Let's Forget Christian Fellowship

What do you think are foundational spiritual disciplines for a believer? Bible study? Prayer? Fellowship with other believers? Certainly these three are of prime importance. So, why the title, “Let’s Forget Christian Fellowship”? Simply, I think the term “fellowship” doesn’t properly convey the importance of this spiritual discipline. So, I’m going to replace “fellowship” with “interdependence”.

Christian Interdependence is the Most Important Discipline

Out of all three discipline, our connectedness to other believers is the most important. Some may argue for Bible study. After all, it’s God’s direct written message to us. Others may argue prayer is most important, because prayer is a direct link to God. What could be more important than God?

At times God’s word is confusing. It’s may be hard to read and understand. It’s a completely different world. The same is true of God. He’s on a completely different plane than we are. It’s easy to feel like he’s out there, disconnected, or beyond us. 

While we have a spiritual component, we live in a physical world and we most readily connect to the physical. The most immediate physical connection is with other believers. Healthy relationships to other believers will drive us to prayer and Bible study. But, the opposite isn’t always true. If we exist without other believers, prayer and Bible study will eventually slip. There will be things in the word we don’t understand and without the illumination of others, there will be a disconnect. Prayer may seem ineffectual or draining if not done with other believers. A healthy interconnectedness to other believers is most important, because it presses us towards the other disciplines. It’s the spark plug.

The Problem with Fellowship

There is nothing wrong with fellowship. It is healthy to believers. But, what do you think of with fellowship? The first thing that comes to mind is food. Certainly, I love food. I have a midsection that shows evidence of storing energy for future ministry. I also think of chatting with others and having fun. Again, nothing wrong with these.

But, to me the term “fellowship” conveys food, folks, and fun. These things are important, but they don’t really convey the interdependence believers have with other believers.

We’re a Body

Imagine for a moment that a terrible accident happened and your big toe was severed. Do you think it would do any good to put the bloody nub into your sock? Just let it have fellowship with the other toes? Obviously, you would run into some huge problems—rotting odors, infection, and the need to buy new socks. The only solution would be to immediately go to the emergency room and have the toe reattached. The toe depends on the rest of the body. And, the body depends on the toe. Without that big toe, you may quickly be given the nickname “Gimpy”.

So, with your toe, there’s a stronger connection to the body than merely fellowship. Consider 1 Corinthians 12, which talks about believers as a body. Verses 14-17 says:

For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.

Quite simply, a believer that is disconnected to other believers is a bloody nub. You need the body. And, the body needs you. Let’s look at a few elements of body life found in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12.

It Involves Baptism

1 Corinthians 12:13a proclaims, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” Baptized means immersed. Think about something that is immersed in water. That water completely surrounds. It gets into every crack and crevice.

Baptism is often viewed as a picture of God’s resurrection work in our life. We die to self, are buried, and then are resurrected into newness of life. Definitely this is true. It is a picture. We are baptized and that baptism is moving out of something—out of an old life and into a new life. And, what we are seeing in the physical is meant to be a picture of the spiritual.

But, baptism is more than a picture of us coming out of something—out of that old life. It’s also a picture of us coming into something—of joining a body of believers. It’s a union of all believers of all time with God. With this part of baptism, it’s not dip and done. We never come out of those waters. At least we’re not supposed to. Some believers do. They disconnect, but in so doing they put themselves in jeopardy. They become a severed nub, which needs reconnected in order to survive and thrive.

Many Bodies Become One Sacrifice

Romans 12 looks into our functioning as part of a body. What I want to focus in on are the first two verses. These verses help show the umbrella principles that illuminate body functioning. Verse one says, “I beseech you (plural) therefore, brethren (plural), by the mercies of God, that ye present your (plural) bodies (plural) a living sacrifice (singular), holy, acceptable unto God, which is your (plural) reasonable service.” I’ve pointed out in the passage distinctions between singular and plural.

