August-September 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel
EXPLORING CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
by Ernest P. Bergmann
There are several types of fellowships delineated in the
Bible. The one of interest is Christian fellowship as defined by
Strong's Number 2842, "Participation, Social Intercourse,
Communion." More common words to describe the relationship
of fellowship are: Working Together, Hospitable Discourse,
Breaking of Bread. It clearly shows a unity of spirit. In
Nave's Topical Bible such fellowship is called "The
Fellowship Of The Righteous."
Paul describes the essence of Christian fellowship in 1
Corinthians 1:9,10. "God is faithful, by whom ye were
called unto the fellowship of his Son --- Jesus Christ our
Lord. Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no
divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in
the same mind and in the same judgment."
Paul sets before us a lofty goal. We are called by God into His
fellowship. We don't enroll in it. We are called to it. The
calling comes when we accept Christ as our personal Saviour, and
believe that He is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and
are baptized. (Matthew 16:16 and John 6:69) In other words, when
we become Christians. (See John 3).
We are also to be of the same mind (belief). We should
fundamentally agree on the basic Christian tenets of the
Bible. That doesn't mean we need to prepare a litmus test of
doctrinal points. But, it also doesn't mean we can have
fellowship with someone with whom we are in strong spiritual
disagreement. Fellowship is established by the Holy Spirit, not
by doctrinal purity.
In the Old Testament, Amos put fellowship in practical terms
when he asked: "Can two walk together, except they be
agreed?" (Amos 3:3).
We may have fellowship with people with whom we are in accord in
God's word. Can such unity be achieved among the various Sabbath
Keeping Groups? It depends -a hedge for "there are
conditions."
Long ago, I attended a camp meeting in which many incongruous
Sabbath Keeping groups gathered. The subject explored at the
meeting was "Unity In Christ Only." A simple enough
point of agreement? It wasn't. The fundamental problem was lack
of spiritual contact between those who desired fellowship and
those who wanted to impose their terms of fellowship on all in
attendance. It amazed me how seemingly "simple" words
of the Bible could be redefined and applied to so many
doctrinal --- viewpoints. Each one called himself a Christian,
and I am sure each one was convinced he was (most were honestly
convinced).
In spite of the theological differences, the meeting was
inspiring and educational. As it turned out several enduring
bonds of fellowship were formed despite the harsh words,
legalism and dogmatism that occurred more often than it should
have. On the basis of that meeting, as well as consequent
meetings, I am convinced Sabbath Keeping Christians will never
see eye-to-eye totally. But that does not mean we cannot be in
harmony on some key issues.
Jesus extended fellowship to His disciples and a few close
friends who supported Him and His work. He did, however, have
personal relationships with many who did not follow Him
unconditionally or who did not wholly comprehend His
teachings. Some of Jesus' disciples had problems with their
former lives. Matthew appears to have been fully aware of his
own former job and social status. In Matthew 10:3, Matthew
refers to himself as "Matthew the publican." Judas
must have been aware of his problems. Clearly, Jesus looked
beyond the initial appearance in selecting His disciples and the
consequent fellowshipping with them. Indeed, Jesus went out of
his way to soothe outcasts such as publicans and sinners
(Matthew 9:11), former lepers, (Matthew 26:6) and even Pharisees
(Luke 7:36). So it isn't what a person is, or the beliefs he
holds, that limits fellowship. Rather it is what the person
could become that is important. Who would have had fellowship
with each of us on the basis of our pre-Christian tendencies?
Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea are fine examples of
"lost causes" turning into fine Christians.
Nicodemus' first meeting with Jesus is' described in John 3:1-2.
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler
of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him,
Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man
can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with
him."
We can monitor Nicodemus' spiritual growth throughout the book
of Matthew. Both men were of the group that gave Jesus the most
grief during His ministry. Both were members of the Sanhedrin,
the high Jewish governing council. Yet, when God finished His
work with Nicodemus and Joseph, any Christian would have enjoyed
fellowship with them.
In 1 John 1:6-7 we have a condition for continued
fellowship. "If we say that we have fellowship with him,
and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one
with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ --- his Son
cleanseth us from all sin."
We need to "walk in the light" to have fellowship with
another Christian. Light and darkness don't mix. We need to be
"visible Christians" doing the things of God, not just
talking about them. If we appear to be people of the world we
cannot be separated from the world's view of Christianity -a
hypocritical viewpoint.
How do we achieve fellowship across even a modest range of
Sabbath Keepers? In 1 Corinthians 12:13 we are told, "For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be
Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all
made to drink into one Spirit."
The Holy Spirit was the original bonding power of Christian
accord. At this time, such a lofty expectation seems beyond our
set of current theological differences. But groups of seekers
can come together in the Spirit and in doctrinal harmony for
Christian fellowship. Many congregations, if examined closely,
are made of interrelated small groups with common doctrinal
viewpoints. What is missing is the "belligerence" of
the small groups, which is usually suppressed for the greater
good of congregational harmony.
The camp meeting I attended was the most contentious gathering
of "Christians" I have ever experienced. Yet, in the
end, Christ was honored, there was spiritual peace within most
of us, and we were all refreshed and enlightened by the
experience. Even the disharmony was enlightening. At the close,
most of us clung to the view of Christianity with which we
started the meeting. But we all were civil and thoroughly
enjoyed the theological discussions. We had fellowship in spite
of ourselves. In the end, most of us had avoided letting our
preconceived doctrines disrupt a series of challenging,
thought-provoking, God-seeking sessions. Would that all of us
Sabbatarians could come together in an attitude of love and
desirous of understanding!
Ernie Bergmann is a Christian writer who currently resides in
San Antonio Texas. He may be contacted via email at
ernrom@juno.com. You may also contact us at the email or USPS
addresses located inside of the front cover.
TSS
August - September 1999 The Sabbath Sentinel
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