Devoted to the Apostles’ Fellowship

“They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ doctrine and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42

The ‘They’ who were continually devoting themselves were the 120, plus the 3000 who received the word proclaimed by Peter, and then those who were being added to their number day by day by the Lord. (Acts 2:47) It is important to understand what they were devoting themselves to. Firstly they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching or doctrine. We know from the scriptures that the apostles’ teaching was the teaching of Christ and the teaching of Christ was the teaching of the Father. Jesus said in John 7:16, “My teaching is not Mine, but His who sent Me”. Those who are truly sent are those who bring the teaching of Christ.

We then note that what resulted as a consequence of the apostles’ teaching was fellowship. Fellowship is the fruit of our response to the word that is proclaimed. This is not just any kind of fellowship but the fellowship of the apostles. The apostle John expressed very clearly what the fellowship of the apostles is, “indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ”. (1John 1:3) This fellowship is also called the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. (2Cor 13:14)

We could summarise this fellowship as follows: the fellowship of the Father and the Son is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is the fellowship of the apostles. And the fellowship of the apostles is to be the fellowship of the church. If the church deviates from the apostles’ fellowship then it does not continue in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Thus by extension it does not continue in the fellowship of the Father and the Son which is the fellowship of first love.

The evidence that you are receiving the word of present truth from an apostolic administration will be your participation in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. You will be making responses commensurate with the proceeding word and not relying on living by a fellowship response from the past, no matter how good that was. Flowing on from participating in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be the fruit of entering into a genuine ‘breaking of bread from house to house’ and joining both Christ and His body in prayer. Restoration to the fellowship of first love is the immediate challenge for the church today! (Rev 2:4-5)

The Holy Spirit Speaks What He Hears

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.” John 16:13-15

According to Jesus it is the Holy Spirit who discloses to us all that belongs to the Father and the Son. Note carefully what Jesus says in regards to this, “Whatever He (the Holy Spirit) hears, He will speak.” What do you think the Holy Spirit is hearing? Being an integral part of the fellowship of the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit is constantly listening to Their dialogue. He is in on Their conversation. He is not on the outer in anyway. He is listening carefully and attentively to everything the Godhead are discussing and planning. He is an active participant in Their council and is aware of every intimate detail of Their thoughts concerning God’s will and purpose, both for the church and every individual member of the body of Christ. The psalmist David marvelled at this reality when he wrote in Psalm 139:17-18, “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand.”

Now imagine this scenario for a moment. The Holy Spirit, who is also an active participant in the fellowship of the Godhead, is listening very carefully to the dialogue of the Father and the Son. They begin to talk about you and all the truth concerning Their purpose, plan and will for your life in relation to your name. If you are going to know about this then you need the Holy Spirit to disclose or illuminate this to you. You will have to receive the witness of the Holy Spirit to your life. (1John 5:6-8) Therefore the Holy Spirit is a true messenger of the dialogue of the Father and the Son. He doesn’t add anything to Their dialogue. He doesn’t put His own spin on things. He doesn’t bring His own ideas into the equation. He only speaks what He hears and this tells us what a true messenger is.

We need to pause and consider the amazing reality of the interaction of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. He only speaks what He hears.

The Fellowship Of The Holy Spirit

2Cor 13:14 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

The apostle Paul had been wrestling with the Corinthian church over a number of issues. He then concludes his two lengthy letters to them with a very important remark about fellowship. And the fellowship that Paul is most concerned about is a particular kind of fellowship, it is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. It begs the question then, what is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit?

In 1Cor 1:9 when Paul is beginning his admonition to the Corinthians he says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” And then in 1John 1:3 the apostle John declares, “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The fellowship that the Holy Spirit brings to us and then brings us into, is the fellowship of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. Of course the Holy Spirit is an integral part of Their fellowship but being the Holy Spirit He does not speak of Himself but rather glorifies the Father and the Son.

It is this fellowship that the apostle John proclaimed as the fellowship of eternal life. Concerning the ‘Word of Life’, Jesus Christ, John declared, “the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father.” (1John 1:2) In John 17:3 Jesus stated, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, (the Father) and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Quite clearly then Their fellowship is the fellowship of eternal life. Therefore when we are talking about Christian fellowship we are talking about Their fellowship.

Now it is the Holy Spirit who discloses to us all that belongs to the Father and the Son, especially Their fellowship. (John 16:13-15) The Holy Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God’s own fellowship and reveals the nature of Their fellowship life to all those who love Him. (1Cor 2:9-12) Having joined the fellowship of the Holy Spirit through the new birth and baptism we are then called to be diligent to preserve the unity or fellowship of the Spirit. (Eph 4:3)

The Fellowship Of The Holy Spirit

2Cor 13:14 – “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

The apostle Paul had been wrestling with the Corinthian church over a number of issues. He then concludes his two lengthy letters to them with a very important remark about fellowship. And the fellowship that Paul is most concerned about is a particular kind of fellowship, it is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. It begs the question then, what is the fellowship of the Holy Spirit?

In 1Cor 1:9 when Paul is beginning his admonition to the Corinthians he says, “God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” And then in 1John 1:3 the apostle John declares, “What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The fellowship that the Holy Spirit brings to us and then brings us into, is the fellowship of the Father and the Son, Jesus Christ. Of course the Holy Spirit is an integral part of Their fellowship but being the Holy Spirit He does not speak of Himself but rather glorifies the Father and the Son.

It is this fellowship that the apostle John proclaimed as the fellowship of eternal life. Concerning the ‘Word of Life’, Jesus Christ, John declared, “the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father.” (1John 1:2) In John 17:3 Jesus stated, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, (the Father) and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Quite clearly then Their fellowship is the fellowship of eternal life. Therefore when we are talking about Christian fellowship we are talking about Their fellowship.

Now it is the Holy Spirit who discloses to us all that belongs to the Father and the Son, especially Their fellowship. (John 16:13-15) The Holy Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God’s own fellowship and reveals the nature of Their fellowship life to all those who love Him. (1Cor 2:9-12) Having joined the fellowship of the Holy Spirit through the new birth and baptism we are then called to be diligent to preserve the unity or fellowship of the Spirit. (Eph 4:3)

Partakers of Eternal Life

“Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” – John 6:53-54

I think we would agree that to literally eat the flesh and drink the blood of Christ in order to have eternal life is not what is meant here. So what did Jesus mean? In John 1:1-2 and verse 14 it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. ….And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, ….. full of grace and truth.” Note carefully, “the Word became flesh”. Jesus is the Word made flesh. Jesus then says in John 6:63, “the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life”. Therefore to eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus is to partake of His very Spirit and life.

Furthermore Jesus said that the same life that is in the Father is in Him; “For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself.” (John 5:26) The word for ‘life’ that is used here is the Greek word, ‘Zoe’. It refers to ‘life in the absolute sense, life as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself, and which He gives to the Incarnate Son to have in Himself.’ (Vines) This life is the divine nature and of this life men become partakers (eaters and drinkers) when they hear, believe, receive and obey the word that He speaks to them. (John 5:24; 2Pet 1:4)

The apostle John also understood that those who live their lives continually partaking of Christ’s proceeding word as their true food and drink have eternal life now. “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, … For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink.” But he then goes on to say that it is these ones who will be raised up in the last day at the coming of the Lord. (John 5:54) Only as we participate now, in being partakers of the divine nature, are we assured of being raised up in the last day. (John 5:28-29; 1Thess 4:13-18; 1Cor 15:35-58)