Reflections on fellowship

As part of my own growth in discipleship, I'm trying to help learn and help the congregation with whom I minister learn what it means to be a Christian community. So I was glad when I took my weekly visit to CoffeeSwirls and found these reflections on fellowship from Doug McHone:

Once upon a time, the church was comprised by people of widely varying social, economic, racial and other backgrounds who came together united under the banner of Christ crucified. They held nothing as their own, but would sell their property to help anyone in need. They would use the word of God to exhort one another, discipline those who were in sin and build each other up in their shared goal of living lives acceptable to Christ as sacrifices of praise. They would understand such phrases as “common salvation” (Jude 3) in light of this. Because of this, I strongly doubt that their calls to repentance and faith included the phrase “personal relationship with Christ.” Is Christianity personal? To a degree it is. But we are saved from a sea of sinners into the invisible church, where the Bible assumes our lives to change from one of isolation to one characterized as the fellowship of believers. (1 Corinthians 1:9)

And what is the basis of that fellowship?

Fellowship is based not on sports, jobs, locality, pride or anything this world has to offer. It is based on the promise made to us by Christ, that He would raise us on the last day. It is this unbreakable tie that brings us into the fellowship and maintains our standing within it. (1 John 1:2-3).

Amen. Let's pray that our churches build true fellowship on the foundation of Jesus Christ.