THE FELLOWSHIP! 

The psalmist understood something of the nature of fellowship. He said, “I am a companion of all who fear thee, of those who keep thy precepts” (Psalm 119:63).

Fellowship involves a sharing — something in common. I recently saw a beautiful example of such at Lake Chiemsee in Germany, where Christians and missionaries gathered from twenty-three nations to sing, pray, study the word of God, and encourage one another in the work of the Lord. Many of these missionaries work alone with small congregations. For those of us who meet with hundreds of Christians each Lord’s Day, it’s difficult to imagine the joy, the excitement, and the thrill of partaking of the Lord’s Supper with hundreds instead of a handful. The singing soars, the prayers are heartfelt, and the messages receive rapt attention. The impact of such a gathering is attested by the fact that this was the thirty-seventh year for such a retreat. It is made possible by Christians in the military, the AMEN Ministry, and the diligent work of Bill McDonough, Barry Stevens, and Don Yelton.

Every year the directors ask those who come what they like best about the retreat, and each year they receive the same answer: the fellowship!

There’s nothing in all the world which is quite like the fellowship we find in Christ Jesus — for we are all one in Him.

The apostles preached the gospel of Christ that we might have fellowship with them and with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. What a joy it is to know that “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 1:7).

Have you experienced this fellowship? I have, and it’s wonderful! 

John Gipson