Philippians 1:3-5; Malachi 3:16,17
I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.
Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES (1899-1981): In times when the Word of God is precious, and when it’s an evil age, like this present one, an age of godlessness, we are told that the people of God met together frequently.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): They went to one another’s houses and talked to one another…It is profitable, indeed, when Christians begin to speak often, one to another, and God Himself turns eaves-dropper to His children. He listens and hears, and a Book of Remembrance is written—the Lord, Himself, becomes a reporter and records the conversation of them that fear Him and that think upon His name!
THOMAS COKE (1747-1814): Nothing warms the heart more than Christian fellowship.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: It is one of the greatest blessings that one can have in this life, and in this world. But what is fellowship?
ADAM CLARKE (1760-1832): If we consider the Greek word translated fellowship, implying spiritual fellowship or communion, then it signifies, not only their attention to the Gospel, their readiness to continue and persevere in it, but also their unity and affection among themselves—the term may not only be applied to communion among themselves, but to communications to others.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: What is it that makes this fellowship possible? Of course, it is identity of nature. This is the result of the new birth…Paul in Second Corinthians puts it like this: he says, “What fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness.” It’s as simple as that. Listen, he goes on, “What communion”—it’s the same word—“hath light with darkness?” It’s impossible. Why? “For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Now then, there is the first thing that makes fellowship; that we have the same nature within us. That’s how it begins.
CHARLES SIMEON (1759-1836): The world unites with those who are of the same mind and spirit with themselves: and so must the godly do: and “in the excellent of the earth must be their chief delight.”
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: We are sharers of the same life, and the moment you detect it in another, you have fellowship with that person. This is the most wonderful thing, I think, in the whole world. It’s been my privilege to have so many experiences of this, particularly during the Second World War. Oh, I still get it, thank God, but it was really wonderful during the war. There were troops, you remember, in England—Oh, they came from Canada, from America, from Holland, from Norway, every part of the world, and here they were for a while in London, and at the end of the service, they’d come to see me. I’d never seen them before, but you know—I knew them! And they knew me. We’d never seen one another before, we’d never spoken before. But you recognize a brother. It doesn’t matter what colour he is, or what his clothing is, nothing matters, you know at once you’re speaking the same language; you are brethren, you are having fellowship—it’s instinctive!
THOMAS COKE: The gospel is a common salvation for all nations.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: Jude talks about the “common salvation,” Jude 1:3. And he’s right—I’ve had people from the South Sea Islands in that vestry of mine at the end of a service, but we knew at once that we were brethren. Why? Well, we were sharing the same salvation. We had a fundamental agreement about basic things. We don’t agree about everything, but we agree about God, we agree about ourselves in sin, we agree about the blessed Saviour, we agree about the new life—and we know one another.
CHARLES BRIDGES (1794-1869): Precious also, will be the communications of Christian fellowship.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: The other thing I would emphasize is a sense of trust and of freedom. If there’s any doubt, you don’t have fellowship. There must be mutual trust and understanding that you can speak freely. You can open your heart, and the other person does exactly the same thing, and you’re enjoying fellowship. There’s freedom, there’s an exchange going on, and it’s wonderful—it’s like a family at its very best. That’s fellowship.
C. H. SPURGEON: I thank God that you and I know what it is to enjoy the Presence of God in a great many different ways. How sweet is Christian fellowship!
THOMAS COKE: Christian fellowship is one of the greatest joys on earth, and a little foretaste of what we expect, when we shall join the spirits of the just made perfect.
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): We conceive that each one of the redeemed will be given the holy privilege of making his or her personal contribution to this unfolding of God’s wondrous ways with us in providence and in grace—each one of the blood-bought company will say, in turn, “Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will declare what he has done for my soul,” Psalm 66:16—not only in regeneration—but in all that followed. O what a testimony each of them will then bear to God’s amazing grace and patience! What a witness each will give to God’s unfailing faithfulness and goodness in supplying every need as he crossed the Wilderness of Sin! How blessed it will be to hear one and another relate God’s wondrous answers to prayer—Everything which redounds to the glory of God will then be made known to the whole of His family.
J. W. ALEXANDER (1804-1859): Those we hope to spend eternity with in heaven are those we should seek out here. Those who are worthy of Christ’s fellowship, are worthy of ours.
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: It’s been a great means of blessings throughout the centuries. Remember that story of John Bunyan? It’s one of the great highlights of Grace Abounding, his autobiography. How, when he was in the depths of despair, he was in Bedford, and he happened to see two or three old women sitting together—they were talking together about the blessings of the Christian life. As they did so, they were being helped and built up, and the blessing was increased—unconsciously, they were blessing poor John Bunyan.
CHARLES SIMEON: Oh, the benefit arising from such communications—Yes, and thousands have experienced the same blessed consolations and supports from occasional discourse with their fellow-saints, who by seasonable advice have “strengthened their hands in God,” 1 Samuel 23:16,17.
C. H. SPURGEON: It is indeed, a great solace for the heart to enjoy Christian fellowship.
JOHN NEWTON (1725-1807): They who have never tasted that the Lord is good, not having known the difference, can have no conception of this subject.
ROBERT HAWKER (1753-1827): Reader! what saith your personal experience to these things? Are you born again?
MARTYN LLOYD-JONES: Do you know it? If you do, thank God. If you don’t, go and tell Him. Tell Him you feel you’re outside, tell Him that you don’t understand these things, that they’re strange to you. Tell Him you’d like to know, ask Him to enlighten you with His Spirit, and He will—if you’re honest, and you really want it. Once you’ve got this life—oh, then you’ll love the brethren, and you’ll covet the fellowship above everything else on earth.
