And He went up on the mountain and summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. [14] And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach,
Mark 3:13-14 NASB
Before Jesus gave authority or power to any of His disciples, like any true teacher, He spent time with them. Acts 1:1 showed that in Jesus’ style of teaching His own, He showed by His life, teach and did works and then sent out the disciples to show by their lives, teach, do and then encourage others to do the same. This was how the church was formed. His aim for His coming was to build a solid foundation upon which He would lay His entire church. This took three and a half years of living out this life, plus many more years of His being with them as the Holy Spirit, guiding and commissioning them. In Jesus’ dictionary, a disciple must have learned how to sit still and learn from Him. For this reason, He called His disciples to fellowship with Him, both in the times of abundance and when they were hungry, when He leaped for Joy and when His tears were like drops of blood.
1 Corinthians 1:9 says “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. The Word “Fellowship” is gotten from the greek word “Koinonia” which means a partnership; that is (literally) participation or a (social) intercourse. The emphasis of Koinonia is “being” and not “doing”. It is a call to be part of something. Koinonia occurs between people with the same purpose, same experience and the same interest. It is also a friendly disposition that exists between people. We haven’t been called to just any fellowship, but the fellowship of the Son of God. We are called and invited to the fellowship of the only begotten Son of God; to participate and partner with the First born among many brethren. This is the highest invitation and honour a person can ever have. What does this fellowship involve?
We can group this call to fellowship into seven progressions. It is a fellowship of the great house. 1 Timothy 2:20 says that in a great house there are many vessels. It is this great house that we have been called to participate in, that brings people of all sort from various races and kinds, binding us together in Christ. However, in this same house, there are some to honour and dishonour. Jesus called so many people in His time as a man in the flesh, some heeded and some did not. Of all that were called, few were chosen and fewer were faithful. The call to fellowship in this great house therefore also involves the call to cleanse ourselves that we may be among the called, chosen and faithful. Those who do not cleanse themselves, will miss out on the ultimate honour reserved for those who will remain faithful as seen in Revelations 14:1-5.
It is also a call to partake of the sufferings of the Son of God. This is often where many draw back. A person once said to Jesus “Lord I will come with you”, and Jesus replied that he has no place to lay His head, Matthew 8:18-20. To another He called and asked to leave every thing and follow Him, but this man could not loose everything for the sake of Christ, Mark 10:17-27. This point is usually where God begins to bring everything that had previously meant the world to you and place it on a scale with Himself. Anything that is of significance, has to be let go, just like Isaac was brought before Abraham as a sacrifice. Make no mistake, though God has in mind that we prosper, it is related to the prospering of our souls. Hence anything that stands in the way of our soul being converted to Christ is not “prospering” in God’s book. The fellowship of His sufferings separate the Children from the Sons. The aim is to test our love and devotion for God.
While being with our Lord in a communion style relationship, there will be demands on us, but the ultimate goal and Joy for us is that we partake of His fullness. This calling is vast and portions of this will be covered in subsequent meditations, but let this scripture be an encouragement to you, as you lay your Isaac before our Father. God Himself laid His Isaac and this His “Isaac” to us “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life.” Matthew 19:29.
Prayer for today: Lord Jesus, it is a privilege and honour to called into fellowship with you, to partake of your house, suffering as well as your honour and throne. Help me not be flippant with your demands on me. Give me the grace to carry my cross daily, partaking of your suffering, your death, your glorification and also your reign. Amen.
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