Christian fellowship is not an option – it is a necessity for Christian development and usefulness.

Having noted the nature of Christian fellowship, and the content of Christian fellowship, I now turn to the utility or usefulness of Christian fellowship.

This usefulness is not simply personal, but collective, even to the extent of national and international usefulness. The reason for this is Christ’s own agenda – “All nations shall worship before Thee” Ps 86:9; “all nations shall serve Him” Ps 72:11; “the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” Rev 11:15.  To accomplish this end, the resurrected Jesus is seated at God’s right hand Ps 110:1, which is one of the commonest Old Testament texts quoted in the New Testament.

So this will be a long blogpost, moving from the individual to the global, and then generationally forwards from today towards the biblical Millennium, the future of Christianity and the future blessedness for this world. After all, the subject is the usefulness of Christian fellowship, and this stretches very far indeed.

We must begin at the personal and local level. Every race has a finishing line and every task has a goal in view. To run the race we need to focus on the finishing line. Paul points out that the Christian race begins and ends with Jesus Christ Heb 12:1-2. To begin the race Jesus said: “You must be born again” Jn 3:3,5,7. You do not give birth to yourself. Jesus explained that we must be born again by God’s Spirit taking hold of us to such an extent that He makes us new creatures 2Cor 5:17. This is the starting line and without it we cannot begin, far less run nor finish the Christian race. God must enter your life.

This is the personal level. But there are greater goals in view.

The usefulness of Christian fellowship to ourselves

There is a Gaelic proverb: “A friend’s eye is a good mirror.” Others see in us what we cannot see in ourselves. In this way we learn from them, if we are humble enough. We need others to point out where we go wrong and to help to put us right. Similarly with Christian fellowship.

Our best friend is Christ Himself. Jesus told His disciples: “Henceforth I do not call you servants because the servant does not know what his master is doing: but I have called you friends because all things that I have heard with My Father I have made known to you” Jn 15:15. Jesus continues to do so by His Holy Spirit, Who has given us the Bible Jn 16:13 and Christian fellowship to help us.

We develop as Christians by Christian fellowship. We need each other, and Christian fellowship will improve our usefulness to the church, to our family and to our immediate society. The Lord might even put you in providential circumstances that enable you to benefit or guide whole nations. However, this is unlikely without Christian fellowship because such fellowship is necessary for Christian usefulness in this fallen world.

The Means of Grace

To be an effective Christian requires the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ. Jesus said: “without Me you can do nothing spiritually effective” Jn 15:5.

How does He work in, with and by us? The Holy Spirit uses various tools that we call “the means of grace”, the means or tools or methods through which the Holy Spirit develops what He has begun in the heart of the godly. These means of grace are means by which we receive divine grace to empower or enable us to think, speak and act in a godly or Christian manner. These involve private and public means of grace.

I will simply list these “means” in order to reach the point that Christian fellowship is one of these means.

The means of grace can be listed as prayer, the Word of God, God’s Providence, the church, reading and preaching the Word of God, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper and Christian fellowship.

The private means for receiving grace for Christian living are prayer, asking God through the intercession of Jesus Christ for His Holy Spirit, reading the Bible in order to learn what to do and prayerful meditation upon it. The apostle Paul’s first prayer, after he asked Christ to reveal His identity to him Act 9:5, was: “Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?” Act 9:6. This is private, Christian fellowship with God Himself, and “out of His fulness” we receive grace Jn 1:16, grace to help us in every time of need Heb 4:16.

There is also Christian fellowship with one another at a private level, which can be more useful than the public level for some purposes, although it has its limitations. Discussion with other Christians, Bible studies, family worship and other activities such as personal evangelism are other means through which one learns many lessons, even from our mistakes, so don’t be put off by saying, I cannot do that. The Christian life is not only a long distance race, but it is a training ground with its own God-given assault course: “By my God assisting me, I leap over a wall” Ps 18:29. This training is in the school of Life, which we call Providence, which Jesus described as a cup to drink Jn 18:11. God’s Providence brings us into contact with others, the family in which we were born, where we live, the society in which we are, with all the subsequent circumstances in our life. It is vain to rebel against God’s Providence. God is good and His Providence is good. God’s plan for our lives includes learning from Christian fellowship, to make the best of our providential circumstances.

The public means of grace for Christian usefulness are the worship of God, congregational fellowship in Bible-believing Christian churches, Bible studies and collective discussion groups, prayer meetings and collective evangelistic outreach.

