Fellowship of the Spirit

Acts 20:36-38 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
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2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
 
WE include this verse from 2 Corinthians because it helps us more personally understand Paul’s emotional goodbye to the Ephesus elders. Do you have this kind of love relationship with others in your church?
   This love for one another begins with the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is God’s unmerited goodness to call us into his church. That union began with God’s gracious action to save each person into a living faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ grace is our Lord’s all-sufficient life, atoning death, life-giving resurrection and holy ascension to the Father’s right hand. He has torn the veil separating us from God. He is the Light of the World, who removes all darkness and opens our way to heaven. When you are in the church, you must show to the world you have learned to love the Lord’s commands. You join others to encourage one another to celebrate and to stand firm in Jesus’ grace.
   The love of God strengthens your love for your family and for others in the church. You learn to minimize differences and to exalt the triune God’s majesty to join us to him with his love. He has chosen people from among different classes of culture to be leaders in his church.
   The fellowship of the Holy Spirit can also be communion of the Holy Spirit. Fellowship is the Spirit drawing all of God’s people into a unique faith union that points you to the eternal relationship with God and one another. Paul later wrote to the Ephesians to emphasize this communion made possible through Jesus’ saving work: Ephesians 2:18 For through Jesus we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.
   Perhaps the most visible sign of the church’s fellowship that day was their time of prayer. They all knew their future would be different because of God’s purpose for their lives. The Ephesus elders remained to instruct and protect God’s church. Paul was going to Jerusalem and an unknown destiny. Their fellowship with the Spirit kept them obedient to their mission. They knew that even when they were apart, they would be together in Jesus’ grace and the Father’s love.