CONTINUING STEDFASTLY IN THE APOSTLES’ DOCTRINE

Part II

And in fellowship.

“And they continued stedfastly … in fellowship.” Acts 2:42b. Persevering in the apostles’ doctrine, that is in the doctrine of Christ, the great Prophet, that is the doctrine of salvation; and, dear reader, that is a great benefit. We must ever pray for that great benefit. We have such a darkened understanding, and such a deceitful heart, so inclined to wander. Just as the world with all her allurements and vanities comes to us, so the old heresies come in such a nice new garment. We allow ourselves to be charmed so easily by that new garment.

I am thinking of students; students of whom there were great expectations: students who came even from other churches with great faithfulness and interests to my Catechism, and of whom I heard later that they had entirely departed from the Scriptures and Confession, and had become charmed by all sorts of false doctrines. That hurts a pastor and teacher.

I even think of people, of whom, in love, we may believe that they were no strangers to the things of the Spirit, of God, and who were nevertheless carried along with strange doctrines. How necessary it is to warn each other and to pray for each other, and especially to pray for spiritual preservation of ourselves. The prince of darkness is the most dangerous when he comes to us as an angel of light as he did to the Lord Jesus at the temptation in the wilderness, by telling us also, “It is written.”

What a wonder of seeking love and restoring love it is when by His Word and Spirit the Lord brings them back from all sorts of wrong ways, and leads them back again to their place i.e. as know-nothings to the feet of the great Prophet, Christ Jesus. “Continuing in the apostles’ doctrine” is a great blessing, but also, in connection with that, a continuing in fellowship. The people of the Lord is not a heap of grains of dry sand. That, too, is to be seen plainly in the first church. Together they formed one generation, a generation born of God. That is told us so instructively in I Pet. 2:9, 10, “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him Who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

What a harmony there was among the disciples after the Lord Jesus had ascended to heaven. They all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication. They were unable to do without that other Comforter, and therefore they were praying and supplicating for His coming. They were unable to be without each other, and therefore they sought each other to speak with each other from heart to heart about those things and to seek the Lord’s face in prayer. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” There was a close fellowship in the exaltation of God so that all the people from the various countries had to testify, “We do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.” Yea, when we may have an eye and a heart for the great works of God, and when we may be under the impressions of them, then there is unity and fellowship.

If we ourselves want to be and become great, if everyone wants to speak of his own great works, probably with a show and with words of humility, then we become each other’s rival in the church, in the society, in the consistory and in all walks of the Christian life. The question “who of us shall be the greatest” predominates in our hearts. That way it becomes a gossiping behind the back, an endeavor to break each other’s influence, even biting and devouring each other. That is very serious, especially among church members, among consistory members, among God’s children, yea, even among ministers of the Word.

It is very serious, but we are all guilty. Thus our fellowship is broken, and we ourselves have no peace.

It is altogether different when under the power of God’s Word and of His Spirit, we may consider the Lord. Then there may be a united praising of His Name, a proclaiming of His virtues, a relating of His great works that gives peace and joy in our heart. Then there is no annoying of each other, but we stir each other up.

“O magnify the Lord with me
Let us to praise His Name agree.
I sought the Lord; He answered me,
And from my fears He set me free.”

The first period of the Christian church was a golden period. There was a fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. According to His humanity, He was separated from them. Stephen saw Him in the opened heaven, standing at the right hand of God. But according to His Godhead, majesty, grace and Spirit, He remains with them forever.

The desire was strong to testify of Him. All this brought forth precious fruit within. There was reason to sing. They prayed together. The bonds of faith, hope, and love bound them strongly together. They shared joy and sorrow. Neither was there anyone among them that lacked for “As many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet, and distribution was made unto every man as he had need,” and all this was done voluntarily.

It was not as it is with the communists, “All yours is mine.” No, it was from the principle of Christian love: “All mine is yours.”

But we must not forget that in the circle of the disciples there was a Judas, and likewise was there an Ananias and Sapphira in the first Christian church. There is no perfect church to be found on earth. There is chaff and wheat.

But yet there was something seen of the communion of saints. It was this: “Behold how they love each other.” This made itself evident with great power. It is a precious thing. “And they continued stedfastly … in fellowship.” The multitude of them were of one heart and of one soul. How we should look back with shame, but also with desire to that first period after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Soon that powerful, sweet fellowship diminished. Hence Paul, with great urgency, beseeches also the church of Ephesus: “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love: Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling: One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, Who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ.” Eph. 4:1–7.

