Concerning the fellowship of life, please refer to chapter 6 of The Knowledge of Life.
First John 1:2-3 says, “We [the apostles]...report to you [the believers] the eternal life...that you also may have fellowship with us, and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” These verses show that the apostles reported the eternal life that we would have fellowship. The eternal life is the life of God, and the life of God entering into us enables us to have fellowship. Since this fellowship comes out of the life of God, it is the fellowship of life. Therefore, the fellowship of life comes from the life of God, its existence is due to the life of God, it is derived from the life of God, and it is brought to us by the life of God. As soon as we obtain the life of God within us, this life enables us to have the fellowship of life. The life of God, therefore, is the source of the fellowship of life.
Since the source of the fellowship of life is the life of God, it is called the fellowship of life. This fellowship comes from the unique life of God. At the beginning of 1 John 1, the apostle John says that he reported the life of God so that we would receive the fellowship of this life. Therefore, we must bear in mind that the source of the fellowship of life is the life of God, which is God Himself.
The life of God rests in the Holy Spirit of God, and the life of God enters into us and lives in us through the Holy Spirit. Even though the fellowship brought to us by the life of God is derived from the life of God, it comes to us by means of the Holy Spirit. The source of fellowship is the life of God, and the means of fellowship is the Spirit of God. Hence, the Bible speaks of the “fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14).
If the Holy Spirit can only “move” us, He does not have a relationship with us. However, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit is a mingling; it mingles God with us and brings us into God through fellowship. While “moving” is objective, fellowship is subjective. The Greek word for fellowship has the meaning of “oneness.” This means that the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, the fellowship of life, causes us to become one with God, to be mingled with God. God enters into us to be mingled with us so that He and we can become one. When God fellowships with us and we contact Him, He and we become one.
The life of God which enters into us is neither confined nor static; it is flowing. It can be likened to the circulation of blood in our body. While we may not be aware of it, the blood in our body is flowing unceasingly. Therefore, any one portion of the blood in our body is not the blood of simply that one part or the blood of the whole body; it is flowing blood. While I am standing here speaking, the blood in my body will circulate several times before I have finished a few sentences. This is circulation and flowing; this is the meaning of fellowship.
The life of God within us is like this. It has flowed out from God and into thousands of saints including us. This flowing life is from God. It passes through God and passes through thousands of saints. Thus, it enables us to have fellowship with God and with thousands of saints. Outwardly speaking, a light bulb may seem independent, but inwardly there is a flow. This flow allows every light bulb to be in communication with not only the power plant but also with all the other light bulbs. The continuous movement of the dials on the electric meter shows that electric current is flowing continuously. From the outside, every electric light bulb is independent of one another, but actually electricity is flowing continuously from within each bulb to the others. The electric current in each light bulb is a communication.
Apparently, Paul is Paul, Brother Nee is Brother Nee, I am myself, and you are yourself; however, as far as the inward life is concerned, we are all in one fellowship, one flow. The life within us is connected to God who is on the throne in heaven, to Paul, to Brother Nee, to myself, and to you. We are all connected to one another, just as electricity in a light bulb is connected to the electricity in another light bulb. This electricity, beyond being merely connected, flows from one bulb to another. This is the fellowship of life.
The function or use of the fellowship of life is to inwardly supply us with all that is in the life of God, with all that is in God. Since this life is the content of God, even God Himself, it supplies us with the content of God and even God Himself when it flows in us. All the fullness in God is supplied to us through the fellowship of life. The more we allow this flowing life to flow in us, the more we are inwardly supplied with the fullness of God. The supply of the fellowship of life is like the circulating blood that supplies the body and the flowing electricity that supplies the lights.
Physically, we can be supplied continuously within because of our blood supply. Through the circulation of blood, all the nutrients that our body needs are supplied to us. In the same way, all the nutrients for our spiritual life are supplied by the fellowship of life because the fellowship of life supplies the content of God, even God Himself.
The fellowship of life and the sense of life are mutually related. As soon as the fellowship of life is interrupted, the sense of life causes us to feel a loss of the supply of life. Immediately, we feel weak, depressed, dark, empty, and in pain. When the fellowship of life is not interrupted, however, the sense of life causes us to feel the supply of life. We feel strong, lively, satisfied, bright, and comfortable. Therefore, whether we are living in the fellowship of life and have the supply of life depends entirely on the sense of life. The more we live in the fellowship of life, the keener is the sense of life and the more we will sense the supply of life.