Today I was thinking about the church. Usually, people ask, “Did you go to church?” I believe that is the wrong question. The real question should be, are you in the church? The church is a spiritual assembly of believers and the LORD, and we should be in that state of assembly all the time. When we meet as a church on any day, we are just symbolically externalizing a spiritual fellowship that should already exist in our hearts. Church becomes mere symbolism if that fellowship does not exist. Fellowship means an equal relationship. In this case, the equal relationship between each one of us and with the LORD Himself. Let us examine, what is this fellowship and why we need it.
First about this fellowship: In John, it is put this way:
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us—that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1-3
What John says is that he, along with his friends, are in constant fellowship with the LORD. John says he is proclaiming the eternal life that comes out of this fellowship, and that eternal life exists to have true eternal fellowship with others. That is the apt definition of the church. We should be proclaiming the eternal life that is in us. — The very eternal life that comes out of our relationship with the LORD and with others through the LORD. So are you in the church? Or are you merely going to church? Think about it!
Now how can you be in fellowship with the LORD all the time? Well, we need to see, look upon, and touch the WORD of life all the time. That is, we should be hearing and talking to the LORD in our hearts all the time. Can we do this? The problem is, our LORD is heavenly and spiritual, whereas we are earthly and carnal. How can we be in constant touch with the LORD? John provides a solution here:
If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 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. I John 1:6-7
So to have fellowship with the LORD, we need to walk in the light. What do you mean by walking in the light? It is definitely not acting to be a perfect person. If we are perfect, where is the question of the LORD cleansing us from all sin? If you read further, it says walking in the light means confessing the bad in us! Between us and the LORD, there should be nothing to hide. He knows who we are and we know who He is. In the same way, there should really be nothing to hide from each other. Everyone knew Peter denied Jesus, Mary Magdalene used to be a prostitute before she knew the LORD, and Matthew was a tax collector and sinner and yet they did not seek their own glory by hiding their flaws. Instead, they told the truth to glorify the grace of the LORD. Today we hide our flaws in our suits and dresses. Our handshakes and hugs are really artificial. How can there be any light in our fellowship if there is no accountability? And if there is no light where is the church? Should not the church be the pillar of truth? (1 Tim 3:15).
Many people think truth means what is written in the Bible. They elaborately preach, study, and write about things said in the Bible. That is the truth no doubt about it. But it is the historical truth and the testimony of believers many thousands of years back. Jesus is a living LORD and His truth prevails the same way in us as it did with those men and women thousands of years ago. We are the living Bible if we tell the truth about ourselves as those who told the truth about themselves. What did the historical Bible say? It says many men and women were flawed and filled with their sinful nature and yet the LORD was graceful with them and redeemed them. Dear brothers and sisters, David the king wrote about himself without any shame on what really happened in his life, and that record today makes us think that Jesus can forgive us too. Now, where is our own record? Don’t you remember our LORD’s golden words?
"You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause, I was born, and for this cause, I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." John 18:37
Without the truth none of us can hear His voice. Therefore a church is an assembly of believers who tells the truth about themselves and are truthfully honest with their fellow believers. If there is no truth among ourselves we are an assembly of sycophants and not the church.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10
In the above verse, watch the word “we.” So even the great apostle John who wrote the book of revelation needs to confess his sin. So our fellowship with our LORD is one of confession and forgiveness. That is how an earthy can have an association with the heavenly (1 Cor 15:48-49).
Further our fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ is a two-part relationship. One is about watching, and another is about serving. If you read here:
Then He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch with me.” - Matt 26:38
So when our brother or sister’s soul is sorrowful unto death, we need to be with them. Our heavenly brother Jesus was sorrowful to die for sin, our earthly brothers and sisters might be sorrowful by spiritually dying out of sin. We need to be there with them so that the eternal life in us will revive them, and sometimes the eternal life in them will revive us.
Now, in fellowship with the LORD, we are all one, our LORD does not discriminate against people with different levels of fellowship. However, he does provide us with different kinds of gifts. These gifts are given not to boss over others, but to spiritually serve one another in humility and grace. Serve in what way?
But encourage each other every day, while you still have something called "today." Help each other so that none of you will be fooled by sin and become too hard to change. - Heb 3:13
So next time you are in the church shaking hands with your brother or sister, remember your fellowship with the LORD and your duty to watch and serve your fellow believer to the best of your ability. We need to worship Him in truth and the spirit. Please don’t make the church a place of vain worldly ceremonies and wasteful social gatherings. If we do, our children will seek entertainment and we cannot provide that to them the way this world provides. Church is not a place of entertainment, it is the place of celebrating the living LORD by telling the truth – confessing to one another who we truly are and how our LORD redeemed us.
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Ps 24:7-10
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