I need not remind you how John, the apostle of love, calls to mutual love. I will give you only one of his many words for consideration and for testing of yourself, namely this: “Beloved let us love one another: for love is of God, and everyone that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God: for God is love.” I John 4:7, 8.

“And they continued stedfastly … in fellowship.”

That has been written to the glory and praise of God’s grace to which that fellowship and that perseverance in the fellowship is indebted. Here was the fellowship with Christ and all His treasures and gifts. Here was the fellowship with God the Father through the atoning power of the blood of the Lamb of God. Here was the fellowship with the Holy Spirit with its consolations and sanctification. Here was as fruit of that fellowship with the one and triune God, also communion of saints, who are all members of that mystical body of Christ of which not one member, neither eye, nor ear, nor foot can say to one of the other members, “I have no need of you.” The body is disfigured even if only a small member is eliminated.

“And in the fellowship.” Have we already been taken into that fellowship? That is necessary. A miracle must take place within us. At the fall in Paradise, in our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, we have been thrust out of the fellowship, out of the fellowship with God, and sunk away into the fellowship with the devil, world and sin. “Thou art” — thus speaks God Himself to the strict religious and precise Jews, “thou art out of thy father the devil.” O how terrible it is to have fellowship with the devil and with sin. That is a fellowship with sin and misery, with guilt and punishment, with destruction and ruin, with enmity and hatred; in a word, with everything that arouses God’s wrath, and brings His curse upon us.

We see this immediately in the fratricide of Cain, and by and by in what precedes the deluge, and in the deluge itself. We see this even now in the world with so much wickedness and rumors of war; in marriages with so much bitterness and divorce; in families in which they rise up against each other; in the churches in which so many wicked things have the upper hand. We see this also in our own life. Has sin ever brought blessing and happiness?

It is a great blessing when this terrible fellowship, we could rather call it the dissolution of death, when that is broken by the power of Divine grace, by the irresistible operations of the Holy Spirit. We must be born again, we must be made alive, we must learn to ask, “How shall I become righteous before God! How do I obtain a gracious God?” Through that wonderful work of redemption, reconciliation with God, the mortification of the old man, and the resurrection of the new man is brought about initially. The bonds with Satan, world and sin are initially broken. You can no longer endure that terrible fellowship. That is not because you consider yourself better than the traveler upon the broad way, but because the Lord has given you a new choice. In the world, but not of the world. However, now you are not left standing alone. Now you are taken up into another fellowship. You become a lamb of the flock of the Good Shepherd; a branch of the true Vine; a member of the great spiritual family; a subject of King Jesus, even a member of the body of which He is the Head. O, what a glorious, desirable, and close fellowship that is.

Here we naturally think about that question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism! “What do you understand by the communion of saints? First that all and everyone, who believes, being members of Christ, are in common partakers of Him, and of all His riches and gifts; secondly, that everyone must know it to be his duty, readily and cheerfully, to employ his gifts, for the advantage and salvation of other members.” (L.D. 21, Question and Answer 55)

Therefore, that true fellowship has its origin, its root, through faith in the fellowship with Christ. That is grace, that is communion of life. That is a communion of faith, of hope and of love. That is the communion of goods in which this Bridegroom and this bride live. The Bridegroom Himself says, “All that is yours, all your sin, all your guilt, all your curse, all your poverty, all that which is yours, is Mine, and all that is Mine, all My righteousness, My holiness, My wisdom, My life, My blessing, all that is Mine is yours.” The Bridegroom rejoices in His poor, black bride and teachers her to stammer, “I am black, but comely.” And the bride delights in the possession of her Bridegroom so that she cries out, “He is altogether lovely.” O, what a fellowship!

And now the bride, the church, is a living community of all members. The church of Christ upon earth is one in Christ, chosen unto eternal life, through His Spirit and Word, gathered in true unity of true faith. All those that belong to it are living members, and shall remain so forever.

Not that fellowship here is only in part. However, at times something of it is enjoyed. Those are blessed moments. One day everything that separates, everything, also the church walls, shall fall away, and only the fellowship will remain. Do you know that fellowship?

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