It’s time to get a little grammar nerdy with the passage. I’m a writer and a bit of a nerd. In our modern day English, when we use the word “you” it can refer to singular or plural. In Greek, there is a clear distinction between the second person singular (you—in reference to one person I’m addressing) and the second person plural (you—in reference to a group of people, which is sometimes “all y’all” in the South).

Often, when people use this passage, they talk about an individual becoming a living sacrifice. But, the passage isn’t talking about an individual becoming a sacrifice. It’s talking about all y’all’s bodies becoming one sacrifice. It’s many people, many bodies, becoming a singular. We can’t become the sacrifice God wants as an individual. It’s a corporate thing.

It’s also important to note that we become a living sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the animal sacrifices died on the altar. But, not so with us. We are meant to be alive—vibrant, useful, and energetic. It is impossible if we are a disjointed individual singular sacrifice.

In 1 Corinthians Paul addresses sexual sins that have infested the group of believers. He declares they should take that member and remove him from the body. In 1 Corinthians 5:5 Paul gives the reasoning, “To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” If you study the book, you’ll find the ultimate purpose is hopefully restoration of the person, but Paul is saying to get rid of the person and let Satan deal with him. A believer detached from the body is fair game to Satanic attacks. It’s quite a dangerous position.

Let’s consider for a moment 1 Peter 5:5-9:

Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

Notice in this passage that the devil seeks to do harm to believers. So, we need to be in mutual submission to other believers. We need to fight the devil not as an individual, but as a body. We don’t like submission, do we?

I recently had a friend contact me about a post I had on social media. He didn’t feel it was proper for a believer to have made this post. Honestly, I’m not sure I agree with him, but he was concerned about it. So, I took the post down. I submitted to another believer, because I truly believe he had my best interest at heart. Maybe he sees or understands something I don’t see. Now, what would be the American way to handle such an issue? In our individualistic society, we would put forth our rights. We wouldn’t listen to a fellow believer. That attitude would not be wise. If someone shows a genuine concern for me and confronts me about something, I need to be humble enough to listen. And, I’ll be truthful. I was tempted to dismiss him, but I had to honestly admit to myself he had a point.

Many Share One Mind

Let’s get back to our passage in Romans 12. The second verse says, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye (plural) transformed by the renewing of your (plural) mind (singular), that ye (plural) may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Again, we have an all y’all becoming a singular. All y’all are supposed to share one mind. Obviously, that is supposed to be the mind of Christ. If everyone is just mindlessly following a man that’s a cult.

When we deal with believers, there’s going to be some disagreement. We will at times need to confront others, talk things through, and work through issues. This passage isn’t talking about being mindless. It’s talking about us putting our worldly attitudes and thinking to the side and coming together to function in unity. I put my social media post in the trash in deference to another believer. We will both be stronger because of that action. And, it may benefit me in ways I don’t fully comprehend.

But, why do we need to work together for unity of thought? Look at the little phrase, “that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” In order to figure out God’s will, I need to be connected to other believers. I need others to serve as a crucible to how I should be living. And, I need their help in making the best decisions in my life. There is wisdom is council. If you don’t believe me, read the book of Proverbs.

Conclusions

We should certainly fellowship with other believers. Food, folks, and fun is a joyous part of the Christian life. But, we need to extend beyond that and be interdependent with other believers. A strong connection to other believers allows us to be alive and vibrant. It helps to protect us from the attacks of the adversary. It also helps us to figure out God’s will. Without a proper interdependence on other believers, we become a severed nub. And, that’s one sock I don’t want to clean up.

Parable of the Squirrel and the Acorns

            Sammy was a wee little squirrel. Even a gigantic squirrel is a tiny creature in the forest—far smaller than a mighty buck, ferocious grizzly, or fierce mountain lion. But, poor little Sammy was even small for a squirrel. All his friends jokingly called him, “Chipmunk”. He hated that name.

