V. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF A BELIEVER
TOWARD THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE
1) To continue steadfastly—“Continuing steadfastly in...the fellowship” (Acts 2:42).
Once we receive the Lord’s life, we enter into the fellowship of His life. From then on, we should continue steadfastly in this fellowship of life.
2) To obey the teaching of the anointing—“And even as it [the anointing] has taught you, abide in Him [the Lord]” (1 John 2:27).
For us to continue steadfastly in the fellowship of life, we must abide in the Lord as taught by the anointing, and we must obey the teaching of the anointing.
3) To walk in the light—“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7).
The fellowship of the Lord’s life brings us into God’s light. We must walk in this light that we may have fellowship with God and the Lord and with all the saints, and that we may maintain the fellowship of the Lord’s life.
4) To confess our sins—“But if we walk in the light...we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His [God’s] Son cleanses us from all sin...if we confess our sins, He [God] is faithful and righteous that He may forgive us...and cleanse us” (1 John 1:7-9).
If we live in the fellowship of the Lord’s life, the Lord’s light of life within will show us our sins in the fellowship of His life. We will sense our sins and confess to God, and He will then forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness that we may more deeply live in the fellowship of His life.
The preceding four items are our responsibility toward the fellowship of life.
VI. THE ISSUE OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE
1) Receiving God’s light—“God is light...if we say that we have fellowship with Him...if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:5-7).
This word shows us that when we have fellowship with God, who is light, we will surely receive God’s light and walk in it that we may have uninterrupted fellowship with one another.
2) Being cleansed by the Lord’s blood—“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).
When we are enlightened by the Lord’s light of life in the fellowship of life, and thus realize our sins and confess them to God, we are cleansed by the Lord’s blood.
3) Having the Lord abide in us—“He who abides in Me and I in him...” (John 15:5).
When we abide in the Lord to have fellowship with Him, we have the Lord abiding in us as our enjoyment of life.
4) Bearing much fruit to glorify God—“He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit” (John 15:5); “In this is My Father glorified” (John 15:8).
When we abide in the Lord as branches in the Lord, the vine, and have an uninterrupted flow with Him, we receive the supply of the rich sap from Him as the vine to bear much fruit that the Father may be glorified.
The above four items are issues of our living in the fellowship of the Lord’s life.
VII. THE BREAKING OF
THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE
1) The relationship of life between the believers and God being eternally unbreakable—“They shall by no means perish forever, and no one shall snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:28-29). The relationship of life between the believers and God will never be broken, because they have received the eternal life from God, which causes them never to perish. Moreover, since God’s hand is mighty, nothing can snatch them out of His hand.
2) The fellowship of life between the believers and God being breakable—“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another”
(1 John 1:7). The word “if” in this verse indicates that the fellowship of life between us and God is breakable. If we walk in God’s light, we will live in the fellowship of God’s life. However, since we often fail to live in God’s light, often disobeying and sinning, we often lose the fellowship of God’s life, thus causing it to be broken
Comments