Fellowship and Ecclesial Life

When we look at the character of Jesus and see how lovely and gracious he is, then we rejoice in the great and precious promise of God that, in the Kingdom, we will be made like Jesus if we believe and are baptized. The Gospel of John tells us that the most important thing in the life of Jesus was his relationship with God, his Father. He was very close to Him and he said in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one”. Jesus filled his life with the Word of God. He and his Father had the same purpose and shared the same thoughts. He felt the presence of God with him in his life every moment of every day. It is difficult to find the words to describe how close were the Father and His Son. The Bible describes such a relationship as ‘fellowship’. This is a special Bible word that means ‘sharing together’. This gives a wonderful picture of life in the Kingdom of God and we can sum it up like this. • In the Kingdom true disciples will be given immortal life. • They will be made like Jesus Christ; they will fully share his character as well as his immortal nature. • This will bring them into perfect unity with God Himself. His ways will be their ways, His thoughts their thoughts. • So they will be in perfect and complete fellowship with God However, God’s promise of fellowship with His children is not just for a future time in His Kingdom. When men and women are baptized they begin a new relationship with God and with His Son. Their sins are forgiven and they become part of God’s family, His sons and daughters. Just as human fathers love and care for their children, God cares for His family. He wants His children to be close to Him and have fellowship with Him now in their lives. Yet the fellowship that disciples have with God now is incomplete. Their human failings get in the way and prevent them being completely ‘at one’ with Him. As we have seen, perfect fellowship will only come in the Kingdom of God.