First, we shall speak something concerning the matter of fellowship. If we know the principle of God's work, we will see clearly that a basic principle for God to bestow grace is fellowship. Whether it is God's salvation of man, or His edification or raising up of a man, He does it in the principle of fellowship. Rarely can you find an example where God does a work of grace for man apart from the principle of fellowship. You cannot find a person who is saved by God directly. Although every person receives his salvation from God, he receives it indirectly, at least through one person. This receiving through man speaks of a principle of fellowship.
If you read the history of the church or the autobiographies of spiritual men, you can find that the same is true in God's calling of men. On the one hand, you can say that God calls men directly, but within this calling there is always the element of fellowship. The called one always has some contact first with those who are serving the Lord. This contact is the fellowship, and it becomes a factor for that person to be called by God. Even God's edification, His raising up and equipping of a person, and His giving of gifts to us are bound up with the principle of fellowship. The apostle Paul told Timothy in his letter that the gift Timothy received came from the laying on of hands of Paul and the elders. This is fully a matter of fellowship. Timothy received the gift because of the fellowship and through the fellowship. In God's administration of grace, there is a very basic principle, which is fellowship. Where there is no fellowship, grace stops. Where there is no fellowship, the flow of the Holy Spirit is cut off. Fellowship is a great principle.
Hence, if the elders want to bring the management of a church up to a strong, shining, fresh, and rich condition, they must be persons of fellowship. If the elders in any place lack fellowship, they will surely be in darkness, dryness, weakness, and mistakes. Without fellowship, there is no balance. Without fellowship, you will surely dry up, and when you are dried up, you will be poor and weak. Moreover, when there is no balance, you will be biased, and you will be stuck in minor matters, or will go to an extreme. This is unavoidable. If the elders will take every opportunity to fellowship, they will surely be nourishing, rich, shining, fresh, and balanced. They will not be dry and will not be driven to extremes. Hence, in speaking about the elders' administration, we cannot talk about the coordination of the elders without talking about their fellowship.
During these years, the brothers in all the places have realized the need of coordination for the management of the elders. Nevertheless, their feeling for the need of fellowship is not strong enough. I wish that the elders in every locality would have a strong feeling from now on that in order to be an elder there is the need for fellowship. If there is no fellowship, they will not be proper elders. Not only in spiritual matters, but in the worldly matters also, there is the need for fellowship with those outside your own sphere. This is why there is the need to have cultural exchanges and scientific exchanges. If you try to close your door and be a reclusive person, in the end you will have only a very narrow view; you will know only a limited amount. Others may have advanced in many ways already, but you are still dragging the oxcart and are still quite contented. Today, in politics, military developments, finance, science, and many forms of literature, there is the need for exchanges. Once there is an exchange, there are the riches. You do not necessarily only receive from others; in receiving something from others, you also supply others as well. Fellowship is one of the great principles in the universe. This principle is of God and is ordained by God.
Fellowship is all the more indispensable in the Body of Christ. This can be clearly seen when we look at the human body. The body is fully a matter of fellowship. Whenever the body lacks fellowship and the blood stops circulating, the person is finished. We know that exercise increases the circulation of the blood. In other words, it increases the fellowship. All the sicknesses of the body are dealt with through the fellowship of the blood circulation; all the supply is received through the fellowship of the blood circulation. In the same principle, in the Body of Christ and in the church, all the problems are solved through fellowship, and all the supply is received through the fellowship. For the elders to manage the church, they cannot depart from the principle of fellowship at all. If they do, they will immediately suffer great loss.
In some localities, although the elders have never said that they do not need fellowship, what they do and the way they act is telling others that they do not need fellowship. Such churches are all in a condition of dryness and deadness many times. In the church and in the Body of Christ, there is such a thing called fellowship. Whether you like it or not, you have to fellowship. All those who think they can manage by themselves and can do without fellowship are most foolish and proud. No matter how fat and strong a tree is, it needs water for irrigation. Otherwise, it will wilt and die. Even if we were to become as rich as Paul, we could not do without fellowship. I hope the elders would have this strong feeling. Now let us consider the persons to fellowship with.