CROSSTRAX!
One man’s view
about the things
that really matter….
FELLOWSHIP
For I long that we may he mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. Roman s 1:11,12
One of the most pathetic sights in the church is the loneliness and isolation of many people. Not only do they never get fellowship; they don’t even get conversation. It’s so pathetic because it’s so contrary to what the church is supposed to be: a body bound by the deepest bonds of love in Christ.
There may be a lot of camaraderie in the church: socialising, fraternising, dialoguing, slaphappy frolicking—but fellowship? That’s something else. You might golf together, travel together, go out to dinner together, regularly, and never have fellowship. The best definition of it is in the text above. It’s a striking statement. Mind you, here is the great apostle, who had received special revelations from Christ, saying, ” I can’t wait to see you so that we can strengthen each other by our mutual faith.”
That is fellowship. Great as Paul was, close to Christ as he was, he needed the spiritual strength and encouragement that comes from other saints (followers of Christ). And they needed what he could give them out of his faith. Christian fellowship is life shared and communicated on the spiritual plane, where we experience Christ. Paul looked forward to the exchange—what he would give to them and what he would receive from them.
We need others and they need us.
Ron Paton
TRAX Chaplain