Hymn #737 in Hymns speaks of the fellowship of life and its relationship to the Spirit and the cross. Verses 1 and 6 of this hymn say:
1. Life eternal brings us
Fellowship of life,
Fellowship in Spirit,
Saving us from strife.
6. Fellowship is deepened
Thru the cross of death;
Fellowship is lifted
By the Spirit's breath.
We also need to see that our human spirit is related to the fellowship. With the divine fellowship of God's life, three things are involved: the Spirit of God, our human spirit, and the cross. In this message we want to see the two aspects of the divine fellowship by the two spirits.
The divine fellowship has two aspects: the vertical aspect between God and us and the horizontal aspect among the believers. The horizontal aspect of the divine fellowship is by the human spirit. The vertical aspect of the divine fellowship is by the divine Spirit, the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 13:14; 2 Tim. 4:22). The word by is actually not strong enough to express what we mean. The Spirit is not merely involved, wrapped up, or mingled with the fellowship. The Spirit Himself is the fellowship because the fellowship is the flow, the current, of the Spirit. This is like saying that the current of electricity is just the electricity itself. The current of electricity is electricity in motion. When the electricity stops, the current of electricity also stops. In the same way, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit mentioned in 2 Corinthians 13:14 is the Spirit moving. The grace of Christ is Christ Himself enjoyed by us; the love of God is God Himself tasted by us; and the fellowship of the Spirit is the Spirit Himself moving within us. The divine fellowship is the Holy Spirit Himself.
Without the divine Spirit, there is no fellowship. The Spirit is the very element of the fellowship. When a stand is made of wood, wood is the element of the stand. Likewise, if a stand is made of steel, steel is the element of the stand. If you take away the element, the stand ceases to exist. It is the same with the divine fellowship. If you take away the Spirit, the divine fellowship disappears.