From the desk of Pastor Ben

The Intimacy of Believers’ Fellowship

“I will build My church.”         (Matthew 16:18a)

In describing the church, Jesus also alludes to the intimacy of the fellowship of believers: it is “My church.” He is the Architect and Lord of His own church. So, He guarantees that believers are His personal possession, eternally under His love and care. Believers constitute Christ’s Body, “purchased with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). As such, they are also one with Him in an intimate, holy fellowship: The one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17). In that fellowship there is a mutual respect and love, whereby Jesus is not ashamed to call His followers “brethren” (Hebrews 2:11), and God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them” (11:16).

Such close fellowship explains why when people attack the church, they actually attack God Himself. For instance, when the risen and ascended Christ confronted Saul of Tarsus (soon to be Paul) on the Damascus road, He asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). By persecuting the saints, Saul had been persecuting Christ as well.

Whether it is the church or His chosen people Israel, God has always closely identified Himself with His own and jealously guarded their well-being. “He who touches you, touches the apple of His eye” (Zechariah 2:8). The front part of the eye, the cornea (or “apple”), is the most sensitive of all the exposed parts of the human body. Harm done to God’s people is like sticking a finger into His eye. That’s why we must nourish the fellowship of the church.

Ask Yourself:
What are some of the things that threaten the intimacy shared between members of the church, between members of God’s family? Seeing how seriously God takes this, what could you do to join Him in restoring the unity and fellowship that’s broken when brothers and sisters collide?