Jul 15, 202118 min read

FELLOWSHIP activate your spiritual cleansing today

Fellowship, a word rarely used in everyday conversation. When was the last time you received a txt or call, with an

invite to fellowship with a friend?

It does seem absurd and almost pompous, yet when applied with understanding will activate a supernatural cleansing. Let ‘s unpack what fellowship is and is not.

Our main text will be in 1 John 1:5-7.

1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Fellowship is literally the active ingredient that initiates the powerful cleansing blood of Jesus Christ. Fellowship is to the inner man of a person what showering does to the physical body. Imagine only taking a shower once or twice a year, on Easter or Christmas as some traditional people of faith do. Boy oh boy I’m sure we would be able to smell you from the next suburb. You’d be like “Jesus, Lazarus stinketh, leave him in the tomb !!!”

Activation: To make something active; operate.

DEFINITION OF FELLOWSHIP:

Strong’s: partnership, that is participation, benefaction, intimacy, intercourse.

Dictionary: A friendly association, especially with people who share one’s interest. Notice the two definitions? The world describes fellowship as a group of like minded individuals. The biblical definition is one of much more intensity.

Before we delve into what fellowship looks and feels like, lets see WHAT FELLOWSHIP IS NOT first.

1. A club with rules: Biblical

fellowship is not an association with casual non committal attendance or participation. Yes there are tremendous clubs and community services that gather people, serve and care. Without the ingredient of fellowship, a church is merely a social club, a place to ease the conscience and guilt.

Colossians 2:16 -So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or Sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 and not holding fa

st to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

20 Therefore, if you died with Christ from the basic principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you subject yourselves to regulations— 21 “Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” 22 which all concern things which perish with the using—according to the commandments and doctrines of men? 23 These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

2. Appearances: Fellowship is not external in its process. In other words keeping up appearances, for example a person who attends church, for religious duty. Tick the box attendance, put in an appearance in the Sunday best clothing, driving the Sunday car, and eating from the Sunday dinner plates. These people usually arriving as the second praise song is underway, and leaves as soon or even before the service has finished. As much as a pastor loves to see people attend the church, true fellowship does not occur with such a casual attitude.

Jesus has a showdown with the religious folk by addressing the hypocrisy of living an outward life of external display of religious pious living to appear godly. Read the full account in the book of Matthew chapter 23.

Matthew 23: 25 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence!

26 You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too.

27 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity.

28 Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.

3. Social media and online platforms : Fellowship is not attained through social media or online church: how can you fellowship deeply with a screen? ? You cannot interact as effectively nor administer your serving gifts that are designed to nourish and edify each other by staying at home and watching a screen. Have you ever noticed any one posting real horrible situations of themselves?? You’ll find most posts are the best, filtered and highlighted version of themselves. Notice online platforms are about you and not laying your life down for others. It’s in total opposition to fellowship.

Proverbs 18:1

A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment. 2 A fool has no delight in understanding, but in expressing his own heart. NKJV

Unfriendly people care only about themselves; they lash out at common sense. 2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions. NLT

4. Fellowship is NOT EASY. NOT SELFISH or comfortable. Fellowship is not for wimps. How would you know if your brother or sister was in need or in trouble or even in sin if there was no relationship, fellowship, and commitment to walk with them? Have you ever heard you can pick your friends but not your family?? Fellowship is not friendship you can just drop, block or delete when it gets too hard. Fellowship is family. Yes even the uncomfortable quirky auntie or the outspoken unfiltered brother, the embarrassing smelly uncle, the rich grandad and the whiny self indulged little sister. All family, all in need of connection, love, acceptance. Not one family member is exempt from a natural shower, neither are they exempt from spiritual showering.

WHAT FELLOWSHIP IS AND LOOKS LIKE

1. Fellowship is a WALK. It requires a personal close walk with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Walking in the light. Notice the word walk. Walking is a forward moving motion.

The first biblical reference of fellowship Gensis 5: When Enoch was 65 years old, he became the father of Methuselah. 2

2 After the birth of Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship with God for another 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived 365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.

Illumination: enlightened : Hebrews 10:32 But recall the former days in which, after you were illuminated, you endured a great struggle with sufferings:

PHOTIZO Shed rays, to shine, brighten, to bring to light, to give understanding, to cause something to exist and thus come to the light and become clear.

Walking in the light requires connection in your heart with GOD. To stay in the light takes a walking motion a wrestling to stay in the light according to Hebrews. Why? Having something light up will expose hidden and dark places in our heart. Just the other day, I prayed that my walk go deeper in the light which exposed a root of resentment in my heart that I did not know was there. Through the process of surrender, the Lord searched my heart and light up an area by revealing a feeling of resentment I have lived with most of my life. It would be baring fruit of rebellion and dishonour for most of my adult life, not to mention piles of frustration on why I felt resentment and controlled.

THE PROCESS

a. Surrender to the process:

Psalm 139: 23 24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; 24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Pray that the Lord search you heart and enlighten your ways: then pay attention to your responses to situations and circumstances. The way you respond will reveal the well you are drawing from in your heart.

For example: years ago, and maybe even recently, when I was asked to do something that I did not want or had made time for, I would over react and feel upset at the person asking me. Light had not yet penetrated this area of my heart, therefore I was still in darkness as to why a reasonable request sent me into overdrive? Instead of asking the Lord to light it up, I went into blame mode. The problem was never me, it was always the other person. I would use excuses such as can’t

they see I have no time for this? Or what do they think I am a super human? I allowed my feelings of anger to overtake to justify and direct my choices and my response. By denying myself any right to explore the feelings, going to prayer, and submitting to God, my heart was locked in a cycle of pain, and anger every time a similar situation arose in my life. I was kept in darkness snared by the devil to do his work even though I AM A Christian.

2 Timothy 2:26

And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, 25 in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, 26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

PRAISE JESUS, He does have freedom and a way out if we humble ourselves to the process. I surrendered to the process and asked the Lord to light it up.

b. Acknowledge the pain or suffering: ask the Lord to reveal what it is you are feeling. For example, when I became aware of my overreaction, I realised it wasn’t just anger I was feeling. I allowed myself to explore what was fuelling the anger. The bible says don’t give room for the devil, by letting the sun go down on your anger.

Ephesians 4:26-27.“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.

Letting the sun go down is not a 24 hour period to deal with your anger methodology to keep the devil away. The Lord doesn’t give you 24 hours to deal with anger before the devil gets a foot hold into you life. Th

e devil will push his way in, steal and kill if you let him at any time. Here the scripture points out the importance of allowing the light to penetrate and dismantle the workings of anger so that you will not sin against yourself or your brother. The Sun is a light source, and when we allow the sun to go out, especially on our anger, we no longer have a light source that will reveal what’s driving that anger.

In this instance, the Lord revealed that I was resentful. I was feeling resentful. This feeling of resentment was so familiar I did not recognise it until the sun was allowed to shine on the anger. Resentment was fuelling my anger. The next question I asked the Lord was “why am I feeling resentful? And where did it come from? “

c. View the situation through your adult lens, and biblical mindset. After acknowledging your feelings, either pain, hurt, resentfulness, jealousy, hatred, anger, fear, sadness, forgotten, insignificant, useless, incapable etc . Ask the Lord to show you where did this come from, when did you first feel this feeling? You are looking for where the door was opened to that seed planted by the enemy of your soul. Now you’re ready for the light, because you’re viewing with adult lenses.

For example, I acknowledged I was feeling resentful. The resentfulness was being fuelled by pain. The source of pain was from feeling disconnected with my mother. The Lord showed me I felt resentful towards my mother when she began to call on me for help around the house from an early age. She would ask me to do things that I know now as an adult were simple requests that helped and served her. But because I was a child, and because I was not getting the love and connection I wanted from her, I felt used, rejected and disconnected. As an adult, I have come to know me very well, and one of my top strengths is connection. So the devil fought real hard to disarm me, and disable me through my strength of connection. So here comes resentment, knocking on the door of my heart. From then on, resentment grew a big root in my heart that produced ongoing fruits of rebellion, and dishonour towards my mother then other significant people in my life. The feeling of resentment would begin to manifest when I felt disconnected in a relationship especially if demands were made of me that would perpetuate the cycle.

So I let the tears flow as I realised I was feeling disconnected from my mothers love. I know it sounds soppy, and the adult in me wants to say get over it. My heart however was still wounded which was only revealed to me through allowing the Lord to shine the light on it. I didn’t reject those feelings, I acknowledged them and embraced the healing process. When you have been made aware of the origin, usually it will come with the pain it caused. The pain is what often keeps people from the light. The devil lies, and we tell ourselves its not biblical to feel pain, or sorrow we must get over it and grow up. The problem is that we have a heap of wounded Christians pretending they are ok, withdrawing from fellowship because the process is too painful to go through and would rather stay in the dark and blame the pastor or significant other, perpetuating the cycle of death.

d. Give and receive forgiveness: Release and let go. Pardon, off the hook, you are not going to make them pay for the injustice any more. If you have never gone through the forgiving process, I recommend you take time to write the injustices against you down on paper and fully expose the roots as they arise in the light.

e. Take responsibility by Submitting, repentance, renouncing and resisting.

The best ending to any story is the ability of God to break you free from the cycle of pain, and wash you clean from its stain.

In my story, I took the truth to the wounded heart by repenting from submitting to resentments, rebellion and dishonour. I renounced them with my words aloud, broke off agreements and told them to go from my life in the Name of Jesus. And then I received the anointing to heal the broken hearted from Isaiah 61. Spending time in the presence of God, thanking Him, worshiping Him, and reading His Word to reassure my heart I am loved forgiven and set free.

James 4:7 --Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The last process to walking in the light is to resist the devil. Getting free is now staying free and walking in the light.

Now you are walking in the light. The adult lens has allowed you to move towards wholeness, and you are now walking. The struggle of the illumination is complete and you enter into the rest, the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

Hebrews 10:32 after you were illuminated you endured a great struggle…

Hebrews 4: 12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. 13 And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked

and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

2. Fellowship is with people of faith

o not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Remember the word fellowship, true biblical fellowship requires a deep connection. Having the first part of fellowship by walking in the light will not bring the full benefit of the cleansing blood of Jesus without the walking with people part.

Is fellowship being with just anyone then??? I hear you ask.

2 Corinthians 6: 14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

Hebrews 4:1-2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.

The NU and M-text read profit them, since they were not united by faith with those who heeded it.

Walking in the light takes faith and works. Walking with people also takes faith and work. !!! What is the first thing that comes to mind when your placed in a room full of people you don’t know?? Are you like me who used to avoid social gatherings with strangers?? A whole range of feelings will emerge with every encounter or transaction with people. What about opening your home to hospitality? Most people now days would rather meet in a coffee house etc. We avoid all awkward encounters and remove ourselves from any uncomfortable confrontations in the name of keeping peace.

The very first example of fellowship with a person is in the garden.

Genesis 2 :25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Notice there was nothing hidden, no existence of shame or embarrassment in the relationship until the fall.

Genesis 3: 7 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

( blame, does not take personal responsibility )

12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Adam and Eve had become compromised, uncovered and unequally yolked to be able to freely walk in the presence of God. The Lord had to restore His relationship with them through the blood of an animal. The first bloodshed that enabled Adam and Eve to be seen without shame.

21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

Fellowship is a deep connection with the Father and others that allows Him and them to see you in every area of your life without any feelings of embarrassment or shame.

Don’t let embarrassment or shame keep you from being healed, washed and empowered by this crazy truth called fellowship.

Embarrassment: to feel awkward self conscience or ashamed. Hamper, impede, make difficult or complicated.

Renounce embarrassment and shame, and get on with it.

WHAT FELLOWSHIP LOOKS LIKE

1. Fellowship will keep you accountable, and encouraged in your relationship with God. Proverbs 27:17. Iron sharpens Iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend

2. Fellowship is designed to meet your spiritual needs.

How do we know if you’re hurting, sick, joyful, or in need if you are not being with people.

James 5: 16 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

Healed: to cure make whole free from error

Tresspasses: to wonder from the path, offence, faults.

3. Fellowship is hospitable

Romans 12:13 distributing to

the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.

Matthew 25:35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in;

1 Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable

Titus 1:7 For A bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable,

1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

At the beach side resort of mellitus, Paul holds a leaders/ elders conference warning them to take care of the church of Ephesus and describes the walk he laboured and fellowshipped.

Acts 20: 17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 “And now, compelled by t

he Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of G

od,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your

guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed

to give than to receive.’ ”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

The fruit of fellowship will be the growth of the church

Acts 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

The world will know you by your love for one another.

John13:34 A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Jesus just finished washing the disciple’s feet then gave them this commandment. What a perfect example of fellowship.

John 13:4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of …

…. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed y

our feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Was it ABOUT WASHING FEET?? Maybe, or was it from a place of humility, that we together can love each other serve one another and display the power of the gospel to a dying world through the power of fellowship. ???

Just as Jesus washed the feet of His disciples, cleansing their feet, the gospel, un muddies, clean and ready to walk forward with power to a dying world.

LET THE FELOWSHIP WITH ONE ANOTHER ACTIVATE THE CLEANSING POWER THAT’S IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS TODAY.

Thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I pray it has blessed and illuminated your understanding. Please feel free to follow me on facebook and instagram. I co pastor

Harvest Church with my husband Daniel Robinson in the great south west of Western Australia and travel preaching and teaching the Word of God, ministering healing and deliverance. For more information please look us up on our webpage.

FELLOWSHIP activate your spiritual cleansing today

Recent Posts

Kommentare