Eph. 4:15 But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, Christ, (16) Out from whom all the Body, being joined together and being knit together through every joint of the rich supply and through the operation in the measure of each one part, causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love.
Those who see the Body will spontaneously see the need of fellowship. They will spontaneously see that they cannot act independently. Fellowship is not a formal acquaintance but a spontaneous issue of the life of the Body. The common notion of fellowship among God's children is to visit a brother or a sister when we are free and chat with them a little. For most people this is fellowship. But fellowship really means a realization that we cannot go on alone, that we need to do everything together, with other members and with the Body as a whole. Although we cannot have all the brothers and sisters in the whole church come together, we can have two or three brothers come together and work according to the principle of the Body. We have to learn the principle of fellowship when we pray. We have to learn to fellowship when we encounter difficulties, and we have to learn to fellowship when we are seeking God's will, when we are not clear about our future, and when we do not understand God's Word. Fellowship means I cannot pray by myself, that I have to find two or three brothers to deal with a matter together. It means that I do not understand God's will by myself and that I seek to understand it together with two or three brothers. It means that I am confused about my own future and that I seek fellowship and I consider my future together with two or three other brothers and sisters. It means that I do not understand God's Word by myself and that I find two or three brothers to study God's Word together with me. Fellowship is to acknowledge that we are short, that we are inadequate, and that we need the Body. Fellowship is the acknowledgment of our own limitations and of the possibility of making mistakes by ourselves; it is receiving help from those who have spiritual discernment before the Lord. (This does not mean to ask for help only from those who are affectionate towards us.) I cannot go on by myself; I need the help of other brothers and sisters. The Body of Christ is a matter of life, and this life has feelings. This feeling will tell you that without fellowship, you cannot go on.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Watchman Nee, General Messages, Vol. 37, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, pp. 246-247. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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