            Sammy decided he would try to eat himself big. But, no matter how many acorns he ate, he just wouldn’t grow. As the leaves began to change to vibrant shades of orange, yellow and brown, Sammy was far more zealous than his fellow squirrels hiding acorns in preparation. He kept thinking, “I’m going to eat myself bigger and bigger!” So, he kept eating and storing acorns, eating and storing.

            Years passed and Sammy didn’t grow an ounce.

            “Hey chipmunk! Missed a nut!”

            “Argghhh! Leave me alone!”

            “Oh, look at the hardest working squirrel in the forest—eating and storing, eating and storing.”

            But, Sammy just kept at it—eating and storing, eating and storing. One day he met a gigantic squirrel in the forest—nearly as big as a cat! “Hey, Mr. Squirrel. How’d you grow so big?”

            “Oh, I don’t know. I guess I was just born that way. Everything I eat just makes me grow bigger and bigger. Must be good metabolism I guess.”

            “Yeah, yeah, . . . I guess.” Sammy skulked away and hid in his nest, gently sobbing. “Why can’t I grow bigger? Oh, why! Why can’t I grow bigger? I eat and store more acorns than any beast in the forest!”

            Over time Sammy grew old and feeble. He was no longer able to eat and store as much as before. But, he kept at it. If nothing else, he had faith—faith that all his efforts would eventually pay off. Soon fall slipped into winter and Sammy breathed his last breath. All the squirrels mourned the loss of Sammy. And, they all remember him eating and storing, eating and storing.

            Years passed and soon Sammy was forgotten. It seemed all his eating and storing was for naught, but Sammy’s life had left a legacy. Over all the years of his life he stored acorns in the ground—far more acorns than any squirrel had ever stored. Those tiny acorns over time grew into mighty trees. A mighty forest grew. A forest planted by one wee, tiny little squirrel named Sammy—eating and storing, eating and storing. Sammy never knew the fruits of his life. He never saw the mighty oaks and he never grew an ounce, but his faithfulness remained rooted in the trees of that forest.

Fundamentals of Human Nature

As a teacher for many decades and someone that’s been around the block, I’m somewhat of a student of human nature. If you need to work with, live, or communicate with others, you have to understand what makes people tick. So, let me share some basics of human behavior.

Repeat, Repeat, and Repeat Again

Repetition is a key principle to teaching. People don’t absorb things the first time they hear them. If you want to get a message through, you often have to express it several times—and in several different ways. As a former college instructor, I can tell you that students don’t read the syllabus. The information is there, but unless you find ways to put it in front of people and make them pay attention to it, your message won’t get across.

People Hear What They Want

People often don’t hear what you say. They often hear what they want to hear. Much of this is due to the bifurcated nature of American society. We’re conditioned to either drink Coke or Pepsi, drive a Chevy or a Ford, or vote for a Republican or Democrat. So, people often live in an echo chamber that reinforces their own values, beliefs, and preferences. When confronted with an opposing viewpoint, people don’t listen. Oh, they’ll listen to a point—and, that point is until they recognize an opposing viewpoint. Then, the ears are off and they begin to formulate their response, which is often more just a repetition of talking points bouncing off the walls of their echo chamber than a fully reasoned response. Instead of hearing the other party out, they want to argue—and, the arguing begins in their mind even before they fully understand what the other party has to say.

Hearing what one wants to hear is particularly true of those who vehemently hold to political viewpoints. They often believe more in the marketing of their chosen party or candidate than what that person does—or, the true impact of their policies. 

People are Driven by Emotions

Most people believe they are logical. And, most aren’t. They pick a certain brand of cookie, because it brings up memories of their childhood—even if that particularly cookie is a conglomerate of trans fat, chemicals, and artificial sweeteners. They’ll pick a vehicle that makes them feel safe—even if that vehicle has a well known safety flaw that can cause issues. They’ll pick a political candidates that feels friendly and reminds them of a relative—even if that candidate is pushing policies that directly harms them.

