From the late Rev. E. A. Hoffman’s song entitled “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms,” I want to take two lines from the first verse and one line from the chorus:
“What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
What a blessedness, what a peace of mind.
Safe and secure from all alarm.”
When we consider the words strong and fellowship, let us look at what they entail and represent. Strong is described as “being powerful.” Fellowship is defined as “friendly association, especially with people who share the same interests.” In this connotation, we should be strong in all our fellowship relationships, both physical and spiritual and not allow them to be broken by anything or anyone. Especially, not by anything that is irrelevant to our genuine relationships with man or with God.
Let us look back to the early church in Acts chapter 2 after the Holy Spirit fell on those in the Upper Room. After Peter’s declaration of God’s truth and power, three thousand accepted Christ. It was with this group that the word fellowship took on a new and strong meaning. They were proof that people who are in fellowship share the same common and sensitive interests.
In their fellowship, they shared and believed in the truth as it related to Jesus Christ being the Son of God and the Savior of mankind. It would do us well today to faithfully and without compromise share the message with others about the saving power of Jesus Christ, the only one who is able to save to the uttermost.
Today, we do not need any weak links in our fellowship with Jesus Christ and with other members of the household of faith. We must bind ourselves together in strong fellowship. Regardless of our differences in certain areas of our lives, let us be firm, strong, and steadfast in our fellowship with Jesus Christ and with our fellow man. The closer we get to our Lord, the closer He gets to us. The closer we get to one another, the stronger our relationships are. From that sacred bond of strong fellowship with Christ, the Apostle Paul declares, “Nothing or no one shall separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul knew the real value and the great need of having strong fellowship with Jesus Christ.
That idea of strong fellowship must also be noticeable and practiced in our relationships with other believers. So much, that those on the outside will not only be looking in but will have a burning desire to experience that same strong fellowship that they see in those around them who profess Jesus Christ in their lives.
Strong Christian fellowship is seen and is evident in our relationships that we share with those who are of “like precious faith”. For strong fellowship to occur, our interests must be their interests, and their interests must be our interests. However, those interests must always line up with the Word of God.
The stronger we are in the Word of God, the stronger we will be in our fellowship with others. The sweet psalmist of Israel declared in Psalms 133:1, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity”. This type of oneness will always produce strong fellowship among those who are of one common bond.
If we are going to remain “STRONG IN FELLOWSHIP,” we must remain:
• STRONG IN THE WORD OF GOD
• STRONG IN OUR FAITH
• STRONG IN OUR TESTIMONY
• STRONG IN OUR PRAYER LIFE
• STRONG IN OUR COMMITMENT TO GOD
• STRONG IN OUR BELIEFS
• STRONG IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS
