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Jesus is talking to me and you! Do you love him? Has he saved you? And
did you know he pleads his precious blood for your sins daily? That's how you retain fellowship with God The Father and His
Son. That's how The Holy Spirit can work thru you and give you fillings for service.
ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS COME CLEAN WITH OUR FATHER. WE GO DIRECTLY TO GOD
THRU CHRIST! How blessed we are that Jesus keeps us clean daily! Lord, give us the strength to obey your truth.
The Lord said that He is the way, the truth and the life. No man can
come to The Father but by Him. He is the resurrection and the life. He is eternal life. What a Lord we have in Jesus!
Can we be saved and lose it? No! But we can be miserable. Paul had that
experience.
HE CONFESSED HE
WAS MISERABLE UNTIL HE RECEIVED THE POWER OF GOD BY THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT. HE COULD NOT LIVE HIS NEW LIFE WITHOUT IT.
And we too can live as not saved though saved we are. Still birth! Having
received the Holy Spirit we walk in our dead nature. (1Cor.3:1-8).
There is a mighty Savior who gave us ETERNAL LIFE. We who believe
on Him can never lose that greatest blessing. Christ guarantees it.
But if we live lost (according to our old dead nature) we lose our
walk of faith which is ever a closer walk with Him, according to His Word, which is Truth.
If we follow Him and
His word we will first gain the life God Almighty has ordained for us in Christ.
This is how The Holy Spirit works.
He brings us the experience of "SALVATION", in us, through us, and into
the world. And "salvation", in all it's manifestations, is what Jesus gives us! Make no mistake: it's beyond this world, yet
abides daily.
SALVATION: WHAT CHRIST HAS GIVEN US
Deliverance, safety, preservation, healing, soundness.
"Salvation"
is the great inclusive word of the Gospel consisting of: justification, redemption, grace, propitiation, imputation, forgiveness,
sanctification, and glorification. Salvation is in three tenses:
(1) The Christian has been saved eternally from the guilt and
penalty of sin (Lk.7:50; 1 Cor.1:18; 2 Cor.2:15: Eph.2:5,8; 2 Tim.1:9) and is safe.
(2) The Christian is being saved from the habit and dominion of
sin daily (Rom.6:14; 8:2; 2 Cor.3:18; Gal.2:19-20; Phil.1:19; 2:12-13; 2 Thess.2:13).
(3) The Christian will be saved at the Lord's return from all
bodily infirmities that are the result of sin and God's curse upon the sinful world, even from death itself. (Rom.8:18-23;
1 Cor.15:42-44;).
We will be brought into entire conformity to Christ, transformed into
His glory (Rom.13:11; Heb.10:36; 1 Pet.1:5; 1 Jn.3:2).
SALVATION IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS
CHRIST, IS A FREE GIFT AND WHOLLY WITHOUT MANS WORKS OR LAW AND IS GUARANTEED BY GOD FOREVER (Rom.3:27-28;
4:1-8; 6:2-3;Eph.2:8).
The divine order is: first salvation thru faith, then works (Eph.2:9-10;
Jas.2:18; Ti.3:5-8).
"New Scofield Reference Bible" Pg.1211.
WHAT IS FELLOWSHIP IN THE CHURCH
LOVE (Jn.13:34) LONG-SUFFERING (Eph.4:2) Help (Gal.6:2)
COMFORT (1Thess.5:11) ONENESS (1Cor.12:26)
"Then those who gladly received His Word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added
to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:40-42).
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and
walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin"(1John 1:6-7).
"...that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship
with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that
your joy may be full"(1John 1:3-4).
Only by His Loving Spirit in us can
we fellowship with one another. We cannot delight in God together, nor worship Him, unless our eyes have been opened and understanding
given us through the Spirit.
"I thank my God upon every remembrance of you... for your
fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now" (Phil 1:3).
"...if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if
any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let
nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others" (Phil
2:1).
"I,
brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For
I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and
in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
"However,
we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming
to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory,
which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But as it
is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared
for those who love Him."
"But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches
all things, yes, the deep things of God.... Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. ... But the natural man does not receive the
things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1Cor 2:1-14).
"...when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars,
perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to
the Gentiles..." (Gal. 2:9).
Encourage one another in His Word
"...Christ is all and in all. Therefore,
as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one
another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must
do.
"But above all these things
put on love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called
in one body; and be thankful.
"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing
one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Col.3:11-17)(Emphasis
added).
"Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if
any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being
of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem
others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others"
(Phil. 2:1-4).
Share with one another
"For
I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with
much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped,
but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God" (2Cor.8:2-5).
"Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress" (Phil.4:14).
Love and pray for one another.
"I thank my God upon
every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine making request for you all with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel
from the first day until now, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it
until the day of Jesus Christ"
(Phil.1:3-11).
"I
thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus
and toward all the saints, that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which
is in you in Christ Jesus. For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been
refreshed by you...." (See Phile.4-7).
Fellowship is
with those who believe (Reaching out to unbelievers is evangelism, not fellowship).
"Whoever
transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both
the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet
him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds" (2John 9-11).
"...the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want
you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the
Lord's table and of the table of demons"(1 Cor.10:19-21)
Separation,
not unity, from those who refuse to obey Him
"Do not be unequally yoked together with
unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what
accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with
idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be
their God, and they shall be My people.' Therefore 'Come out from among them and be separate,' says the Lord.
'Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you,and will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty"(2Cor.6:14-18).
"The grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor.13:14).
*Credit
is due a brother in Christ for this great summary. I can't find the site to acknowledge him but
God will.
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