Now you have a familiarity with the various paths that were introduced in subchapters 1.1 -- 1.3. Let me introduce you to our working definition of fellowship with God that we will use in the first five chapters of this book.
Fellowship with God is a two way conversation in the spiritual realm, as we follow Christ, bearing His yoke in the world.
That definition is the skeleton on which the various parts of this book are attached. The six parts of this book are fellowship with God in scripture, the Sixth Path, the Holy Spirit, prayer, pain and Paradise.
Bearing the Yoke of Christ is integrated into those parts. It is key to all of those parts. Its really very simple. We can't follow Him if we aren't doing what He is doing. Furthermore, it is through bearing His yoke that we receive rest. That sounds upside down to receive rest through work. But that's what Jesus said. That is what I have experienced. That is the way that it is. Let me repeat the definition and then I'll explain.
Fellowship with God is a two way conversation in the spiritual realm, as we follow Christ, bearing His yoke in the world.
Man's side of this conversation is prayer. God's side of this conversation is scripture and the Holy Spirit. This two way conversation takes place in the spiritual realm as we follow the leading of the Spirit. So there are three essential components to being in fellowship: God's side of the conversation, man's side of the conversation and following Christ. The chapters in this book will add details to each of these three components, from scripture.
Man's Side of the Conversation:
Man's side of the conversation is prayer. Later subchapters will present the Endorsed Prayers. These are prayer topics endorsed by scripture. We will see what the apostles, prophets and Christ prayed... what they instructed us to pray. We will see that they asked God for greater faith and love. They also asked for understanding of God's will and word. They prayed for the salvation of the lost. They asked God to speak through them. They even asked for obedience.
God's Side of the Conversation:
God communicates through scripture and the Holy Spirit. Later subchapters will present scriptures detailing the spiritual communications of the Holy Spirit. He convicts the world of sin. He preaches the gospel through Saints. He gives us words to present the gospel. He teaches "about all things". He reminds us of scripture. He puts thoughts into our minds. He leads and warns.
Following Christ, Bearing His Yoke:
To follow Christ is to bear His yoke. We have fellowship with Him if we bear His yoke and learn from him. In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus said,
"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
The yoke of Christ is the ministry of making disciples. A yoke is an implement of work. It is used to harness two animals together to pull a burden. It is His yoke that we take.
So, what work of Christ do we take? His yoke is to make disciples. It is written: "the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Jesus also said, "I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
Jesus said that His yoke "is easy". It is. We repeat the words of the Father and pray the Endorsed Prayers. If your suffering is great, then you are precisely the type of person Jesus is addressing. He invited "all you who labor and are heavy burdened". More will be presented on this in subchapter 2.3. I will repeat the verse here for your convenience:
"Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."
Please notice that in verse 30, Jesus said "my yoke is easy."
Once we get to the chapter on Paradise, the definition of fellowship will change. But until then, we will use the definition of fellowship with God that I have presented in this subchapter. I will repeat the definition often since it is the skeleton that the various parts of this book are attached to.
Fellowship with God
"Fellowship with God" is a scriptural term. We see it in 1 John 1:3 and 2 Corinthians 13:14. It is the same thing as certain other scriptural terms you may be familiar with. For example: "Walk by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16, 25), "Abide in me" or "Remain in me" (John 15:7), "following the Lamb" (Revelation 14:4) and ""walk in the light" (1John 1:7). All of these terms describe "fellowship with God". One who is converted to Christ, may have fellowship with God. A convert may also be "lukewarm". To be "lukewarm" is a state of broken fellowship with God. It is a miserable state. The "lukewarm" convert is discussed in subchapter 2.7. The abundant life comes to those who are in fellowship with God, not the lukewarm.
The Next Subchapter
You are now reading in chapter 1, subchapter 1.4. We have one more subchapter to go in the chapter titled "Fellowship with God through Scripture." The next subchapter will present the scriptural conditions for understanding scripture. Subchapter 1.5 is an incredibly important chapter. It is titled "Conditions for Understanding the Word."
Group Discussion Questions
Please prayerfully consider the following questions:
1) What is the working definition of fellowship with God used in this book?
2) Can we follow Christ if we don't do what He is doing?
3) As we have fellowship with God, what is man's side of the conversation? What is God's side of the conversation?
4) What is the yoke of Christ?
5) How can the yoke of Christ be easy?
6) We can't follow Christ if we don't understand scripture. What subchapter in this book explains how scripture says that we understand scripture?
All of the answers to all of these questions may be found in this subchapter (1.4).