So, why do most people think they are logical? Well, they do use their logic for one primary purpose.

People Use Logic to Justify Their Emotional Wants

People will find a logical way to justify what their heart wants. Now, that logic may be riddled with illogical assumptions, falsehoods, and half-truths; but, and this is important to understand, the logic seems perfectly logical to them. And, they’ll instinctively  gravitate towards things that reinforce their logic even if it’s not logical. 

Ever wonder why you can’t have a real discussion with people on issues involving politics, religion, or deep seated beliefs? They’re not listening—particularly if you appeal to logic, even if your logic is impeccable. So, how do you convince them? You need to connect to them on an emotional level. As they open up to you, you can share opposing viewpoints. But, this must be done in small doses. You only share until they start to resist (and begin using their logic to justify their emotions). Once you hit that wall, just back off and table things until they are again open to another small dose. Don’t think one argument will pivot them 180 like a Top Gun pilot doing a high speed maneuver. People change their opinions in long arcs—more like a huge ocean liner being turned by a small rudder. This is particularly true for people in cults; or, people who hold cult-like loyalty to something. But, why is that?

People Would Rather Believe a Lie Than Admit They Were Duped

As ridiculous as that statement sounds, it’s true. It’s particularly true of people that tend to view things in terms of black and white. When someone cannot see things in terms of grey, then their viewpoints become the gospel and opposing viewpoints are the enemy. This can quickly develop into a bunker mentality—particularly to people who are somehow vulnerable (under economic hardship, in bad relationships, or under a great deal of stress). Under stress, people become less logical and more driven by their emotions. This leads them to grasping for hope—and, not thinking through if that hope is true or not. 

Conclusions

This is just a short article on some truths of human nature. You may think I’m being judgmental and condescending, but truth be told, I’ve seen these characteristics in myself from time to time. If we’re honest, we’re less logical than we claim to be. We don’t listen to others as we should. We want to defend ourselves and our fragile egos more than show understanding to others. It’s the human condition.

Getting Things Out of Order

The Biblical story of queen Esther unfolds likes a cosmic chess match—between an ancient enemy of the Jewish people and God’s unseen hand, which piece by piece moves people and events until checkmate. Haman, the defeated enemy, is a descendent of the Amalekites, a people group that God had cursed centuries before because of their nefarious deeds.

The story is the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. Let’s briefly look at that ancient prophecy, found in Genesis 49:27, “Benjamin shall ravin as a wolf: in the morning he shall devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil.”

Both queen Esther and Mordecai, the heroine and hero of the story of Esther, are descendants of Benjamin—one of the sons of Jacob and father of one of the tribes of Israel. As Benjamites, they fulfilled the noblest character traits of a prophesied ravening wolf—they devoured the prey God has placed before them. But, there’s a little mystery in the prophecy. And, that mystery connects events that are centuries apart.

The Mystery of the Prophecy

When you think of a wolf, what comes to mind? Do you think cunning? Do you think dangerous? Do you think animalistic? Now, think about a wolf that is described as ravening or ravenous? Would it be fair to say that such an animal often acts before it thinks?

This flaw in the ravening wolf personality ended up leading to disastrous consequences to another Benjamite, King Saul, who lived centuries before Esther and Mordecai. He got things out of order. 

The prophecy places morning before evening. To a contemporary viewer, this wouldn’t seem odd, but to an ancient Hebrew this would seem out of order.

Why Shouldn’t the Morning Come First?

We find the order of evening to morning in the first chapter of the Bible. There is a repeated phrase for each day of creation of evening and morning. You can find that in Genesis 1. The day starts in the evening and progresses to morning. 

In creation there was darkness first. Then, God brought light to the darkness. God does not bring darkness to the rising light of morning. Instead, he brings the rising light of morning to break the darkness of night. God moves from evening to morning, from darkness to light, and from the wilderness to the promised land.

