Christian Fellowship

By Leon Stancliff

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     "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you also, that ye also may have fellowship with us, yea, and our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ...Beloved, no new commandment write I unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning: the old commandment is the word which ye heard. Again a new commandment write I unto you, which thing is true in him, and in you; because the darkness is passing away, and the true light already shineth. He that saith he is in the light and hateth his brother is in the darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is no occasion of stumbling in him" (1 John 1:3; 2:7-10).

     Consider a handful of marbles dropped on the floor. As they strike the surface the marbles rolling in all directions show no apparent attraction for one another. There are people who act in somewhat the same manner. These persons take a certain pride in independence, and thus draw themselves farther and farther from their fellowmen until the satisfactions of life are sought only in self.

     There are times when a degree of independence is invaluable. If the mass of people are wrong one must be able to discern the error, and with love in one's heart seek to help in the elimination of that which is wrong. A person must have both the strength and independence to resist corruption of his soul. At the same time a misdirected independence which leads to the stunting of friendship among mankind is undesirable.

     It is quite unnatural for man to walk alone. He is somewhat like the cow and the bee in this respect. God has planted within him an innate desire to congregate. If one places a strange cow in a pasture with a number of cows which have been grazing there, the strange cow will very soon find her way to the herd. It may mean that she has to fight every cow in the herd to find her proper social position but she will not live by herself. To a far greater extent than the beast world man must live and work with others like himself. God knew that the progress of man both materially and spiritually depended upon his cooperation. He therefore gave as the first and primary commandment that man should love his neighbor.

     True fellowship such as God commanded requires a communion of spirit with spirit. The Christian is to rejoice with those who rejoice and to weep with those who weep. He has become so much a part of the body of Christ that if a fellow-Christian suffers, he feels the pain indirectly; if a fellow-Christian accomplishes something fine it is as though he himself had indirectly accomplished that

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thing. Though he may be separated from others who are dear to him he gains strength from previous as well as anticipated associations, and this allows him to go about his life with a peace which surpasses the understanding of the unbeliever.

     Envy, jealousy and malevolent feelings toward others are decreased to the minimum. One cannot rejoice for another's accomplishments and at the same time belittle those accomplishments. He cannot desire the possessions of another and at the same time be happy for the other person as a possessor. He cannot treat another in any destructive manner, for in destroying the other he destroys himself.

     There are many associations of life which require the type of bond described above. These associations may exist without a high degree of brotherly kindness but they will not flourish. The strength of family ties varies from family to family. For the finest development of a family it is necessary that every individual feels that his wellbeing and happiness is important to every other member of that family. He must feel that his presence is necessary to the proper development of the family as a whole.

     No factory can be at its best without labor and management looking toward the wellbeing of each other. If the individual workers are led to be jealous and suspicious of their fellow-workers, the entire operation will be awkward.

     Though reflections of unity and love may find their way into the lives of individuals and organizations that are not Christians, the true light of the Sun of righteousness shineth in its full glory upon those in the family of God who love one another with the Spirit of Christ.

     Leon Stancliff lives at 926 Kirkwood Street, Murfreesboro, Tennessee 37130. and may be addressed at that location.