Acts 2:42 says, “They continued steadfastly in the teaching and the fellowship of the apostles, in the breaking of bread and the prayers.” This verse speaks of continuing in the fellowship. Ephesians 3:18-19 says, “May be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are and to know the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.” These verses speak of apprehending with all the saints. Colossians 2:19 says, “Holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.” This verse shows that we grow gradually by the growth of God.
We have seen the authority in the Body of Christ or the order in the Body. We have also seen the consciousness of the Body and the coordination of the Body. These are all related. The coordination of the Body, the order or authority in the Body, and the consciousness of the Body are closely related. Without the order and authority, there is no coordination; without the consciousness of the Body, the coordination is not practical. In addition, the fellowship of the Body is another great item experienced by those who live in the Body.
In the Body of Christ, fellowship is very practical; moreover, the Body of Christ cannot leave this fellowship even for one moment. If a believer desires to live in the Body, he must live in the fellowship of the Body. Once he loses the fellowship of the Body, he will definitely be disconnected from the Body. If one remains in the Body, he is in the fellowship of the Body. The fellowship of the Body is difficult to define. Portions from the Word of God, such as 1 John 1, show that this fellowship is related to God’s eternal life: “The life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and report to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us” (v. 2).
God’s eternal life has entered into us, and this life brings in fellowship. Fellowship in life means that this life is a fellowship. A person who does not have the life of God often dislikes, even loathes, God’s children when he sees them. But once he receives the Lord, the Lord’s life enters him and causes him to desire to fellowship with God’s children when he sees them. Prior to receiving God’s life, he did not understand the story within the children of God; the spiritual things they spoke of sounded like a foreign language. However, after receiving God’s life, he not only yearns to have fellowship with the children of God but also understands the story within them. He finds it enjoyable to fellowship with them, and he often feels fed, supplied, and inwardly satisfied. He also feels inwardly dry, as if something is missing, when he is unable to see the children of God for a period of time. This is a reflection of the condition in his spirit, showing that God’s life has brought him into fellowship.
Furthermore, Philippians and 2 Corinthians both show that this fellowship is in the Holy Spirit. “If there is therefore any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of spirit” (Phil. 2:1). “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Cor. 13:14). Since the Spirit is the realization of Christ, when the Spirit is in us, Christ and God are in us. The Spirit in all of us is one and the same. The Spirit in you is the Spirit in me. There is one Spirit in all of us. This Spirit becomes our fellowship and also enables us to have fellowship with one another.
Many times when we meet another child of God, although we may not say much outwardly, there is a mutual flow, a communication, between us. This flow, this communication, is of the Spirit. The Spirit in us is the Spirit of fellowship, just as the life of God in us is the life of fellowship. Electricity in a light bulb can be used as an illustration. Although there may be many light bulbs in a room, there is only one electric current in all the bulbs. In an instant, the electricity in one light bulb has flowed into another light bulb. The electric current in the light bulbs is the fellowship of the light bulbs; this is an illustration of the meaning of fellowship.
Simply speaking, fellowship is the flow of life, the flow of the Holy Spirit, within the children of God. The fellowship of the Body is when the life of God flows among us, when the Holy Spirit flows within us. An illustration of this flow, this fellowship, is our own physical body. The Word says that the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11). Doctors tell us that the blood in our body is flowing very quickly; it flows very quickly and also through our body many times every minute. The blood in our hand flows rapidly to our feet; the blood in our entire body moves and flows continually.
In medical science this flow of blood is called circulation. This means that the circulation of blood is the flow of blood; the flow of blood is the fellowship of the body. We cannot say the blood in our body is the blood of our hand or the blood of our feet. If the blood in a person’s hand stops moving and remains in that particular place, the hand becomes dead. This indicates that his blood flow has a problem and his body is in an abnormal situation. We need to be active, to exercise, so that we may accelerate and increase the blood circulation in our body. The faster blood circulates in our body, the healthier our body becomes. Due to this circulation, all the improper things in our body are removed, and all the nutrients we need are supplied to us. Thus, the circulation of blood in our body has at least two functions: it supplies the nutrients that are needed, and it removes all the extra and improper things. This maintains the metabolism in the body so that the body can grow gradually. The blood circulation is the fellowship of the body.
There is also such a fellowship in the Body of Christ. The fellowship of the Body is the circulation of the life of Christ in us, which is also the circulation of the Spirit of life in us. The circulation of the Spirit of life within us has at least two functions: it brings in the spiritual supply we need, and it discharges all the improper, useless, and dead things from within us (Titus 3:5). Whenever there is a lack of fellowship among God’s children, there is a lack of spiritual supply among them. Furthermore, there is the accumulation of many improper things within them, which creates problems; as a consequence, the Body of Christ becomes ill. We need to see that in order for the life of Christ to be continually living and strong, as the children of God, we need to have continual fellowship among us. Whenever this fellowship is stopped, the supply of life is stopped and death is brought in; thus, the Body of Christ suffers loss related to spiritual death.
Experientially, many cases prove this. If I do not see the brothers and sisters and do not attend any meetings for one week, although I may pray and meditate, my spirit seems to become sick, lacking vitality. This is very strange. It seems that I lack something inwardly, and although I cannot explain it, I can sense it. I have a feeling within which is neither pleasant nor sweet; I feel like I am sick.
When I first had this kind of experience, I did not understand the source. I was reading the Bible faithfully every morning and praying often; there was no problem between the Lord and me. Although I had not done anything that the Lord condemned, nor did I sense any condemnation in my conscience, something was missing that caused me to feel despondent. I did not understand this condition until the Lord showed me that my lack was the fellowship of the Body. Although I had fellowship with the Lord and had no problem with Him, I was cut off from the fellowship of the Lord’s Body, and therefore I felt something was missing in me.
After this, I had fellowship with a newly saved brother in the meeting hall. I asked him how he was saved, and he told me that he had been saved for a few days and had come to break bread. After speaking with him for a few minutes, I felt refreshed within; I was happy, revived, and bright. Although I could not explain what I had gained, I was definitely joyful and felt very good. I did not understand this in my first few experiences, but I slowly began to understand that this is the fellowship of the Body and that grace is brought in through fellowship. A brief time of fellowship with a brother, who was not more experienced than I and who did not have many spiritual riches, inwardly supplied me; I felt fresh, bright, and pleasant. This is truly wonderful.
We all like the prayer meeting and the bread-breaking meeting. Even though we sit for an hour in these meetings, not listening to messages or testimonies, there is a fellowship in the depth of our spirit. The prayers and praises of the saints flow into us. We may feel somewhat despondent before a meeting, but during the meeting, we spontaneously feel a flow in our inner being. Once there is a flow, we are altogether enlivened and refreshed in our spirit. We have all had such an experience. We may not listen to many messages, yet we are enlivened simply by praising and praying together with all the saints. This is fellowship and the function of fellowship.