Real fellowship is focused on Christ and who we are in Christ. I come before God personally, but God did not leave me alone. He placed me in a family of believers. The fellowship we have in Christ is designed to minister to me and to you through one another in Christ. This is why I often say that we should expect God to minister through us when we gather in his name. God does not minister just through the preacher or the teacher or the greeter or the musician, but through all. This is why real fellowship in Jesus is transforming.

Yet our fellowship often is not. Why? First, we don’t expect transformation to happen and we do not prepare for it. When I was little, my parents would load the family up in our metallic blue-green 1961 comet station wagon and go to see a drive in movie. The youngest would be in their pajamas. We cleaned the windshield very well. We got pillows so we would be comfortable. We figured out who would sit where so everyone could see the show. Why did we do all that? We were expecting to see a movie. In the days before DVDs, VCRs and color TV, it was a real treat.

What do we do to prepare for worship? Do we clean the windshield of our hearts so we can see the presence of God? Do we come physically prepared to enter into the presence of the King of Kings? Do we come prepared expecting to encounter the glory of God’s presence? We have to have our spiritual eyes open if we want to see spiritual realities.

And when we gather, do we come expecting to receive the ministry of the Lord from each other and to minister to each other? Worship is not a show. We do not enter with a ticket and an assigned seat. We gather with the Lord and we gather with each other as the people of the Lord. We gather to join in fellowship with God and with each other. This is fellowship that can and does transform our lives. That is why you need to be here and you are needed here when we gather for worship. We cannot have this transforming fellowship unless we are here.

In this passage, Paul over and over states that is all of the believers who are in his heart. He prays for all. All share in the ministry of the gospel. Our fellowship will be transformed by the power of Christ when let Jesus break down the barriers that divide so that we can love and receive from all. We need to view all of our brothers and sisters in this way. How can we do that when we don’t know (and sometimes do not trust or like) each other?

Paul’s union with these believers is increased by prayer for them. As we pray for others, God changes them and works in them. But perhaps even more importantly, as we pray for others, God works in us and changes us. The grudges and bad feelings fade as we pray for each other. When you look around for someone to pray for, don’t make it always the person that you know well. Pray for those you don’t know well. Pray for those you don’t like very well. You will find your heart changing towards them.

We should pray Paul’s prayer (v 9) for each other. This prayer has three parts: that your love may abound; that you may have discernment and knowledge; and that you may be pure. The prayer is that you might love, that you might know what is right and do what is right. You can even use the words that Paul uses in v 9-11. If we more consistently pray this for each other, our church will be a place of fellowship in Christ that transforms lives more and more.

What is the end of our fellowship? It is eternal life with Jesus and with one another. We will be joined with all the saints of every tongue and nation and age around the throne of God forever. We will be those who lovingly will confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It is God himself who began this transforming work in us, and he will be faithful to complete it until the Day of Christ Jesus.