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The Fellowship of The Church

Webster’s Dictionary defines fellowship as: “community of interest, activity, feeling, or experience.” The church is a community. As we talked about on Sunday night, the church is not a building; it is a group of people. But it is not just any group of people. The church shares a common bond that distinguishes us from all other communities, civic groups, clubs, or organizations.

In the First Epistle of John, the Apostle John gives us a good description of the Christian community. He says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). This verse speaks to our common bond. First, we are a people who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus, the Son of God. To be sure, this means that we share multiple bonds with each other. We are all sinners, all in need of a Savior, all professing faith in Jesus, and all experiencing the new birth that Jesus offers.

But the first part of the verse has the unstable word “if” in it. The “if” in that verse is the condition of our fellowship. If we walk with Christ, abide in his truth, our fellowship with one another in the church remains unbroken. But if we fail to walk in the light of Christ, our fellowship with the church is broken and our salvation comes under the suspicion of doubt. Abiding in Christ is the tie that binds us together, so hold on to it dearly. If you see a fellow Christian drifting into sin, call them back. Remind them of the fellowship of being in the church of Christ and the assurance of salvation and protection that it affords.

Love in Christ,

Pastor Mitch

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