Ecclesia semper reformanda est (The church must always be reforming). Luther.

As a good friend of mine yesterday wanted me to tell him about our “reformed” Bible conference on July 26-29 I realized how “my heart overflows with a good theme” (Psa. 45:1), and I shared with him the joy of meeting God´s international family in a true Spirit of fellowship thus vindicating the reality of one of the articles in the so called Apostles´ Creed,

“I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian church,
the communion of saints…,

Concerning “The communion of saints” or spiritual fellowship one dear leader of a mission in Venezuela asked the rhetorical question, “What is fellowship?”  His uplifting answer was, “Fellowship is two fellows in one ship!”

That´s really what we feel when members of the same body of Christ communicate at the tables,  man to man, on the corridors, in the camp kitchen, in the gardens, on the play ground, on the roads when walking together, and above all when listening to the word of life from an anointed servant of God.

Those of us who live our daily lives “on short commons” when it comes to true spiritual fellowship, it´s such a treat to meet sisters and brothers in Christ feasting in all simplicity on this powerful truth, “the saints who are on earth, they are the majestic ones in whom is all my delight”  (Psa. 16:3).

Each of the psalms 120-134 carries the title “a song of ascents “ possibly sung by the caravans of pilgrims going up (“ascending”) to the annual feasts at Jerusalem.  In the Danish Bible the title is rendered “A song for the journeys of feast.”  Our reunion with God´s people is always a feast and a strength and an encouragement for our pilgrimage.

An American friend once said to me, “You know after a morning worship with the saints I felt an urge to go out sharing Christ with others”, and he did till the Lord called him home in a young age. 

Right now a devoted Christian printer writes me, “I shall soon send you another supply of your gospel card, free of charge”, and how I appreciate that as it is my modest way of “gossiping the gospel” to others still in spiritual darkness, “separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel” (Eph. 2:12).

For as our Texan conference speaker pointed out, “The real spiritual battle is about the gospel, the preaching of the gospel”.

Oh yes, the gospel is at stake!

August 4, 2011

-jn-