God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:9 KJV
In a previous meditation, we said Jesus, like any true teacher taught His disciples by living out the life first, by words, deeds and then commissioning them to do the same. By His Spirit living in us, He has also invited us to partake of this fellowship (partnership, social intercourse and association). We have been called to partner with and associate with the Son of God, the first born of creation and the first among many brethren. This fellowship involves on call, but in seven progressions and invitations. The fellowship of the great house, as seen in 1 timothy 2:20 is the first invitation to all believers. Men and women, greek and Jew, slave and free are all brought into this great house to fellowship together as one man in Christ. However, in this place, God also separates the called from the chosen and the faithful by calling us to a deeper fellowship, the fellowship of His suffering. This suffering does not include things that are outrightly contradicting to His mission, like sickness and poverty, but where all that we have previously loved will be placed on a scale with our devotion to Him.
The Fellowship of His death is another invitation that all will receive. It is a call to carry our cross and follow Him to death, Matthew 16:24-25. This death here is not necessarily physical death, but a dying to all that the world has to offer. Death to self is the foundation for all who will partake of the fullness of life in Christ Jesus, Romans 6:4-6. Therefore, Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:31 boldly proclaimed that he dies daily. To die here means to not have our senses awakened any more by stimuli. Galatians 2:20 said we were co- crucified with Christ, yet we live. This life we live is Christ, because we were buried in Him. A dead man would not defend himself against reviling because, well, he is dead. A dead man does not seek his own, because he is not there anymore. This call is to consider ourselves and rights as non-existent, but Christ as all in all.
All who partake of the fellowship of His death are automatically invited to the fellowship of His resurrection, Hebrews 3:1. At this point we become a partaker of His heavenly blessing, we can walk in newness of life.Once one begins to walk in Christ’s resurrection life, he is sealed His glory. The newness of life is a higher form of life than the beastly life or depreciated life of the ‘survival of the fittest’ and struggle for living. It is a beastly life that is unforgiving, has malice and gossips. This resurrection life is lived by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. All walking faithfully in this call to newness of life are also invited into the fellowship of the heavenly life. Here, it is said that we “reign” in life, Romans 5:17. This is as a result of walking in the power of resurrection. This fellowship is a call to dwell in the environment of life. Here, no sickness or disease can take hold of you. Here Jesus gives us of tree of life. Upon all who eat this, the second death has no hold. These are being sealed up for immortality and incorruptibility.
As we continue faithfully in the fellowship of this heavenly life, we are called into the fellowship of His reigning. Here, not only is the man above sicknesses and things that pull a person down, all that are around him are saved by the overflow of this life. The person walking in this union has authority to impart others with the life of God as well. Here the shadow of a man can raise the dead. The mere presence of a person can wipe out depression from an area. This comes as a result of a deeper and vibrant relationship with God. The final is the fellowship of His glory, where we are fully clothed with His glory and life and live as divine beings. Jesus walked in these dimensions of life and fellowship with the Father and has opened up the invitation for all who will heed to the call. Because many are yet in the fellowship of His suffering at this time, being asked to lay down our lives for the sake of the gospel, the encouragement is to endure suffering as a good soldier of Christ, 2 Timothy 2:3. Doing this will qualify us to partake of the full fellowship and glorification of the Son of God. Those who suffer with Him will reign with Him in life, sitting as kings and judging the earth. The call is open to you, beloved, the reward is great. May God grant you help to be diligent and accept this call that will end in praise.
Prayer for today: Father I pray that I may know You and the power of Your resurrection, and the fellowship of Your suffering, being made conformable unto Your death and to Your image. I receive the grace to put my body under and faithfully press towards the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus, that I may apprehend or lay hold of that for which I was captured and apprehended for.
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