The fellowship among the churches is the fellowship of the Body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 and 17 Paul says, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a fellowship of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a fellowship of the body of Christ? Seeing that we who are many are one bread, one Body; for we all partake of the one bread.” The Greek word rendered “fellowship” here also means Joint participation. In verse 16 fellowship refers to the believers’ communion in the joint participation in the body and blood of Christ. This makes us, the participants of the Lord’s blood and body, one not only with one another but also with the Lord. We, the participants, make ourselves identified with the Lord in the fellowship of His blood and body.
In verse 17 Paul speaks a strong word concerning the one bread and the one Body, saying that we are one bread, one Body, because we all partake of the one bread. Our joint partaking of the one bread makes us all one. This indicates that our partaking of Christ makes us all His one Body. The very Christ of whom we all partake constitutes us into His one Body.
If we isolate ourselves from the fellowship of the Body, we are not qualified to partake of the Lord’s body, because the loaf on the table in the Lord’s supper signifies the entire Body of Christ. To be sure, the loaf signifies the Lord’s physical body sacrificed for us on the cross. This is one aspect of the significance of the bread. Another aspect of this significance is that the bread signifies the one Body. Hence, when we come together to partake of the Lord’s table, we need to realize that the bread, the loaf, signifies all the churches. If the church in our locality or the churches in a particular region are isolated from the fellowship of the Body of Christ, we lose the ground and also the right to partake of this loaf. Whenever we come to the Lord’s table, we come to practice the fellowship of the Body. The Lord’s table is not simply a remembrance of the Lord; it is also a testimony that we who belong to Christ are one.
The fellowship of the Body of Christ, which is the fellowship among the churches, is the fellowship of the apostles. Acts 2:42 tells us that the believers continued steadfastly in the fellowship of the apostles. Just as the teaching of the apostles is unique, so the fellowship of the apostles also is unique. From this we see that all Christians should have one fellowship, the unique fellowship, which is the fellowship of the apostles.
This fellowship is mentioned in 1 John 1:3. “That which we have seen and heard we report also to you, that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed the fellowship which is ours is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia meaning joint participation, common participation. It is the issue of eternal life, and it is actually the flow of eternal life within all the believers who have received and possess the divine life. It is illustrated by the flow of the water of life in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1). Hence, as indicated by Acts 2:42, all genuine believers are in this fellowship. It is carried on by the Spirit in our regenerated spirit. Therefore, it is called “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14) and “fellowship of [our] spirit” (Phil. 2:1). Such a fellowship was first the apostles’ portion in enjoying the Father and Son through the Spirit. For this reason it is called the fellowship of the apostles in Acts 2:42 and “the fellowship which is ours [the apostles’]” in 1 John 1:3.
The word fellowship used in Acts 2:42 and 1 John 1:3 indicates the putting away of private interests and the joining with others for a certain common purpose. Hence, to have fellowship with the apostles, to be in the fellowship of the apostles, and to have fellowship with the Triune God in the apostles’ fellowship, is to put away our private interests and join with the apostles and the Triune God for the carrying out of God’s purpose. Our participation in the apostles’ enjoyment of the Triune God is our joining with them and with the Triune God for His purpose, which is common to God, the apostles, and all the believers.
According to Acts 2:42, in the first church life there was only one fellowship, and that fellowship was of the apostles. The apostles’ fellowship includes all genuine believers. In the church life in the Lord’s recovery we follow and practice the fellowship of the apostles.
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