Faithful Fellowship Fosters Fruitful Friendship

Do you find yourself feeling a bit anxious as the Sunday service ends and you are just waiting to get to your car and hoping you don’t get interrupted by someone on your way there? Or maybe you end up talking to the same person about the same things every week and you walk away unaffected? Or maybe the church is just too big and you’re better off keeping a low profile.

A few weeks ago, at our elders’ prayer meeting, I had the opportunity to share a devotion about Daniel and his resolve before the Lord; one of the resolves that Daniel had was his commitment to deep friendship with his companions, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. In Chapter 2 we see the account of King Nebuchadnezzar issuing a command to kill all the wise men of Babylon as they were unable to interpret the King’s dream and so they sought to kill Daniel and his companions as well. But we read in verses 17 and 18

Then Daniel went to his house and made the matter known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions, ¹⁸ and told them to seek mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery, so that Daniel and his companions might not be destroyed with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.”

What a remarkable picture of faithful fellowship of true brothers united in the faith. When faced with imminent danger, we see Daniel confiding in his friends and they seek the Lord in prayer together.

In the New Testament our Lord Jesus, in His High Priestly prayer, prayed that we might be one even as Christ is one with the Father and the Spirit. Christian fellowship is a means of grace that God has given to the benefit of His people. We are not saved merely to live the Christian life in isolation, but we are called into the community of believers that Christ calls His Church. Christian fellowship runs deep because it recognises the basis of the fellowship, being the redeeming love and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the blessings of coming to the faith is also the blessing of joining the fellowship of the saints. We need each other in our spiritual journey. When hardships and trials befall us, it is the community of believers that can lift us up and strengthen us. A loving church is seen very clearly through the Godly fellowship that happens between one another and this could span various age groups. We are called to minister to each other.

Maybe you are fearful that by letting people into your life, you are vulnerable and exposed in your spiritual walk and could be perceived as weak. Beloved, my prayer is that we would be a church community that models the words of the Apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:14

And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”

We ought to be open and honest with our fellow believers whose intention is to care for our spiritual growth for our mutual edification. We all have our struggles in our lives, but the good news of the Gospel allows us to carry each other’s burdens and labour together as pilgrims on the narrow road. All throughout Scripture we see the blessing of faithful fellowship and friendship which goes over and above just surface level knowledge of one another. True friendship means reaching out your hand as you hang helplessly over the edge of the cliff. It is one that goes deep because it is founded in the love of Christ. This does not in any way mean we do not show the same love towards unbelievers because through our love, the love of Christ may be seen by them. But if we claim to be a Christian, we need to remember that Christian fellowship is not an optional accessory to our Christian life but a necessary component of our daily lives as God shapes and sharpens us through the community of faithful followers of Christ.

Here are some ways you can grow in meaningful fellowship:

• Maybe one of the reasons you struggle to fellowship with believers is perhaps because you are uncertain about your walk with the Lord. May I invite you to come to Him and be part of the family of God by reaching out to someone who can walk this road with you.
• A second means of fostering true fellowship is through life groups. We have over 13 life groups at HBC and we see deep friendships being forged in these small groups which then translate into the wider community on a Sunday.
• A third way you could grow in fellowship is through serving in the body of Christ. A true Christian isn’t just a church attendee but a Church servant. Seek out opportunities where you can serve as there are various ministries that need volunteers and God may have gifted you in a particular area, e.g. music ministry (…please take the hint).
• And lastly, to state the obvious, go and fellowship and get to know one another even if it means getting out of our comfort zone. Relationships take time to be built and strengthened but it will also have to start somewhere. Pray and ask for God’s grace to help you begin.

May God bless HBC to be a church that shines the love of Christ through our relationships and fellowship with one another. Let’s not neglect to meet together but encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near!