The following quote is from the statement of purpose for this section:
"Those who choose to participate in this forum are looking for a deeper walk with the Lord through fellowship with His family."
There is something I see in Christianity that has gotten me thinking - there is often a conclusion that seems to be made that implies that if I talk to other Christians I also develop a relationship with God. I am using the above statement as an example but I have heard very similar things often around the church. It is one of those things you hear and wonder if it is true. It just doesn't quite seem to be true, but I usually go on without exploring it future.
Today in my time with the Lord He brought it up. He knows the things that bothers me and in time He seems to get around to covering them with me. Today was a day for cover this issue.
Now, if I talk to my brother I have fellowship with him. Yet even if we talk about our sisters neither of us actually had fellowship with our sisters. If I talk to my mom, even about me did, it certainly doesn't mean I had fellowship with my dad. He died. I believe he lives on in heaven but I have not had a conversation with him. So I look forward to the day when I might again have fellowship with him, but day is not today, nor is that achieved by talking to my mom.
God is unique though. His word is found in our hearts and on our lips. So perhaps I can actually have fellowship with God by having fellowship with other believers???
That is the question, and the Lord wanted to work on it with me this morning. Often He and I go for a walk and discuss such things. However today He ask that I take my wife for a walk with me this morning. So my wife and I took a walk and we discussed the question. What we found out was that where two or three are gathered in His name He is there.
Never-the-less, we also found out that He is not her nor is He me. He is the Lord. He might and can walk with us. He is also in our midst when several of us get together in His name, but He is still Him not us. So the words "not necessarily' were brought to us.
That is to say that the statement "Those who choose to participate in this forum are looking for a deeper walk with the Lord through fellowship with His family." is not necessarily true!!!
Are each of us looking to the Lord and listening to Him? Are we saying what He tells us or what we are thinking? And most importantly our relationship with Him should be directly with Him! He might walk in our midst but it is a personal relationship and so a personal fellowship that He is really after! That doesn't mean that we should fellowship with each other. Indeed that should be nice, but we should not necessarily assume that fellowship with other believers is fellowship with Him!!
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
I believe a deeper walk with the Lord is obtain through fellowship with Him. Which does mean I shouldn't fellowship with other believers but we shouldn't necessarily believe the fellowship with others is fellowship with Him or develops a deeper relationship with Him.
My friends, seek Him and listen to Him. --- and I like to hear about your deeper relationship that comes from that. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my deeper relationship with Him that comes about from listening to Him.
"Those who choose to participate in this forum are looking for a deeper walk with the Lord through fellowship with His family."
There is something I see in Christianity that has gotten me thinking - there is often a conclusion that seems to be made that implies that if I talk to other Christians I also develop a relationship with God. I am using the above statement as an example but I have heard very similar things often around the church. It is one of those things you hear and wonder if it is true. It just doesn't quite seem to be true, but I usually go on without exploring it future.
Today in my time with the Lord He brought it up. He knows the things that bothers me and in time He seems to get around to covering them with me. Today was a day for cover this issue.
Now, if I talk to my brother I have fellowship with him. Yet even if we talk about our sisters neither of us actually had fellowship with our sisters. If I talk to my mom, even about me did, it certainly doesn't mean I had fellowship with my dad. He died. I believe he lives on in heaven but I have not had a conversation with him. So I look forward to the day when I might again have fellowship with him, but day is not today, nor is that achieved by talking to my mom.
God is unique though. His word is found in our hearts and on our lips. So perhaps I can actually have fellowship with God by having fellowship with other believers???
That is the question, and the Lord wanted to work on it with me this morning. Often He and I go for a walk and discuss such things. However today He ask that I take my wife for a walk with me this morning. So my wife and I took a walk and we discussed the question. What we found out was that where two or three are gathered in His name He is there.
Never-the-less, we also found out that He is not her nor is He me. He is the Lord. He might and can walk with us. He is also in our midst when several of us get together in His name, but He is still Him not us. So the words "not necessarily' were brought to us.
That is to say that the statement "Those who choose to participate in this forum are looking for a deeper walk with the Lord through fellowship with His family." is not necessarily true!!!
Are each of us looking to the Lord and listening to Him? Are we saying what He tells us or what we are thinking? And most importantly our relationship with Him should be directly with Him! He might walk in our midst but it is a personal relationship and so a personal fellowship that He is really after! That doesn't mean that we should fellowship with each other. Indeed that should be nice, but we should not necessarily assume that fellowship with other believers is fellowship with Him!!
1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
I believe a deeper walk with the Lord is obtain through fellowship with Him. Which does mean I shouldn't fellowship with other believers but we shouldn't necessarily believe the fellowship with others is fellowship with Him or develops a deeper relationship with Him.
My friends, seek Him and listen to Him. --- and I like to hear about your deeper relationship that comes from that. I hope you enjoyed hearing about my deeper relationship with Him that comes about from listening to Him.