The Wrong Fellowship

To begin with

It came to my mind, at these early hours of the morning, a saying which bears a seed of truth and wisdom. “A good day is known from the morning.” Perhaps, the most often I heard this being said, was among the farm workers in the countryside where I spent most of my childhood. Who were up before sunrise, preparing their tools and food for the workday. 

Many years ago, I remember when I heard and understood that the time I was to embrace is what the Bible calls the last days. It was not easy to put my mind on it to receive that message, which was God’s Word, and to grasp it. Years later now, it is rather closer to the later days of the Bible, described by Paul in his second letter to Timothy, chapter 3. But interestingly enough, reading the description Paul makes of the last days, it is rather notable to see that the apostle describes people and not the times themselves. The people and the things they do is what we will see in the last days of the earth’s history. Like Paul, the apostle Peter writes about this subject in his second letter, in chapter three, and notices that the main warning given is about false doctrine, ungodly people with the purpose of inducing error among those set aside by faith in Christ. 

The perilous times are here already, is for us to see and accept the reality prophesied by the apostles. And much more difficult is yet to come, due to people getting further and further away from the truth. 

I have been challenged, a while back now, to write on this topic. I was sharing on the insights of this series on fellowship, and someone suggested to think about the wrong fellowship. And indeed, I have been meditating on it and then looking into the Bible, I was wondering, what would that be? 

Recently, searching and reading about all sorts of wind of doctrine, flying around to find a weak mind to settle in, I could not but notice something I hear so often. Yet, even though it presumes the right thing, the wrong results are drawn out of it. When I think of fellowship, Dr. Luke in his second writing, the Book of Acts, emphasises the fellowship and he has put a unique interest in it. That is because it is important to depict what fellowship is, where it is and by who it is composed. However, what Dr. Luke depicts in the Book of Acts is an accurate description of the early Christians’ fellowship. 

The thing I keep hearing and it actually started to bother me, is I keep noticing people saying “There must be the right gospel! If a church or a person does not bear the right gospel, then we should not have any kind of communion with them!”. I was in full agreement with them, until I read again, what Paul and Peter say about today’s times. Their description is spot on what the world today is. I find in the Bible another fundamental principle in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter seven verse 8 which reads: [KJV] Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. 

You see, the fellowship is the result of something. The fellowship is drawn out from, and not imposed in. In the Book of Acts, Dr. Luke uses a unique phrase which is found only in the New Testament. Out of twelve times identified, eleven times are used in the book of Acts describing the first generation of followers of Christ and the first church. The KJV translators brought this word composition (ὁμοθυμαδόν homothumadon; hom-oth-oo-mad-on’) in English, translating in the expression one accord. This unique Greek word helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonise in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ’s church. (Greek dictionary explanation of  homothumadon) 

To continue

Looking then in the book of Acts, how the first Christians had one accord in all they did and daily, I asked myself, what then made these people to have such a rushed passion in unison? The answer is simple and will be surprising for many of us. They had the right gospel. They were transformed by the right gospel into the right followers of Christ. They were driven by the right doctrine into communion and they were exposing to the society the right witnessing. (Acts 2:42-47) Seeing what the Bible says about the right fellowship, I then went further to ask why is it then, people live in the wrong fellowship? Only having an apparent gladness, yet just take away what is at the surface, and can easily see, that there is distortion in that church. There is more disagreement, than agreement. People fight with each other on the doctrinal level, each of them holding fast to their own understanding and interpretation of God’s Word, which results in opinionated teaching. Rather than solid teaching. Where did things go wrong? 

When the Bible warns of the wind of doctrines, I think it is the best description given to false teaching. Because the purpose is to fly around and make a lot of noise. When it settles in people’s minds, the flying and noise do not stop and the scope is to create more and more buzz like an out-of-tune guitar or piano or any instrument. Try and sing with a discordant instrument. It is more than impossible; it is hurtful to the ears. 

The right gospel will produce the right fellowship, where people have one accord in all things. Even when they disagree on the understanding or the interpretation of a Biblical text, the purpose will not be to fight, but to work together for a better understanding to result in closeness. Unfortunately, as we see today, the wrong gospel produces a disastrous fellowship. A false idea of church and communion. In Acts 2:42 are the 4 pillars of communion. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. Pillar one the apostle’ doctrine, pillar two fellowship, pillar 3 breaking of bread, pillar four prayers. And all these pillars were placed on the right foundation which was the right gospel. (Acts 2:41) 

Though I do not necessarily agree with using the term right gospel, the point I am making is to be aware that there are many captivating gospels flying around claiming to be the right one. Yet, that does not make them to be true. Test the doctrine and the teaching in what results it produces. Moreover, the gospel never claimed to be the right or the true one, because it was the spoken true message of God proved in the old times, prophesied and fulfilled by Christ later on. I would doubt very much if someone starts by saying they are preaching the right gospel. I am aware of many false teachings, but the gospel is unique, because it carries one unique message, and produces one unique result, followers of Christ. The gospel is not just a message, an ideology or a concept. The apostles in the first century were preaching the gospel without having one word of the New Testament. They were using the scriptures, what we call today the Old Testament. They only had the prophecies of the old times proving that what they have witnessed, seeing Jesus making miracles, dying on the cross and coming back to life, was what it was prophesied by God’s people many years before. After Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, He showed Himself to the disciples and did one particular thing, which again Dr. Luke points out. Jesus taught them what the Scriptures said about Him, Christ the Messiah. (Luke 24:27,44-48) 

To conclude

With a slight burden in my heart, I would like to conclude the series on fellowship with the thought, that only the right gospel will produce the right fellowship. There could be more to say about this, however, we ought to meditate upon this fundamental principle. If the fellowship is not reflecting Christ, then is it resting on the life, death and resurrection of Christ? And the same as the last days described by Paul and Peter, the people are composing the fellowship. Therefore, the life, death and resurrection of Christ must be a reality in the life of the people taking part in the communion. Otherwise, the fellowship is just wrong.