Doing things together and learning together are important. This brings us to Christian unity and its usefulness not only for life in general but for Christian fellowship, and vice versa. In other words, the usefulness of collective Christian fellowship is not only in developing your own Christian life, and the life of your local Christian community, but also in its impact upon your wider community and, reaching out from this, upon your nation and the world beyond. Jesus said: “The field is the world” Mat 13:38 and the world certainly needs Christ and His Gospel.

So the usefulness of Christian fellowship is that it is a means of grace to develop you personally and thereby to benefit others collectively, your family and friends, your workplace, your community, your church fellowship, your nation and possibly even beyond this to the international sphere.

The usefulness of Christian fellowship is both personal and collective.

The usefulness of Christian fellowship to others

Considering the collective level, I now turn to the usefulness or benefit of Christian fellowship to society at large. Although individual Christians may prove beneficial to society, this will be interpreted by society as this individual’s talents and contribution, and people will not necessarily attribute this to Christ nor the Gospel. Yet Jesus said: “Let your (plural) light shine before men in such a manner so that they may see your good works and (my emphasis) glorify your Father Who is in heaven” Mat 5:16. We may succeed with the former clause, but how do we accomplish the latter clause? We need to learn from each other and to demonstrate Christian unity in collective action. I worked for ten years as a Street Pastor in Inverness and one point that the public regularly wanted to know is which church we were from. When we told them that we came from many different churches they usually expressed their approval. Remember, these are usually young people and night-time revellers and they respond positively to collective Christian care. Thus Christ prayed to His Father: “That they all may be one; as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be one in Us: that the world may believe that Thou hast sent Me” Jn 17:21.

The usefulness of Christian unity

The history of humanity is one of envy, jealousy, strife and warfare, interrupted by periods of relative calm, although even then injustice to women, slaves and workers continued. History is full of such stories.

There is nothing that will unite people like Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. His message of love contrasted with Greek and Roman philosophy, His attitude to women Jn 11:5 incensed His detractors, and His teaching on Christian service emancipated Christian slaves in their spirit Jn 8:36, with the hope of eternal freedom in the world to come upholding their spirit when their ungodly slave-owners would not free their body nor family.

Although the Christian Gospel has been frequently misunderstood, and even abused by aggressive ecclesiastics to pursue their own agenda, yet the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ has His own agenda that even the devil cannot stop.

The apostle Paul explains the unity of Christian fellowship and illustrates its usefulness with the practical unity between Jew and Gentile effected by Jesus Christ. Formerly, they were alienated from each other Eph 2:12 but in Jesus Christ the ungodly enmity between man and man was removed, making a unity between Christian brethren.  Jesus unites people by making them Christian brethren. Paul continues to develop the subject of Christian brotherly unity in Eph 4, not by the way of ecclesiastical, organisational, domineering control 2Cor 1:24 but as a well-functioning body Eph 4:11-16 where each member needs, uses and develops each other’s gifts and graces. Paul calls this process “making a new man” Eph 2:15, a new humanity. In Jesus Christ a new unity and peace is created between formerly warring parties. This is good news for this wicked, warring world. If Jesus can unite Jew and Gentile, what can He not do?

A divided world is in much need of this unity. Ungodly, international bodies cannot accomplish what Christ has already accomplished. Their best efforts are pale imitations of Christian care, and sometimes amount to persecution or worse, each new political movement being sure of the justice of its own Cause and expecting others to rally to its flag and adopt its worldview promising them an illusory liberty 2Pe 2:19.

Christian fellowship can promote Christian behaviour

It is proverbial that “one can change behaviour, but not hearts”. A dominant political system may force its will and philosophy upon an unwilling population, but not change hearts. Rather, it stokes up resentment until an opportunity arises to remove it and replace it with the next system. In the past, and even to the present, this has involved violence, even to the extent of civil, national and international warfare. In more recent times, political change has been more orderly in democratic societies. One of the benefits of democracy is that the public can change the leadership through the ballot box. In practice, it can be more of the same or, worse, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Too often, even these elections have led to violence by poor losers in unstable societies. My point stands. National politics does not change hearts. The Gospel of Jesus Christ does.

But judgment must begin at the house of God 1Pe 4:17. Christians need to put their own house in order before they can expect the world to listen to them. Thus we must begin with ourselves, with input from the fellowship of the Christian church, and then work outwards.

What do others think about you? Do the godly see Jesus Christ in you? Does their knowledge and acquaintance with you remind them even slightly of the Lord Jesus? You are My witnesses, says the Lord Isa 43:10,12. Does your conversation and Christian love, care and concern make them learn about Christ and seek to be more like Him? Do you aim to be more Christlike in your speech and behaviour?

Personal relationships, and the danger of abusive relationships, are mentioned in my previous post in this series. Christian fellowship is useful for preventing backsliding, being a motive towards, as well as promoting, Christian living.

