FELLOWSHIP,
PROOF OF

I RAN into a lady whom I knew but hadn’t seen in an extended period of time. I asked her, “How far along are you?” referring to an apparent pregnancy.

She said, “I’m not pregnant.”

That was one of my more embarrassing moments. Sometimes things look like they are happening, when really, there is not much going on.

You can go to church and look the part. You can look spiritually pregnant when there’s really nothing on the inside going on. A Christian is not known by how well they act the part. They aren’t known by how well they shout or how much they know or how often they are seen carrying a Bible under their arms. A Christian is not known by how much they say “hallelujah” or “amen” or “praise the Lord.” A Christian is not known by how much “Christian-ese” they know or how big their smile is. We know Christians because they have faith in Jesus Christ and because they love others.304

[Christian, Definition of; Love]

John 13:35; 1 John 4:7

EVERYONE has had either a cold or the flu. Everyone is familiar with the feeling of a cold coming on. Stuffiness begins to coagulate within your system. You begin to feel a little weak, or perhaps even feverish. A runny nose ensues, followed by stopped-up nostrils, and it becomes clear that you are entering into a time of sickness. In fact, this phenomenon even has its own season designated. It’s called “flu season.”

Certain types of weather can bring it on or, sometimes, a weakened immune system. One thing is pretty clear, however: when you have a cold, you know it. Folks who get close to you know it. You can see the look of a cold or flu victim on their face. You can see the drowsiness of the eyes. You can hear the coughing or the sneezing or the perpetual use of the handkerchief designed to address some of the more unpleasant aspects of having a cold or the flu.

It’s pretty impossible to have a cold or the flu and not have symptoms. If you’ve got a cold or the flu, it’s going to show up somewhere, somehow. It’s pretty impossible too to have fellowship with God and it not show up. Just like the cold or flu, it has its symptoms. It is fairly easy to recognize.305

[Christian Living, New Life; Sanctification]

Matt. 12:33