Paul prayed his converts would have fellowship always with the Holy Spirit. He wrote in 2Corinthians 13: 14, may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Paul through Christ Jesus knew the value of fellowship with the Holy Spirit. What was this Holy Spirit, and the fellowship Paul talked about?
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has God’s persona. He is the part of God in us, and everywhere. He was before creation and the guardian of God’s creation. Genesis 1: 2 says, the earth was formless and empty… and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. He enables all needs to be met in Christ Jesus as Paul implied in Philippians 4: 19, and my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus. There is no Holy Spirit without Christ Jesus. Simply put, the Holy Spirit is God with us.
His work includes among unlimited functions, baptism, Mark 1: 8; Luke 3: 16; holy judgment, Mark 3: 29; Luke 12: 10; give utterance, Mark 12: 36; defend the faith, Mark 13: 11; Luke 12: 12; reveal God’s plan, Luke 2: 26; testify to God’s truth, Luke 3: 22; advocate and teach, John 14: 26; enable power to witness, Acts 1: 8; spiritual gifts, Acts 2: 4; repentance, Acts 2: 38, etc. He is the God we must have fellowship with.
Fellowship with the Holy Spirit
To fellowship means a worthy relationship with God through Jesus by his Holy Spirit. It must not be a continuous and warm relationship without sin. 1John 1: 6-7 say, if we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in darkness, we lie and do not live out 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, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
Fellowship with the Holy Spirit demands honouring God by separating from sin. Ezra 10: 11 says, now honour the Lord, the God of your ancestors, and do his will. Separate yourselves from the people around you and from your foreign wives. How do those around us influence our spiritual growth? 2Corinthians 6: 14 says, do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? Are we separated?
Why fellowship with the Holy Spirit?
We fellowship with God through the Holy Spirit. 1 John 1: 3 says, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We cannot also fellowship with the Holy Spirit in sin. 1Corinthians 1: 9 says, God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. God expects nothing short of holiness in our fellowship with him.
To Paul, the fellowship is about Jesus’ love. He said in Romans 8: 35-39, who will separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present not the future, nor any powers, neither height not depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Is the love for Jesus our reason to fellowship with Christ Jesus?
Fellowship with the Holy Spirit also keeps us away from sin. 1Peter 1: 15 says, just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. Paul therefore said in Ephesians 4: 30, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. When we cease to fellowship with the Holy Spirit, the devil will fellowship with us. 1Samuel 16: 14 says, the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. There must be no void nor emptiness in our lives.
Accordingly, in Acts 7: 51, Stephen chastised the people for resisting the Holy Spirit. In Acts 8: 15 we are to cultivate the fellowship of the Holy Spirit with prayer. In 1 Corinthians 6: 19, our bodies must be temples of the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 1: 13, we must be marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit. In Hebrews 3: 7, we must receive his word with open hearts. In Jude 1: 20, we must keep holy faith and prayer in the Holy Spirit. What is the nature of fellowship we have with the Holy Spirit?
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, our fellowship with you has not been worthy because of sin. Help us to keep fellowship with your Holy Spirit in our hearts. Let our fellowship with you warm our hearts to keep your covenants in obedience to your will. Seal our lives by your sweet fellowship in your blood. We pray in your holy name, Amen!!
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