Steve Massey: Fellowship can be a blessing for believers

You don’t have to go through it alone.

Life, that is.

It saddens me when Christians cannot commit themselves to a local fellowship – a church – and develop ever-deepening friendships with like-minded believers.

The disciple who forgoes fellowship with other followers of Christ often pays a high price for it.

I was thinking of this the other night as I heard the familiar, creepy sound of coyotes on the prowl near our rural home. Coyotes, at least the ones that live in our neck of the woods, have the curious strategy of luring neighborhood dogs or cats out into the woods alone, and there in the darkness those poor pets meet their end.

It always ends badly.

The Bible tells us that we have an enemy, the god of this world, who seeks to destroy the lives of believers. Satan does his work subtly most times, and he’s awfully good at it.

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith. …” (1 Peter 5:8-9 – NKJV).

The writer of Hebrews suggests we’re safest – and most useful to one another – when we’re in relationship with other believers, and faithful to a local fellowship:

“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn one another. …” (Hebrews 10:24-25 – NLT).

I could be wrong, but my gut tells me that the Northwest is home to a lot of Christians who just never get plugged into a church family.

No, I don’t have any statistics. But it has surprised me to hear from many readers of this column who are Bible-believing Christians, yet never commit to a local fellowship. They’re “looking for a good church” or “tired of playing church” or “too busy usually for church” – but however it’s described, they’re out of fellowship.

Lest you think I’m getting too preachy here, keep in mind that I haven’t always been a preacher. My concern is motivated by empathy, not judgment.

When my wife, Pam, and I first moved to North Idaho, we didn’t know a single person and soon were socially starved. Can you relate to that?

God eventually led us to a wonderful church in Coeur d’Alene, where people got to know us really well and loved us anyway. They grew in their faith right alongside of us.

In just months, it seemed as if we had known those folks for many years. Such is the blessing of belonging to the family of God and staying connected to his family.

We raised our kids together, laughed together, and sometimes cried together. What mattered most was that we were together.

I have that same sense of family at the church I am at now, and I cannot imagine going through life without the support – and accountability – that God provides through connection with fellow believers.

Somewhere out there, friends, there are those who ache for meaningful relationships. I really believe our culture as a whole aches in this way, but most people are too busy to soothe that ache.

Have you ever noticed how many new homes around here have really nice-looking front porches that are way too small to be used for anything?

That’s because we like the idea of community, and it warms our hearts to think of chatting it up on the front porch with our neighbors. But we also know we probably won’t take the time to nurture those relationships.

So that porch probably won’t get used for anything. It’s a façade.

The same kind of isolation is happening among Christians.

You know, those coyotes I mentioned earlier never bother our pets. There are two reasons, really.

The cats are too stupid to catch mice but smart enough to stay inside the fenced acreage. The dogs, well, they’re always happiest together, and those wily coyotes won’t mess with both dogs at once.

There’s strength in togetherness.

Christian friend, God intends for you to be vitally connected to his body, the church. I’m not just talking about church attendance, but living life together with fellow Christians.

It takes time, selflessness and forbearance to be meaningfully connected to others.

But when life gets tough – and it always does – keep God’s prescription in mind.

You don’t have to go through it alone.