Strength through Fellowship

         Being new to Christianity, I wanted to know everything. I joined a bible study group and through that I learned a lot. I was a smoker at the time and within a few short weeks I quit smoking. I became very active in the church I was attending and joined every group including the youth group which was very interesting. The young teenagers showed a great deal of love for God. They were quite active in the community and did a number of activities.  To me everything in my life had changed for the better.

             Over the following six months, I found myself becoming gentler toward others and doing so much in the church helped me to do that. The fellowships through Belmont Presbyterian Church was phenomenal and believe you - me; the people loved God more than I ever knew was possible. Whenever I walked in church, I could actually feel the ‘Love of God’ and therefore my soul felt every ounce of love.

             I remember our Pastor who seemed the most intriguing, he was not interested in how much money you had only your soul. I will call him Pastor Dave and he taught me so much of the reasons Jesus had died for my sins. Pastor Dave was married and also had three daughters. His wife Georgia also showed the love of God from within her very soul. Their girls ranged in ages twelve through nineteen and their love for God seemed just like their parents and involved with community services as well.

             I had moved to Virginia in 1977 and through some very hard falls and being at one of the lowest points of my life. Help and encouragement came from a Christian. I had never wanted anything to do with God in all my life and as a matter of fact I used to say and I quote, “I believe in God but I don’t live his life, so to Hell with that.” I could have never been more wrong in my life than that. Through this person and God’s Love I became a Christian.

            My newness to Christianity soon changed due to unforeseen instances. My father passed away and then my sister was killed in a car accident. I ended up moving back to Pennsylvania in 1981 I think it was and found myself in a whole different environment. I went to the churches here and to my horror there just did not seem to be the same fellowship or love like I had found in Virginia. To me this was a mind shattering blow and as time passed I found myself lacking again. I mean I still had love for God and my ways were still the same as I did not return to my cursing ways.

During the next ten years things really changed, I ended up not going to church at all and in the meantime I began to sink further and further into a rut. The ‘Joy’ I found seemed to dissipate over the years and believe me, it was hard. I retried the Catholic Church but that even ended up a fluke; oh I mean I found some very nice people but nothing like I had known.

             I began reminiscing about the wonderful people I had met while in Virginia and all the fellowship I had there. I also remembered a passage of scripture I had learned. The verse was Hebrews10:25 KJV and it goes like this,

             ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.’

            Now to me I seemed to have been told that this meant meeting in Church but as I thought about it, I found a whole different meaning, ‘Fellowship’ without it we have no strengthening and boy do we all need it.

             I began thinking about how fellowship plays a giant role in our lives as Christians. I thought of it like this, you take a bushel of apples and leave one rotten one in the bushel and do nothing to take care of it. The next thing you know, all the apples have gone bad.’  Here I was down again and even my faith seemed to be diminishing. I had become disabled and life sure was getting harder to enjoy. Without fellowship one tends to lose sight of the reason Christ died for us and we lose our own self-worth. We also begin to turn back to the worldly ways and slowly rot away.

             I have found new strength through writing and fellowship with other Christians through the internet. I have also found a church with fellowship and believe me that make’s all the difference in the world and my sanity. If you find yourself in the same situation seek a place or church where fellowship is important and believe me it is.

             Remember these words,

           ‘Strength through Fellowship will guide you back to God and help keep your Christianity in perspective.’