The church is one’s local focus, but far too many Christians stop here, developing an insular outlook, (an oxymoron), rather, a seige mentality Isa 26:20, which never seems to end. Remember that Christ has promised to be with His Church whenever it is fulfilling its missionary role Mat 28:18-20. Christ gives advice to the seven churches in Asia Rev 2 and Rev 3. These churches had matters to correct in their local congregations and He was even ready to disown some if they did not repent. Failure to respond to Christ’s correction is why so many good congregations decline. The fruitless branches of His Vine are broken off Jn 15:2,6. Christ’s promise to be with His Church to the end of the world is with an evangelizing Church Mat 28:19-20.

This Christian unity is what the world needs, and it could be accomplished if Christian fellowship came into its own. This needs to be distinguished from the social Gospel, which mistakes social justice for the Gospel. Social justice is not the Christian Gospel, but a faithful response to the Gospel leads to action in the social sphere and to social justice. In one sense, the biblical Millennium could be described as that time when Christian fellowship prevails on the Earth, because proper biblical preaching will then be prevalent. How this is accomplished is another matter. Ecumenism with its minimalist attitude to truth does not help. Rather, profitable Christian preaching, education and fellowship will not only introduce the biblical Millennium but it will sustain and maintain it for a very lengthy period.

Christian fellowship’s input to local and national affairs

There are enough Christians, talents, money and resources for them to impact upon local and national politics.

There is no excuse for Christians in a free society voting for corrupt politicians or even good politicians with bad policies. If you cannot find one to support, then find a Christian who will be supported by some local Christians and put them forward for election.

The apotheosis of Christian fellowship in the biblical Millennium

It is not enough to complain about bad laws. Christian politicians could change these bad laws. Your prayers to God for His intervention need to be followed by Christian action. Faith without works is dead faith Jam 2:20,26, and prayer without action is much the same Act 9:6. Where do you stand?

Too many Christians have a wait-and-see attitude, waiting for the Lord to work, whereas sometimes the Lord is waiting for you to work, taught in the Bible a very long time ago: “therefore will the LORD wait, that He may be gracious to you” Isa 30:18.

Conjoint divine and human action is illustrated in Jesus’ miracle with the coin in the fish’s mouth Mat 17:24-27. Peter had to act upon Christ’s command and God’s Providence ensured that the apparently impossible happened. This conjoint action continues to the present – the godly are “workers together with God” 2Cor 6:1, “for it is God Who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” Php 2:13.

While some are wait-and-see Christians, others are activists who think that other Christians should join their project or at least support it. They think that the Lord should bless whatever they are going. When it runs into the sand, they find “new light” from the Lord, that they should be doing something else. It might be more effective for them to discover where the Lord is working and join themselves to His work Isa 49:3-6.

It requires Christian discernment to see where the Lord is at work. Jesus will disown much Christian activity done in His name Mat 7:21-23. This is where collective Christian fellowship comes in, to develop one’s spiritual discernment through the means of grace. Christian leadership can lead you astray. Jesus warned about blind leaders of the blind Mat 15:14. Test every spirit whether it is from God 1Jn 4:1.

Christian fellowship’s input to global issues

The world has tried various systems to improve the lot of mankind. Winston Churchill famously said: “It has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.”

In 1941 there were 11 democracies in the world. Since World War II the number of democracies has increased but 1. only 20% of the countries in the world are functioning democracies and 2. the weakness of democracy is being laid bare by A. the control of local affairs by international corporations, NGOs and global institutions, B. the ability of large lobby groups to buy politicians and C. now whole populations are being psychologically profiled with market surveys and being subtly influenced through targetted social media guided by the deep pockets of the rich and by Artificial Intelligence. The safeguarding checks and balancing of political, executive and judicial power in Western democratic governments are not mirrored in these international institutions, where the aggrandisement of ambitious people is manifest for all who have the eyes to see it. The international control of these organisations is hardly discussed. The electoral process is a gravy train, so that retiring politicians are predicted to find a plum job with one of these many agencies. Who needs the House of Lord when one can land one of these jobs? The public does not know what process of accountability is in place, until the media exposes the latest scandal, and these are aplenty, even in such organisations as Oxfam. The bigger the organisation, the bigger the scandal, because the bigger grows the big-head who rises to the top of the pile. Lord Acton wrote long ago: “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Currently the unaccountable World Economic Forum (WEF) is running the international agenda, using such slogans as Build Back Better, but more significantly using the UN, NATO, the WHO, and WTO, etc., to implement its agenda. The problem with such power structures is not simply that there is little democracy and even less accountability and transparency, but fundamentally it is the ungodly character of those who are in charge, who vote compliant officials into place behind the scenes to do their bidding.

