowship with Christ is neither stranger
nor foreigner, but fellow citizens with the saints’ and member of the household
of God Ephesians
Holy Communion/Lord’s Supper
Holy Communion is the covenant of fellowship ordered or established by God through Jesus Christ our Lord. It is an eternal covenant that binds and unites us with Jesus Christ perpetually as long as we abide by the rule of the communion. Whenever we partake in Holy Communion, we are joined with the body and blood of Christ with an everlasting covenant.
Christ our sacrificial Lamb: Jesus Christ the Lamb of God is the one who takes away the sin of the world John 1: 29, 36. He was our Passover lamb that was sacrificed for us to be alive. Therefore, remove the wicked people from your midst and purge out your old lifestyle so that you will be a new lump 1 Corinthians 5: 7. It is inevitable for us to fellowship with Christ our Passover that was sacrificed for us.
Flesh and Blood of Christ: Holy communion is the communion that we have with the flesh and the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. The scripture stated that “the cup of blessing which we bless, is it not he communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?” 1 Corinthians 10:16. In a plain language, Holy Communion means the communion of the Blood and the body of Jesus Christ. So after partaking in Holy Communion, whoever attacks us has attack Jesus Christ.
Holy Communion Procedure
Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said “take, eat; this is My body”. Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” Matthew 26: 26-28.
Location/place
for Holy Communion: The only place that Holy Communion can take place is the
temple/church of the Lord and it has to be the front side near the altar of the
Lord. The Bible confirmed this by stating that “although we are many, we all
eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. Observe
hospitals, in your home, in prison/jail, public places or any other location except in the church, so that it will be acceptable to the Lord.
Conduct
at the Table of the Lord: There are conducts that must be observed at the
Lord’s table so that the Holy Communion will be acceptable to God. Everybody
must partake in the Communion together at the same time, without being
individually taken. Paul apostle advised the Corinthians that when they gather
together to eat the last supper, they have to wait for one another 1
Corinthians
It
was written in the Bible that God is not the author of confusion but of peace,
as in all the churches of the saints 1 Corinthians 14: 33.
Therefore, when you come together in one place, to eat the Lord’s Supper, be
organized and humble yourself. Let your mind be in the presence of God and do
not entertain anything that can bring chaos or confusion into the gathering 1
Corinthians
Week 37:
Topic: Fellowship with God – Part 4
Bible
We will proceed with our discussion by starting with benefits and consequences of partaking in the Lord’s Last Supper.
Benefits and Consequences
When you partake in Holy Communion which is done in the right way, many benefits will come your way, whereas if you partake with polluted mind and corrupted conscience you will bear the consequences. At this point I want us to know that it is the type of spirit that is dwelling in your heart when you partake in the Holy Communion that will be developed either Holy Spirit or evil spirit.
Paul
Apostle ministering at
Judas Iscariot: Satan entered Judas Iscariot mind because of his love of money. He conferred with the chief priest and captains, how he will betray Jesus Christ. They were glad and agreed to give him money. Since then he sought the opportunity to betray Christ Luke 22: 3-6. After the Lord’s Supper ended, the Devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot’s to betray Christ John 13: 2. We must know that during the Last Supper Judas’ mind was filled with the spirit of betrayal which is an evil spirit. Immediately after the Lord’s Supper the evil spirit developed in Judas’ heart and he quickly went to the chief priest and others to betray Jesus. John 13: 27-30. Learn from the fall of Judas; so always purify your heart and clear your conscience before partaking in Holy Communion.
Do Not Fellowship with the Darkness
Paul apostle warned that “we must not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?” 2 Corinthians 6: 14. You have been warned, therefore be careful because goodness and evil can never have common interest. Since there is neither fellowship between light and darkness nor partnership between righteousness and wickedness, do not fellowship with the darkness.
Brethren have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness, but rather expose them. Do not participate, support or encourage the fruitless works of the darkness, but always rebuke and expose them Ephesians 5: 11. Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; do not finance or share from their activities, instead expose them at the slightest opportunity.
Whatever the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice them to demons and not to God; so do not participate or share from their sacrifice in order not to have fellowship with demons 1 Corinthians 10: 20. If you don’t want to fellowship with demons or the darkness, do not eat or take part in whatever that is sacrifice to the idols.
Investigate Yourself Before Taking Communion
Every soul must examine himself or herself and if they are worthy; it is then that such people can partake in the Holy Communion.
Examine yourself: It is my advice for every believer who doesn’t want the judgment of the Lord to come upon them to examine themselves before taking part in Holy Communion. Paul advised the Corinthians by saying “let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup” 1 Corinthians 11: 28. Search your conscience and determine whether what you are doing is in conformity with the rules of the table of the Lord. Also make sure you have the right attribute before partaking in the Holy Communion.
Furthermore, if we evaluate and judge ourselves honestly by recognizing our shortcomings and take adequate steps to correct our behavior, then Almighty God will not judge us 1 Corinthians 11: 31.
Brothers and sisters examine yourself closely whereby you will detect your errors; then amend your condition/way before taking Communion so that you will not be judged by the Lord.
You
must not partake at Demons’ table: Flee from every form of idolatry. Do not
associate, support, encourage or finance idol worshipping. The Bible stated
that “you cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot
partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons’” 1 Corinthians
Partake only at the Lord’s table: The apostles partook only at the Lord’s Table and people witness great transformation in their lives. There was physical manifestation of heavenly power and glory in their midst. The congregation grew at an exponential rate and the divine peace of God dominated their lives Acts 2: 40-42. You too can witness such grace in your life if you partake only at the Lord’s table and do it according to the divine rules of the communion.
Do Not Partake in Unworthy Manner
Let me emphasize that whoever eats the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord 1 Corinthians 11: 27. Since God is not bias or discriminative, whoever partakes in communion in an inappropriate manner will be held responsible for the Lord’s body and blood of the Lord.
Judgment, sickness or death may result: We must bear in mind that if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries of God Hebrews 10: 26-27.
Therefore anyone who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment upon himself/herself, not discerning the Lord’s body 1 Corinthians 11: 29. If you don’t want the judgment of God to come upon you, let your spirit be right with the Lord whenever you partake in communion.
The consequences of eating and drinking in unworthy manner is not limited to judgment, it can cause weakness, sickness and death. Paul testified to this when he said “for this reason many are weak and sick among you and many sleep” 1 Corinthians 11: 30. If you don’t want weakness, illness or dying prematurely, do not take part in the Lord’s Supper in unworthy manners.
Remembrance Commandment
Jesus
Christ during his lifetime commanded us to always partake in the Lord’s supper
in remembrance of Him. Therefore any believer that did not participate in Holy
Communion has disobeyed our Lord Jesus Christ Luke
Proclamation of His Death
Whenever we eat the bread and drink the cup at the Lord’s Table we are proclaiming His death until the time He will return to this world 1 Corinthians 11: 26. Continue to announce to the world that the Lord died in order to redeem us by participating in the Lord’s Supper until the day He comes again to take the beloved home.
The Seal: 2 Corinthians 13: 14: The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.