Fellowship: The Lifeblood of The Soul

Part II

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
(1 John 1:7)

Dearest Daughters,

In my previous letter, I spoke to you about one of the primary ways the lifeblood of Christ comes to our hearts and nourishes us, sustains us, and cleanses us. That was prayer.

But there is a second source that keeps this lifeblood flowing to us as well. That is our fellowship with the other members of Christ’s body—the church.

We might think of these two things like the cardiovascular system and the pulmonary system. We need both the heart and the lungs working together to bring us oxygen and blood. We cannot say, “The heart is more important; I will do without the lungs.” And neither can we say, “The lungs bring the breath of life; I will do without the heart.”

We must have both. In the same way, we must have a direct and personal relationship with God, and also a lively, healthy relationship with His body, which is the church.

1 John 1:7 tells us, “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin.”

This scripture is unique in that it links our fellowship in the church with the cleansing from sin. It links our fellowship with the very flow of the blood of Christ. And blood is a powerful and essential part of life. It carries oxygen. It carries water. It carries nutrients. And it cleanses the body.

Scripture also tells us that we, with unveiled faces, reflect the Lord to one another (2 Cor. 3:18). So it’s in the faces of our brothers and sisters that we see the reflection of Christ. We see through the glass of humanity, yes—but we still see Him. So we must step into the light of the countenance of the faces of His people.

And it’s there that we receive the nourishment and strength we need to be sustained. We receive inspiration—like oxygen—that clears and refreshes our muddled emotions and thoughts.

Now this element of communication with fellow believers shouldn’t be taken lightly. We need to enter into real communication with our brothers and sisters. Let them see us in our weaknesses and in our strengths, in our joys and in our sorrows. That’s been one enormous blessing I’ve found in being a midwife.

Every Saturday when I give prenatal exams to the mothers, I try to give words of encouragement, but I also try to listen. And I cannot tell you how many answers I’ve heard from God simply by stepping outside of myself.

Sometimes it’s outside my home, taking a walk with my children and entering into conversation along the dirt road to the river. Sometimes it’s during a checkup with a mother who shares a story of God’s faithfulness. Sometimes it’s a gentle word spoken at just the right moment, but I’m always listening. Listening for strength from God. Listening for an answer. Listening for a story of victory, whether with a toddler or a teenager.

At times, one small word from a brother or sister can make all the difference, actually becoming the lifeblood that nourishes you. It can thwart the enemy, and it can bolster your spiritual immune system.

You see, God has designed His body so that His life often flows to us not only directly from the Head, but also through the other members of the Body.

This is one reason why serving in midwifery has been a one of the sources of life to me. Not only has it given me a place to love my brothers and sisters as I help bring their babies into the world, but the fellowship ministers deeply to my own soul. I go to prenatal visits expecting two things: to share encouragement that I’ve received from the Lord, and to receive something in return. And often what is shared has nothing to do with midwifery itself, but may be a small victory in potty training a toddler! Or perhaps it’s a struggle with a teenager. Sometimes that lifeblood looks like a humorous testimony of God’s faithfulness in an ordinary moment.

But together, as we enter into these relationships, we find the blood of Christ flowing back to us—bringing life, strength, nourishment, refreshment, and a new perspective. This is communion!

When we enter into true relationship, we become participants in Christ’s body. When we break bread together, we’re not only remembering His body—we are, in a sense, becoming it. When we share our sorrows, the load is lightened. When we share our joys, the joy is multiplied.

Human beings were never meant to live alone. We were made for interaction, and it’s in that togetherness that we begin to see the reflection of our Lord more clearly.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been struggling and groping to understand something, reaching for victory in my own soul or in one of your lives, and when I turned outward to serve Christ’s body in some small way, He met my need.

I remember a prenatal visit about a year ago. A mother with several small children burst into tears as I embraced her and asked how she was doing.

“I’m having such struggles with my two-year-old,” she said through her tears. “What do I do? I’m about to have another baby, and he isn’t where he needs to be.”

As I began to share experiences that had brought victory in my own life, I felt the love of God flowing to her. Then, across the room, my assistant spoke up and began to share about a completely different victory in her life.

She ended by saying, “Sometimes it’s good to just reach out and say, ‘I need help.’ Others are just as blessed by serving you as you are by being served—actually, even more so.”

And in that moment, I felt God speaking directly to my own heart. He was asking me to release the reins of control that I so often hold tightly—to allow others to see my weaknesses as well as my strengths. And I knew that in that place, I would find the strength I needed.

So do not neglect the gathering of yourselves, as Scripture says (Heb. 10:25). Break the bread of life together. Be nourished by the blood of Christ. Look into the faces of your sisters, no matter how busy life becomes, and you will see Christ looking back at you. Find your own unique place of service to Christ’s body, where you can nourish and be nourished.

Sometimes we imagine that we must carry everything alone, or that the strength we need must come from inside ourselves. But God did not design us that way. He designed us to live in a continual exchange of life: receiving from Him, and receiving from one another.

And so remember that we were never meant to live on a single stream. We live by two streams. One flows between our hearts and God in prayer. The other flows through the fellowship of His people. And when both are open, the life of Christ moves through us, like blood through a living body, cleansing, nourishing, strengthening, and sustaining us. Remain in that flow, and you will always have the life you need to give to others.

With all my love,

Mom