Is that our mindset? Do we want to go through the wilderness before we get to the promised land? Do we want to face the harsh darknesses of life before God brings the morning? Do we want to go through the darkness of battle before we gain the light of the spoils? In our sinful nature, we want things in a different order, but God wants to make us a new creature. And, becoming a new creature means he’s going to have to move in a creative way—starting with darkness and bringing light.

The Spoil and the Prey

It’s helpful to think of spoil and prey as the bounty and the battle before the bounty. Do we want to go through the battle? Or, do we just want the bounty of the spoils? In our Western mindset, we often think in terms of ends justifying the means. In our businesses, the overarching tenet is a wolf-like ravening for short-term profit, even if that means giving into a process that hurts people, the economy, or the environment. We want the spoils first. We don’t want the battle.

Benjamin is supposed to handle the prey first. Dividing the spoils comes second. But, at times Benjamin gets things reversed—and he gets into trouble. This is evident with King Saul.

King Saul and the Spoils

Saul displayed some of the noblest traits of a ravening wolf. The early part of his reign was one in which he went to battle and kept things in proper order. He devoured the prey (the enemies of God’s people) as he was supposed to. However, he didn’t always follow this impulse.

He faced a battle with the Amalekites. God had cursed the Amalekites centuries before. King Saul was supposed to utterly destroy them. But, he didn’t. He allowed the people to take of the spoils and instead of killing their king, Agag, he took him alive. Samuel confronted Saul and as God’s spokesman gave him the bad news. He had been disobedient and God was going to remove him from being king. Samuel also took it upon himself to kill king Agag.

The Stories Connect

The enemy of the Jews in the story of Esther is Haman, who is a descendent of Agag. Because king Saul had gotten things out of order, centuries later the Jews faced possible destruction. Had Saul utterly destroyed the Amalekites, a descendent of king Agag wouldn’t have existed.

The two stories taken together unfold the mystery of the prophecy of Benjamin. Things were out of order. With king Saul, he went after spoil first. And, that shortcoming wasn’t corrected until Mordecai and Esther devoured the prey. So, the two stories show things out of order—spoil placed first with king Saul and then the prey devoured with Mordecai and Esther.

When Haman and the enemies of the Jews were given into the hands of Mordecai, the Jewish people were careful to keep things in proper order. Notice what it says in Esther 9:10, “The ten sons of Haman the son of Hammedatha, the enemy of the Jews, slew they; but on the spoil laid they not their hand.” It later says in Esther 9:15 and 16:

For the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men at Shushan; but on the prey they laid not their hand. But the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of their foes seventy and five thousand, but they laid not their hands on the prey.

Notice the parts I’ve highlighted. The Jews were careful not to repeat the errors of king Saul. The story of queen Esther isn’t just a tale of victory from their enemies. It’s a book end of how an ancient enemy was eventually defeated because the Benjamites eventually got things into the right order. They took care of the enemy first and then celebrated—prey came first and spoil came second.

The same is true in our lives. We often have enemies to defeat and battles that must be fought, but what we want is the spoil. We will justify the ends based on the means—and, we may get some short term spoils, but things will eventually go awry if we live by that philosophy. And, down the road someone else may have to fight our battles for us. God’s economy is not our economy. While we live in the world, we’re no longer of the world. We are now moving out of darkness as God brings light.

Conclusion

There’s certainly much more to investigate in this story. It actually begins with the tale of two brothers. And, it’s no surprise they also got things out of order and faced a great deal of conflict. It’s also clear that the story of Benjamin as a ravenous wolf didn’t end with Haman’s defeat, but has future fulfillments yet to unfold. When Jacob called his sons together to give them final words, he says in Genesis 49:1b, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last day.” We will be unfolding these revelations in future chapters.

