How Deep Is Your Fellowship with God?
He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked. I John 2:6
When someone claims to believe God’s Word but refuses to obey it, this is evidence that they don’t believe. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed (John 8:31). As Christ spoke, verse 30 indicates that many believed on Him. Notice that continuing in His Word is an indication of genuine belief.
In our text, the word abide comes from a primary verb (μένω / menō), meaning “to stay, continue, dwell, remain.” Jesus in John 15:9 said, As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: CONTINUE ye in My love. The words “continue” and “abide” are the same word in the original language. This was Jesus’ word for fellowship with Himself. John uses the same word in his epistle for fellowship.
Give close attention to John 15:9. As the Father hath loved Me, so have I loved you: CONTINUE ye in My Love. Jesus uses the illustration of the relationship between vine and branches. Just as branches are united to the vine, so is our union to be with Christ and here in verse 9, it is love that binds us to Christ – His love for us and our love for Him.
Question: Why do we choose to obey God? Our commitment level to Christ ought to be obvious based on the text. Yet, there are those in the body of Christ who truly believe they have the right to determine what their commitment level will be to Him.
We can ask the same question in different ways. Why do you attend church, serve in the church, read your Bible, witness your faith and a number of other things because you are a Christian? Does the last phrase of the question provide for you a satisfactory answer (because I am a Christian)? That being the case, you have to ask yourself if you truly love the Lord. Is your commitment level to Christ determined by the Word of God or do you reserve the right to determine what that level should be?
When Christ was upon the earth, those who saw the disciples recognized immediately that they were followers of Christ. For example, When Christ was on trial, a little girl recognized Peter as being one of Christ’s disciples (John 18:17). Do others recognize you as a follower of Christ? Even more, do they recognize your love for Christ?
The answer to the questions will be determined by your commitment level to Christ. The very term “Christian” assumes that we are “Christ ones,” or followers of Jesus Christ. For the disciples, this went far beyond intellectual belief. Not only were they willing to follow Christ, they did so even to the place of death. Is your relationship anything like that? This is a very important question because there are Christians in our world today who are faced with that decision and many are paying what we would consider the ultimate price just as did the early disciples.
Again, who determines your commitment level to Christ, you or Christ? Peter was faced with that question when Jesus asked Him, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me (John 21:16)? The number of people who were constantly following Christ numbers in the thousands. Jesus tested their commitment level. Were they actually walking as Christ walked? Many failed the test for when they understood what Christ was actually asking of them, John 6:66 states, “they walked no more with Him.” The thousands dwindled down to hundreds.
Would you have been in the hundreds or the thousands? Consider your relationship with God today. Is your relationship based on genuine love for God or are there other reasons?
George Stiekes held successful pastorates in churches in Michigan and Washington among other places. He currently resides in North Carolina and blogs at Reverent Reflections. We recommend his ministry and republish his material by permission.