the function of the fellowship of life and four simple ways to cooperate with this fellowship

What is the function of the fellowship of life? We have seen that the fellowship of life is based on the divine life and it is simply the Triune God flowing in us and among us. As the divine life flows in us, it is not meaningless – it has a function! The function of the fellowship of life is to supply us with all the riches of the divine life. John 15:5 says,

I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing.

As we abide in the Lord as the branches abide in the vine, the divine supply is flowing from the vine into the branches – we are being supplied with all that we need so that we may bear much fruit! It’s just like what will see that our destiny will be in eternity – in the New Jerusalem, the river of life(the fellowship of life in its consummation) has the tree of life growing on its both sides.

This means that where the river flows, the tree grows and supplies! As we maintain and remain in the fellowship of life, we’re being supplied with all the riches of the divine life. By our abiding in the Lord we are supplied with the life-juice of the vine and we bear fruit! How much we need this inward supply with all the riches of Christ’s life!

Only because of this supply and based on this supply with all that Christ is – we can live the Christian life and the church life! Actually, our Christian life and service is an overflow of our being supplied daily with the riches of the divine life in the fellowship of life.

In order for us to have this fellowship of life uninterrupted, we need to cooperate with the Lord’s operation in us. We need to simply open and cooperate with the flow of life in us in at least four simple ways, as we see in the Bible:

1. We need to continue steadfastly in the fellowship (Acts 2:42, They continued steadfastly in … the fellowship). After we received the Lord’s life, we enter into the fellowship of His life – now we need to continually live in this fellowship. It is our responsibility to maintain this fellowship and deal with anything that would break this fellowship. We are responsible to “abide in the vine”, that is, not break the fellowship of life.
2. We need to obey the teaching of the anointing (1 John 2:27, …Even as it has taught you, abide in Him). For us to continue in the fellowship of the Lord’s life, we need to abide in the Lord according to the teaching of the anointing. The teaching of the anointing is the operation and the moving of the Holy Spirit within us, anointing us with God and teaching us subjectively by giving us feelings, directions, thoughts, etc. We need to obey the Holy Spirit’s operation in us and abide in the Lord according to this operation. If we disobey the teaching of the anointing, the operation of the Holy Spirit within us, the fellowship with the Lord is broken. The Spirit within teaches us by anointing us – to abide in the Lord and enjoy more fellowship!
3. We need to walk in the light (1 John 1:7, If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…). The fellowship of life brings in light and also requires us that we walk in the light. For us to maintain the fellowship with the Lord, we need to seek the Lord’s shining and walk in the light as children of the light. As we fellowship with the Lord and with the saints, we need to exercise our spirit and live in the Lord’s light continually. When we are in darkness, we cannot have any fellowship(there is no fellowship between darkness and light). We need to live and walk in the Lord’s light in order to maintain the fellowship of life with the Lord and with the saints.
4. We need to confess our sins (1 John 1:7 and 9, … If we walk in the Light… we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us…). The practical way to walk in the light and the consequence of walking in the light is applying the blood to our being as we are being exposed by the light. In the Lord’s shining, we receive the light of life, which exposes us – we see our sins, our wrongdoings, our mistakes, etc. Once we see our sins, that is, once we’re conscious of any spot or separation between us and the Lord, we must confess our sins to the Lord. If we simply agree with what the Lord’s light exposes in us, we’re cleansed by the Lord’s precious blood and the fellowship of life is restored and even deepened. The more the Lord shines on us and exposes us, the more we need to confess our sins by agreeing with the Lord in His light. As we confess, His blood washes us, and the fellowship of life is restored and we’re brought more deeply into this fellowship. [enjoyment from the Crucial Truths in the Holy Scriptures, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival]

O, Lord, we need the supply today – keep us abiding in You! We simply want to abide in You as the vine today! Supply us with all the riches of Christ, all the riches of the divine life! Lord, we want to continue in the fellowship and take care of any hindrance or spot by confessing our sins in Your light! Continue to shine on us, Lord, and expose us! We simply want to confess and be brought deeper and further with You in the fellowship of life!