Powerful people are finding ways to control, manipulate, out-manoeuvre and bypass democracy. So where to, now?

Political institutions and worldly philosophies are changing the world but they are not changing hearts – but Jesus Christ changes hearts. Self-professedly, He says so, and He does so. However, God is missing from public debate.

As Artificial Intelligence, robots and machine-learning take over the modern world, Christian critical thinking, the Christian ability to stand against the crowd Eph 6:11-13, will become more important. The exposure of identity politics through Christian witness, along with the societal benefits of Christian care and concern, will become more obvious, while it is contrasted with the political control of nation-states by international elites seeking to introduce their One World Government through unelected and unaccountable Regionalisation.

The goal towards which Christian fellowship is leading

There will be a new world order, but not what the ungodly are expecting Ps 2:2-12. It will be introduced by Christ through effective Christians, rather than by the compromising type of Christian in our day, who do not know how to stand when it is necessary, and who need to learn to put on the whole armour of God Eph 6:11. Some of them do not even want to debate Christian doctrine, which Paul also experienced Heb 5:11-Heb 6:3, far less Christian involvement in social and political action even at a local far less a national level. Instead of ignoring differences between Christians, or minimizing them, we need to apply biblical exegesis to the major issues that divide the godly and apply Christian zugology to social and international issues.

Will you apply yourself to it?

Christian media and mission fellowship

The media is the modern pulpit and just as there have been false preachers throughout history, so the media is also preaching false doctrine for the most part. When did you last hear your preferred preacher exposing it, contradicting it with the Word of God and warning people against following its false doctrines? Is it too “secular” or too “political” to handle? Why so? How about calling it ungodly, worldly or even wicked?

The best media is that media which is able to report what is happening “on the ground”. The Christian missionary movement is worldwide and, by fellowship with Christian missionaries, local congregations develop a global vision and some young people broaden their horizon by service on the misson field.

Home mission is just as important and Christian congregations can develop the gifts and talents of individuals by mentoring young Christians to build up confidence in witnessing about Jesus and His Gospel to their neighbours.

Christian fellowship is not only a worthy goal in itself, but the Lord Jesus Christ is overseeing from heaven its development on Earth until it reaches its climax and accomplishment in the global Millennium.

However, we do not need to wait. We can begin now as individual Christians and collectively. What is stopping it? Many things. A party spirit, false religion, poor preaching, and so on.

So let us remind ourselves that Jesus by His atoning death has procured and secured God’s Holy Spirit Who Personally effects the loving change in the heart of sinful man that leads to peace with God, love towards our neighbour, and the motive to collective Christian care.

Let us learn to be Christlike and to promote Christian thinking, speech and behaviour. This may provoke the ungodly world but it will gain everlasting friendships, as Jesus said:

“Everyone who has forsaken houses, or brethren or sisters, or father or mother, or wife or children, or lands for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.” Jesus Christ.

Mat 19:28-30

A reminder of that notable example of early Christian fellowship

Let me remind you of what I mentioned earlier as to the Christian potential of the Gospel of Christ. The apostle Paul put it like this:

“Now in Christ Jesus, you being once far away have become near by the blood of Christ, because He is our peace, Who has made both one, and has taken down the middle wall of partition between us, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances, in order to make in Himself the two into one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby, and came and preached peace to you who were afar off, and to them that were near.”

The apostle Paul on Jesus making a new humanity Eph 2:13-17

This new man was the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile through faith in Jesus Christ, their mutual enmity being destroyed by Christ through His crucifixion. Extraordinary! Can worldly politicians equal this? They do not even understand it, which is why Christians need to become involved.

If Jew and Gentile can reconcile, what disagreements cannot be healed by Christ’s Spirit? Think of the conflicts around the world. How will they be resolved? Truces and agreements are only temporary. We need something better than this, and this is what Jesus Christ provides.

An even greater example

The reconciliation of Jew and Gentile is marvellous but it will be trumped by something greater, predicted in both Old and New Testaments of the Christian Bible, as one of the major themes of biblical prophesy.

Early Christianity united Jew and Gentile but there is a whole world to be included yet. This example of union, early in the history of Christianity, illustrates how it will be done.

Scripture foretells the global opposition to unbelieving Israel in Zec 14 and indicates that through this final international struggle Jesus Christ will introduce the biblical Millennium.

Global tensions are many, but their ungodly nature is illustrated in the current dispute in the land of Israel between unbelieving Jew and Palestinian muslim. When this is resolved, it will lead to rapid resolution of international conflicts Rom 11:15, in a manner too lengthy to describe here.

