November 22, 2022

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.” ps 27:4 nkjv

Paul writes to the believers in Corinth (a city of paganism and debauchery, in Greece, that Paul was noted for having established the Gospel there… Corinth had a vile reputation as such, to the extent that the Romans joked about it, asking or suggesting that persons having visited there, if they had been “Corinthinized.” I think likewise that our modern society is in a similar state of debauchery. Even at that, Paul had a faithful fellowship there that he says this to (and likewise to us today):

“4 I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Christ Jesus, 5 that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, 6 even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you, 7 so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, 8 who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Cor 1:4-9 nkjv

How does one get called [by God] into the fellowship of His Son…? I think it is safe to suggest that, back then and now, one chooses to “hear” the gospel message, and stay in faithful fellowship with the truth, the WORD… and in Paul’s day, that WORD was the Hebrew Bible, and if in the Greek, it would have been the Septuagint. No New Testament existed at that time. Most of the early believers came out a Jewish background from Synagogues. As time moved along, more “non-Jewish” adherents to the faith joined and a “Christian” element grew more prominent.

All throughout church history, among all sects of believers, men have sought fellowship among the flesh [other people] instead of the direct personal fellowship of the “call of God to seek His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord…” Not to fault fellowship with other believers; but to seek the proper order. People groups can turn inward and forget the priority of the important thing… and all too often they look the other way at sin and tolerate friendship [fellowship] with the world:

“Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” jam 4:4 nkjv

This can lead to self-destruction.

How does this “self-destruction” happen? Disregard for the truth (very prevalent in our society, especially among those confessing to be “believers.”)

And, ignorance is not an acceptable excuse… the enemy of our souls uses this against us very discretely. Some even take comfort in the absence of the feeling of guilt when feigning ignorance.

And procrastination (disobedience in slow motion, says the late pastor Jeff Hidden).

No kind of “coexistence” with non-biblical practices survives the wrath of Yahweh.

Truth cannot be compartmentalized… its all or none.

However, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the WORD of God.” rom 10:17 Fellowship with the truth/WORD preserves the faithful.

So, let us seek and embrace “fellowship with truth,” and seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, mat 6:33, and remember Paul’s words above.

Shalom… John