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REFLECTION
The theme for our reflection is “Called into fellowship”. Fellowship is an intimate spiritual relationship that exists between a believer and Christ and is demonstrated through the bond of unity and sharing among the believer and other believers. We are going to deliberate on how sinful humanity was called into fellowship with God through Christ Jesus.

Beloved in the Lord, how is it possible for a sinner to be called into fellowship with Jesus Christ. Paul gives us the answer when he wrote that “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9). We have come to understand that God’s faithfulness is His constant trustworthy unconditional steadfast love for sinful humanity. God did not call us into fellowship with Him through Jesus Christ because of our works or self-righteousness. God has called us into fellowship with Jesus because of His grace and faithfulness to us. He sent Jesus to save us from our sins and eternal death so that we shall have an eternal communion or spiritual intimate relationship with Jesus Christ.

How do we qualify to be called into fellowship with Christ Jesus? The only qualification is repentance and regeneration. it is, for this reason, Paul admonishes us that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” (Romans 10:9-10). When we bear the fruit of repentance, regeneration will happen through the power of the Holy Spirit. God’s plan is for us to be saved and have everlasting fellowship with Jesus, “For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-10) Dear friend, many of us belong to the fellowship of Christ which is the Church, yet we do not have a personal and intimate spiritual relationship with Jesus. In other words, we belong to the fellowship or the Church of Christ but we have not yet been called into a personal fellowship with Christ Jesus because we are still living in sin and have refused to repent. We are physically part of the fellowship of Christ but spiritually we are in the world. It is for this reason, Jesus says that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23) Dear friend, are you merely part of the fellowship of believers or you have been first and foremost, called into fellowship with Jesus Christ through repentance and regeneration? In other words, do you come to Church because you think or feel that it is an association or social group you belong to or you come to Church because you have been called into fellowship with Jesus Christ through repentance and regeneration?

We are witnessing more division, corruption, immorality, jealousy, conspiracy, and all manner of evils and abominations in the 21st-century Church because some pastors, catechists, presbyters, elders, deacons and members of the church are still beyond the walls of salvation. Many of us have not been called into fellowship with Christ yet because we are still carnal-minded and unrepentant. We are deeply rooted in the desires of the flesh although our names are in the Church registers. We are deeply rooted in the desires of the flesh and the world although we preach, pray and sing on Sundays. We are spiritually empty and have no intimate spiritual relationship with Jesus. We have turned the Church of Christ into an opera or theatre where we engage in all manner of drama in the name of spirituality and worship yet our hearts remain unrepentant and we have no fellowship with Jesus Christ. How can we transform the world through the power of the Gospel if we only exist physically in the church but spiritually we have no fellowship with Jesus Christ? Many Christians are like tenants in a house who have never met the landlord. We go to Church every Sunday and other days in the week yet many of us have no relationship with Jesus, the Landlord of the Church. If truly the majority of Christians are called into fellowship with Jesus, we shall see a huge or remarkable reduction in bribery and corruption, divorce, and other forbidden acts in our society. Unfortunately, those of us who perpetuate injustice, corruption and immorality have Biblical names such as John, Paul, Mary, Elizabeth, Matthew and the like. We are only Christians in name but not in fellowship with Jesus Christ. Beloved in the Lord, God is faithful and He desires to call us into fellowship with Jesus. It is not too late to repent and be saved. Jesus in Revelation 3:13-19 is inviting us, He says, “‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.”

In summary, we have meditated on the theme ” Called into Fellowship” We have leant that God has called us into fellowship with Jesus Christ because He is faithful. We are also required to be faithful to Him through repentance and regeneration so that we shall fully benefit from this glorious and gracious call to salvation and fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Shalom


PRAYER POINTS
1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to strengthen you in your walk with Jesus.
2. Pray for the unrepentant in the church of Christ.
3. Pray for the Holy Spirit to use us to preach the Gospel in the world for many to be saved and called into fellowship with Jesus Christ.
4. Pray against any form of temptation that may make you fall from the fellowship you have with Jesus Christ.
PRAYER
Holy Spirit, empower us to live a life worthy of believers who have been called into fellowship with our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.