IV. THE LOCATION OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE—
OUR SPIRIT
Our spirit is the location of the fellowship of life. This is based upon Philippians 2:1. We have to point out as clearly and strongly as possible that if our contact with one another is not in the spirit, right away it becomes a social thing. Our contact must be in the spirit. Then our contact becomes the fellowship. This is because the flowing of the divine life is altogether not in our soul, our natural life. It is altogether in our spirit.
The fellowship of life is carried out by God’s Spirit in our spirit. Our mind may apprehend the fellowship, but it is not in our mind. Our emotions may be happy about it, but the fellowship of life is not in our emotion. It is altogether in our spirit. So if we are apart from our spirit or outside of our spirit, right away our contact with one another becomes a kind of social association that is no longer the fellowship of life. The fellowship of life must be in our spirit.
V. THE FUNCTION OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE—
SUPPLYING US WITH ALL THE RICHES
OF THE DIVINE LIFE
If the fellowship of life did not have a function, it would be meaningless. The function of the fellowship of life is to supply us with all the riches of the divine life (John 15:4-5). The more the divine life flows within us the more supply of life it carries to us. A good picture of this is the flowing of the river of the water of life in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 22:1-2). In that river is the tree of life. The tree of life indicates the supply that goes along with the flowing of the river of water of life, which is the fellowship of life. Thus, the tree of life going along with the river indicates the function of the flowing of the river of life. This function is to supply us with the riches of the divine life.
John 15:4-5 says that we abide in the vine and then the vine abides in us. This abiding supplies us with the life-juice of the vine. We know this because our abiding eventually issues in fruit-bearing. The fruit-bearing proves that the abiding supplies us with the rich life of the vine tree. The fellowship of life functions in this unique thing—to supply us with the riches of the life of Christ.
VI. THE ISSUE OF THE FELLOWSHIP OF LIFE
A. Bringing Light to Us
The first issue of the fellowship of life is that it brings light to us (1 John 1:5-7). God is light, and if we have fellowship with Him, we are in the light.
(Basic Lessons on Life, Chapter 10, by Witness Lee)