The global movement opposed to the state of Israel is using international institutions such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice in The Hague to bring pressure to bear upon the Israeli Government, which on the other hand is resisting the aggressive islamic agenda to eliminate the state of Israel.

There has been a long period of Jewish resistance to the Gospel, described in Romans 9 by the apostle Paul, and international turmoil continues to set man against man, nation against nation. However, God has one more surprise, one of the great mysteries yet to unfold in human history Rom 11:25-26, so cataclysmic that He describes it as “once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven” Heb 12:26-27, quoting the Jewish Bible Hag 2:6. I call this shake-up the Millennial Advent, after which it will be said: “the kingdoms of the world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ” Rev 11:15.

“Whose voice then shook the Earth: but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the Earth only, but also heaven. And this phrase, ‘Yet once more’ Hag 2:6, signifies the re-positioning of shakable things, as manmade things, that the unshakable things may remain.”

Hebrews 12:26-27

The union of Palestinian muslim arab and unbelieving Israeli Jew as “one new man, so making peace” Eph 2:15 through Messiah Jesus, the Prince of peace Isa 9:6, has already begun in the land of Israel. As it continues, it will be a paradigm shift in global affairs, being the second bookend of this late stage in global affairs, the completion and end of the Great Tribulation predicted by Christ Mat 24:21. The union of Israeli Jew and Palestinian arab in Messiah Jesus will shake the earth in a lasting way Heb 12:27-28.

There are other conflicts in the world but the significance of this one is that the resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the 21st century, like the Jew-Gentile resolution in apostolic times, book-ends the Great Tribulation of the world’s opposition to the reign of the Prince of Peace.

Jesus removed the middle wall of division at the beginning of the Christian era, and after 2000 years of devilish fightback Rev 12:12-17 the Lord will illustrate His capacity as the Prince of peace by resolving global conflicts through His Gospel, most notably in the land of Israel, which will act as the signal to the international community that the Lord’s time has come when “the nations will learn war no more” Isa 2:4 and Mic 4:3. Christ’s First Advent will be now complete, the devil will be bound by the faithful and zealous preaching of the Gospel of Christ Rev 20:1-3, and Christ will reign on Earth from His throne in heaven Ps 110:1.

Christian fellowship – a means of grace and the means to global peace

To recap – the means of grace develop Christian fellowship, but Christian fellowship is itself a means of grace. It is a positive feedback loop, which will eventually lead to “peace on Earth and goodwill towards men” Lk 2:14.

God imparts His Spirit to His people in an act that Jesus calls being born again Jn 3:3,5,7. This is only the beginning. It is absolutely necessary for the Christian life. It is the beginning of their Christian race to heaven, in fellowship with the saints on Earth Ps 16:3.

From this point, the Christian life develops. The Holy Spirit transforms the human spirit by His own indwelling Jn 14:23. From this point He will develop and transform the believer.

Christian fellowship as a means of grace

The apostle John says about the godly that they draw grace from Christ Jn 1:16. In the current context, it refers to Christ empowering His people with His Holy Spirit to do what they could not do themselves.

The godly are not perfect. They are work in progress, and younger Christians learn from older Christians.

It is also possible to be led astray, so that we need “a multitude of counsellors” Pro 11:14, Pro 15:22, Pro 24:6 and to learn from many teachers 1Cor 3:21-22. Not only do we need them, but we must use them.

Christian fellowship is a means of grace so that those who avoid it or do not make use of it are the losers. They will either not begin the Christian life or will make little progress in it.

Fruitfulness through Christian fellowship

Jesus speaks about those who bring forth no fruit, while others produce thirtyfold, some sixtyfold and some a hundredfold Mat 13:8.

This is a privilege and a benefit indeed. Imagine being in the service of the king? Well, the godly are in the service of the King of kings.

To serve Him well, we need to use the means of grace.

1. By prayer we acknowledge our need of His help and it teaches us not to boast in our achievements.

2. By reading the Christian Bible daily we are taught and reminded what His mission is, so that we may follow in His steps and have something to say.

3. This includes learning from other Christians SoS 1:7-8.

This is the utility or usefulness of Christian fellowship and you overlook it to your own detriment. It is a means of grace; the godly need each other and learn from each other. It is part of zugology in action, walking in step with the Lord Jesus Christ Mat 11:29.

Welcome to the utility of Christian fellowship.

“They took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

Acts 4:13.

Links:

5 Apr 2023: the nature of Christian fellowship.

24 May 2023: the content of Christian fellowship.

21 Jun 2023: the utility of Christian fellowship.