The Cautionary Tale of Can’t Even Cliff

The room was a chilling purgatory filled with tired, hungry, slumped masses of human flesh waiting for their number to be called. You would expect this in a war-torn third world country with aching supply lines and battered social workers struggling to keep up with the demand for human services. But, this was the scene on August 28th, 2023 in the ER at Akron City Hospital.

Several people were complaining of the cold. There was also the boredom—the sheer boredom of just sitting there without anything to watch. The TV’s weren’t working. According to the man at the desk, the remotes had been stolen. Apparently no one thought about ordering a few $4 universal remotes on Amazon and some of those chains connected to pens at the bank. Sure, there were common sense solutions, but apparently no one in the ER had either the initiative or authority to make changes. So, the masses sat there—frozen, bored, and waiting hours to be seen.

A man was grumbling about the price of a drink from the vending machine. I thought I heard him say three dollars and twenty cents. But, that can’t be right, can it? It looked like he had a ginger ale. No, it couldn’t be right if, IF, decisions were made with compassion. What kind of monster would hijack exorbitant fees from some poor fellow seeking a drink in that freezing purgatory?

Why was it so cold? This was an ER. You expect people to come in battling illness and injury. Some may have a fever. Some may have the next pandemic. Some might not have planned to bring their winter coat, because they slipped while in their robe. So, why so chilly? The whole situation begs the question, “Why?” And there was an answer.

The grumbling from the masses finally led to the grumbling from a worker. Mention was made about the CEO closing 160 rooms and how things in the ER had been slow ever since the pandemic. I only heard pieces of the story, because my phone rang. It was my brother calling to check up on Mom. I had taken her to get her head checked after she may have taken a tumble. The top of her head was significantly scarred.

I’m guessing between when we arrived and when she finally had a room that we were there around five hours. It took five hours to figure out what to do with an 82-year old woman who may have fallen, didn’t remember the fall, and who had significant scarring on her head. I don’t know what happened. Mom doesn’t remember what happened. The events or series of events that led to Mom being there was a mystery. Don’t you think such a mystery would require speeding things up a bit?

She had been taken back into the triage areas several times. The first time they asked some questions and took an EKG. Then, she was sent back out into the chilly waiting area. Later, it was some blood work and then back out to the chilly waiting area. Later, they took her back for a CAT scan. The results were supposed to take about 30-45 minutes. It took hours before we heard anything.

That comment about the CEO has me thinking that he may be the problem. It’s usually the CEO that is the problem. While I can’t say for sure, many companies I’ve worked for have had a useless CEO. They basically cut corners so they can make a little more scratch. According to Propublica.org, the CEO of Summa Health, Cliff Deveny, made $1,659,225 in 2020. All that money for a guy that can’t even run an organization with proper heating and working TVs in an ER waiting area. All that money for a guy that can’t even run an organization that provides speedy care for an 82-year old woman with scarring on her head. All that money for a guy that can’t even figure out how to supply a decently priced ginger ale to an ailing man in need. Let’s call him Can’t Even Cliff because he can’t even do his job.

What us common folk are stuck with is the ER of a third-world, war-torn country because Can’t Even Cliff can’t even do his job. What us common folk are stuck with is the danger of having our mother or grandmother not getting the urgency of care needed because Can’t Even Cliff can’t even do his job. What us common folk are stuck with is an ER staff that have lost their fire for treating patients—it was evident in the muffled grumblings of the worker—because Can’t Even Cliff can’t even do his job.

I wonder what would happen if Can’t Even Cliff came in with the same injuries as my Mom. Well, being this is America, I’m betting Can’t Even Cliff’s staff would find a can-do attitude. I suspect Can’t Even Cliff would get the care my Mom deserved even though Can’t Even Cliff can’t even do his job. This is what I’ve seen in our country. The Can’t Even C-levels get the can-do and the rest of us are stuck in a freezing, boring, wait-your-turn purgatory. Maybe it’s time we stand up, because we can’t even take it any longer.