A Holy Fellowship

Greetings in the name of Jesus! This is Rob Haymes. This is 15 Minutes With Jesus. Wherever two or three are gathered together in My name, Jesus said, there am I in the midst of them. To those of you who love Him in truth: mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. (Jude 1:2)

Thank you Heavenly Father. We give you thanks for this day; Thank you for this program that you’ve given me. Thank you Lord. Today’s program is called, A Holy Fellowship.

Let’s turn to 2 Cor 6:14, Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people. Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty. 2Co 7:1  Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 

Ok let’s turn to 1Pet 1:13, Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy. And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, that’s how we purify ourselves, by obeying the truth through the Spirit, in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the Word of God which lives and abides forever.

Chapter 2, verse 1, Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. In John 4:23, Jesus said to the woman at the well, that the hour is coming, and now is when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth; in Spirit and in truth: the doctrine of Christ with the Holy Spirit. In 2 John 1:9, Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. 

Jesus said, In Mark 7:6, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men. Verse 13, making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition… When we hold to our religious traditions, and the doctrines of men, and thereby reject or set aside the doctrine of Christ, our worship is in vain. We offer to God all kinds of worship, but it is not acceptable to Him.

Let’s go to Isa 1:2, Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O Earth! For the Lord has spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me; the ox knows its owner and the donkey its master's crib; but Israel does not know, My people do not consider. Verse 16, Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, (and the unborn), plead for the widow. Isa 1:18  Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

If we will come to Jesus, and confess our sins to Him; if we will humble ourselves before the living God and repent of the evil of our doings and turn to Him with all our heart, He will forgive our sins, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own Blood. And we can enter into true fellowship with Him and with one another. The Blood of Jesus, through faith in His shed Blood, washes us white as snow when we confess our sins to Him. Our conscience is purged thereby from the offence, and we walk on with God, and with one another, in holiness and true fellowship.  

Let’s turn to 1 John 1:1, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His Word is not in us. 1 John 2:1, My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 

God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all. If we walk in the light, as He is in the light, We have fellowship with one another, and with the Father, and with His Son, and the Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. 1 Pet 2:9, But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. If you are walking in darkness, and you say you have fellowship with God, you are a liar; you are deceived, and you are not practicing the truth. If you don’t have fellowship with God, you don’t have a church. Let’s say that again; if you don’t have fellowship with God, you don’t have a church. In Rev 2, Jesus said, I know your works. Verse 5, Remember therefore from whence you are fallen, repent and do the first works, (your first love), or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from it’s place, unless you repent. In Rev 1:20, …the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven Churches. The Lampstand is the Church in the light.

You can come together and sing and preach and do all kinds of things, but if you don’t have that fellowship, you don’t have a church; you don’t have the light, and you don’t have the life. If you walk in darkness, you don’t have fellowship. The Church is a holy fellowship in the light. Jesus said to His Apostles in John 15, Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you. In John 13, Jesus said to Peter, He that is washed, needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean. Jesus cleanses us through His Word by His Holy Spirit, teaching us and leading us in doing it every day. He said, If you continue in My Word, you will be My disciple indeed, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free. Whoever commits sin (or practices sin), is the slave of sin, Jesus said, and a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever, therefore, if the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. 

In the Early Church, they continued steadfastly in the Apostles’ doctrine, the New Testament Scriptures, and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and in prayers. As they continued steadfastly in obedience to the Apostles' doctrine, they had holy fellowship. We have the Apostles’ doctrine available to us; if we will read it, and consider it, and prayerfully seek God for understanding, and obey His Words to walk in the light, we can have that Holy Fellowship, and our worship and our spiritual sacrifices will be acceptable to Him.

Thank you for reading this message from 15 Minutes With Jesus at roberthaymes.com . May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you who love Him in truth. (2 Cor 13:14)