Fellowship part 3
I'm going to do it today. Really. "Fellowship of the Spirit." From Philippians 2:1-2, "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." And the reason I've been harping on this term--or at least threatening to--is because, realistically, there are lots of different kinds of "fellowships." The word itself is number 2842 in Strong's Greek Concordance and it means, "partnership, that is, (literally) participation, of (social) intercourse, or benefaction:- to communicate, communion, distribution." Lots of definitions even. But that's my point. Just as love comes in many shapes and sizes and forms... so does fellowship. So does communication. So does partnership. And you won't have the same relationship with everybody. You can't. My relationship with my wife is very different than my relationship with my son. But I love them both more than anything. So the point is... Fellowship of the Spirit. The point is... love. The same love, being of one accord and one mind. And that doesn't mean you have to agree on everything all the time. Or any of the time. Disagreements don't mean there isn't love there. It's ok to agree to disagree. I've never felt the need to convince somebody that what I believe is right and what they believe is wrong. That's not ministry. Loving people no matter what is ministry. Majoring on the majors and minoring on the minors, as they say. Being able to fellowship with people of all ages, genders, races, and creeds. As long as there is love... there is fellowship. That's what the fellowship of the Spirit is--communion in love. Letting love be the glue that keeps us and binds us together. You can love someone and disagree with them. Really, you can. If you don't believe me, give it a try. Let love be the foundation of whatever you're doing. Do the things you do heartily--to the best of your ability and because it's in your heart to do it. When you fellowship with someone... base it on the Spirit. And no that doesn't mean base it on religion. It means base it on love. Those who are led by the Spirit are called (identified as) the Son(s) of God. Because the Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and it (HE) leads and guides us into all truth; the truth that God is love and He loves you. The truth that you can love because you are loved. Because you are LOVE. When you understand the way God fellowships with man--loving the hell out of us, and helping us, and protecting us, and living in us--that's when you can fellowship with your fellow man. That's when you can love the hell out of people, and help them, and protect them, and live with them. You don't have to change people--and in fact, you can't. You just have to love them. Support them. Edify them. Build them up. Show them who they really are by showing them who YOU really are, which is showing them who GOD really is! The best fellowship is the fellowship of the Spirit. The bond of love. Friendship. Bonds. Connections. Relationship. And, one more time, it's all about love! Love is the glue that binds us and keeps us together!