Do we yearn for His company? He longs for ours.
Christianity is about sharing. People often focus on the importance of sharing with others, forgetting that, first and foremost, the gospel tells us of a God who shares with His redeemed ones. While it is important to give to others, one must never neglect the wonderful relationship that God has given the believer in Christ. Some of the things involved in that fellowship might not seem like cause for gratitude. Nevertheless, to be called to the fellowship of God through His Son the Lord Jesus is to enter a life of contrasts: suffering and glory, hardship and holiness, extending from time into eternity. In short, it is partaking of the divine nature and embracing a Christ-like life, accepting, although to a lesser degree, the same treatment He received—both on earth and in heaven.
A high privilege
Rather than a philosophy based on mere dogma or creed, Christianity is a relationship with the living God. He made His creatures to know and serve Him. What is more, Christ Himself defines eternal life in relational terms, saying, “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3). Similarly, 1 John 1 verses 3 and 7 describe vertical and horizontal fellowship, picturing the former as walking with God: “…truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ… But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanest us from all sin.” The verbiage conjures up memories of Enoch who, in the midst of an ungodly generation, enjoyed sweet communion with the Almighty during their “walks” (Gen. 5:22-24). Likewise, believers are “called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord” and this shared life results in a walk with God (1 Cor. 1:9). It means that the Christian partakes of the life of God, resulting in the closest of bonds with the Lord (2 Pet. 1:4). 1 John 4:17 expresses the closeness between believers and Christ in the famed words “As He is, so are we in this world”; Ephesians goes further, repeatedly referring to believers as being “in Christ” and “in the Beloved One” (Eph. 1:1, 6; 2:6, 10, 13). The life that we possess is the life of the risen Christ (Col. 3:1-4).
Take the world but give me Jesus
The practical reality of fellowship is illustrated by the life of Israel’s leader at the time of the exodus from Egypt. Moses’ early life was one of tremendous outward blessing. First, he was an attractive infant (Ex. 2:2; Acts 7:20; Heb. 11:23). Second, he was rescued from the massacre of the male Israelite infants by a princess and adopted into the Egyptian royal family. This auspicious event ushered him into the highest echelons of power and privilege. As Stephen summarized it, “Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22). Given ancient Egypt’s advanced science, literature, and engineering, it is safe to say that he had a first-class education with many opportunities for advancement. With such advantages, one would expect that Moses would turn to an affluent, easy life, or perhaps that he would devote himself to amassing greater power and fortune.
In fact, Moses did the exact opposite of what most people would do in his position: he gave it all up. The Bible records his carefully reasoned decision: “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward” (Heb.11:24-26). He weighed Egypt, with its innumerable temporal pleasures, against the future reward that he would receive from the Lord and chose the latter. This put him on a long pathway involving hardship, privation, and persecution. Instead of influence in Egypt, he gained fellowship with the eternal God and His suffering people, Israel.
The glory that should follow
Moses thought it was a worthwhile trade and spent two thirds of his life in wilderness areas, first learning in God’s school and later leading His people to the border of the Promised Land. The palace was exchanged for a tent, opulence gave way to austerity, and life at court was traded for the long-suffering leadership of a grumbling multitude of former slaves. On the positive side, he learned of the great I AM, conversing with the Almighty “ face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend” (Ex. 33:11). His sophisticated early life was abandoned in favour of a dwelling place in God Himself (Ps. 90:1). While Egypt’s palaces, temples, and monuments were covered by sand over the succeeding millennia, Moses found a place in glory. His exalted position was revealed on the Mount of Transfiguration. There he communed with the Lord of glory regarding the “exodus” that He was about to make at Jerusalem (Lk. 9:31—“decease” is literally “exodus” in the Greek). Whatever secrets and truths he was privy to in his early life of learning could not compare with the things that he gleaned from his communion with the Lord. Psalm 103:7 describes God’s intimacy with him in these words: “He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.” Moses was exposed to the counsels of God and learned something of the dealings of the Almighty with His creatures.
If such was Moses’ lot in the old economy, then what a privileged position modern believers have, “upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11, NASB). Like the Old Testament saints, Christians are called to forsake the world in favour of a life of fellowship with Christ. This may entail material loss and ordinarily results in persecution or opposition (2 Tim. 3:12). Possessions must be lightly held and one’s own will put aside in order to serve the Lord. Nevertheless, the benefits far outweigh the difficulties, for we have One who promises never to leave or forsake us—indeed, One who is always there for us in every situation (Heb. 13:5). We possess “an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven” (1 Pet. 1:4). Like Enoch, we can walk with God, knowing that “he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6).
In our fast-paced world where so many things vie for our attention, do we take the time to commune with the Lord Jesus? He is always ready to share His sacred secrets with us. They are like jewels—some hidden—contained within His Word. As we prayerfully meditate on the Scriptures, Christ draws near and has fellowship with us. Sadly, time with Christ is the most undervalued advantage of the Christian life. Above the ethics and intellectual stimulus of Christianity—above even the promises of provision for time and eternity—is interaction with the Son of God Himself. Nothing compares with spending time in His presence. He is always refreshing and knows exactly what to say. Let us walk with the Lord of the Word by communing with Him daily. Time spent in His presence will never be regretted and will bear future fruit. After all, we are going to spend eternity adoring Him. When faith gives way to sight, will we be practiced in having fellowship with Christ?