Our fellowship with God is not an event
Nowadays, there are Christians in the church who appear not to understand the essence of their Christian experience, and with their Christianity predicated on just going to church, it ceases when church closes or is not in session. Following this, the extent to which they fellowship with God through the reading of the Word, prayer, fasting, praise and worship becomes dependent on the extent to which the church meets. That’s, after church services, their entire experience is over until the next meeting. The call of God is actually an invitation to fellowship with Him continually. It is not only an invitation to be counted among the gathering of the saints but a call to personal fellowship with God through constant studying of the Word, prayer, fasting, praise and worship. Our fellowship with God is not an event that happens once or twice every week but a continuous relationship.
From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brothers, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:17-19 (New King James Version)
From the above verse, both Peter and his brother Andrew were fishing when Jesus appeared and asked them to follow Him. They were not asked to come together as a group but they were to respond to Jesus’s invitation individually. So, they didn’t have to consult each other to respond to Jesus. Indeed, each one responded for himself. Also, each one had to develop his personal relationship with Jesus.
Reign with Christ via close fellowship
Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor.
1 Corinthians 3:8 (New King James Version)
Rewards are largely centered on an individual’s work or effort. As you may know, the earth is the Lord’s so when we fellowship with Him continuously, we will function like Him on earth (Psalm 24:1). In essence, the reward for continuous personal fellowship with the Lord is constantly reigning on earth. Consistent individual fellowship with God serves as a launching pad for us to reign on earth. In contrast, when we do not share continuous fellowship with Him, we allow the earth to dominate us. That means, life without fellowship with God would be a life of perpetual frustrations with no fulfillment.
The key to consistency is self-discipline
Personal fellowship with God requires self-discipline. I can understand the extent to which the pressures and the demands of this life make it difficult for us to fellowship with God in private. Most of these pressures can be overcome with self-discipline. We must learn to develop the self-discipline required to have personal fellowship with God on a regular basis. A Christian who hasn’t developed the self-discipline for personal fellowship with God would solely count on group fellowship to be uplifted. Relying on the corporate body for personal strength in our walk with God and dealing with the issues of life has its benefits; but in the long run, the consequences can be very dire. Let’s take how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the way we fellowship as a church for a case study.
Satan on the move
The World Health Organization and scientists keep providing updates about the pandemic and its enormous effects on the world. The death tolls, the public health crises, the collapse of businesses, the loss of jobs and more importantly the change in the way we interrelate are all unbelievable. Most people blame all these changes on the virus, but a spiritually inclined person would know that the enemy has a hand in this pandemic.
Check this out. With regards to the woman with the issue of blood, Luke who was a physician by profession and disciple of Jesus said, “And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up” (Luke 13:11, NKJV). He practically diagnosed the woman as having a spirit of infirmity. It is obvious that his diagnosis was not based on any medical examination and he did not attempt to assign a medical explanation for the woman’s condition. Instead, he assigned a spiritual one.
Luke’s approach can be applied to this pandemic. Superficially, it looks all medical and we see all kinds of efforts being put in to address the crisis in that light. That notwithstanding, a spiritual dimension lurks behind and we can see it to some degree by the obvious impact on the church and believers. The enemy seems to have laid siege to the body of Christ in this generation and this attack may just be the latest. Nonetheless, as believers, we can learn some lessons from this pandemic and take advantage of this adversity to draw close to God and to develop a deeper personal relationship with Him. We need to grow up in our personal relationship with God because we live in difficult times.
Times are hard
Christians who don’t develop their personal relationship with God will have a hard time staying in touch with Him during these difficult times. I’m pretty sure such people, for instance, couldn’t cope with their Christian lives during the total lockdown where public places like the church were closed. I guess they struggled to be on fire for God during that period. The probability that some Christians wouldn’t come back to Church is high after such a long break from group fellowship. Though Paul instructed us to be present during our church gatherings, it was not intended to take the place of personal fellowship with God (Hebrews 10:25). If there’s ever a time where Christians need to stay closer to God then it has to be these times that we live in.
Christians who prefer group fellowship above personal fellowship with God will be generally weak and struggle to cope in these hard times.
Christians who prefer group fellowship above personal fellowship with God will be generally weak and struggle to cope in these hard times. Believers who are so reliant on the church or group fellowship may not thrive in these times. We must understand that while attending church is essential for corporate prayer, receiving general instructions for our lives and fellowshipping with one another, our fellowship with God must be prioritized over church services and definitely must continue after any church service. When we mature in our personal relationship with God, our fellowship with one another becomes more meaningful. Even more, our lives literally become a blessing to the people around us. The strength of every Christian is therefore connected to his personal fellowship with the Lord. As a matter of fact, the strength of every Christian lies much more in his or her ability to study the Word, pray, fast, praise and worship privately than publicly.
As a matter of fact, the strength of every Christian lies much more in his or her ability to study the Word, pray, fast, praise and worship privately than publicly.
As believers, we must take personal responsibility for our call to fellowship with God. If we are to reign on earth then we must study the Word, pray, fast, worship and praise on our own. Amos the prophet delivered a message to the effect that there would surely come a time of famine of the Word of God. When that happens, we would only be able to survive on the Word of God that we carry in our hearts. Therefore, personal fellowship with the Lord must be the focus of our attention. Let us take advantage of these difficult times to pray more and to seek the face of the Lord.
I pray that the grace to be personally devoted to God comes on you. I pray that you and your family be protected from Covid-19 and any other illnesses or ailments in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
For those who have been infected with the virus or may be suffering from other forms of sickness, I pray for healing and recovery in the name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
Let’s keep the fire burning until the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ!
