Far too often, the world views children as a burden. In fact, some parents of larger families have been questioned for their strange or foolish behaviour in birthing so many children into the world. God, however, views children differently from that of the world. To the Lord, children are a blessing. They are a reward given by God (Psalm 127:3) and are “as arrows in the hand of a mighty man” (Psalm 127:4). Today, couples are made to feel ashamed for having larger families, but the scriptures teach otherwise. Instead of shame for having children, the Bible says, “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them” (Psalm 127:5). Not only would this man experience personal happiness, but he would gain such respect that he could “speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5).
The children of Israel were a thorn in the flesh of the Egyptians. The Israelites multiplied and grew stronger with each increase in affliction. In an effort to change this pattern, Pharaoh sent out the edict for the midwives to kill all the Hebrew male children at the time of birth. Because they feared God, the Hebrew midwives refused to obey the command. What would the world have missed out on had the midwives obeyed? In the very next chapter, the Bible tells of the birth of a baby boy. He was hid until he could no longer be hid, and then he was released into the care of the Almighty God. According to the law, this boy should have been killed. His name was Moses (see Exodus 2:1-4).
The Lord took great pains in ensuring that the details of creation were just as He desired. He left nothing to itself in hopes that it would turn out, but knowingly cared for the smallest details. David understood this truth but declared that this care extended beyond the initial creation. Not only had God created and cared for the initial creation, but David proclaimed that he was also “fearfully and wonderfully made.” In order to add some context to his statement, David acknowledged that he spoke of the time when he was in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13). If this were not enough, several other passages identify the Lord as the One who formed the child within the womb (Isaiah 44:2, 24; Isaiah 49:5; Jeremiah 1:5).
Science frequently uses natural reasoning and ordinary terminology to explain away the hand of God as He interacts with mankind. Without God, the more book learning that people get, the more ignorant they seem to become. It should come as no surprise that the Lord said that the last days would be plagued with people who could not see the truth due to their educated state (1 Timothy 6:20; Daniel 12:4; 2 Timothy 3:7). The reality is that the process of bringing a child into this world is a process that declares the handywork of God. It is God that works in the life and health of an unborn child to ensure that the child grows and matures properly. When men seek natural explanations for God’s work, they dismiss the miraculous involvement of God.
A tremendous spiritual and physical battle wages around the value of life and the determination of when life begins. Unfortunately, Christians have incorporated the unscriptural terminology of the world by allowing the opposition to define these most important matters. This is especially true concerning the birth of a child. According to the Bible, a woman who is expecting is said to be “with child” (Genesis 16:11; Matthew 1:18). Modern terminology removes the direct association of the unborn to life. Sadly, the termination of the unborn life is simply labeled as an “abortion” rather than murder (the ungodly shedding of innocent blood). To abort means the cancellation of a mission. A woman who is “with child” has another living soul “with” her. As time progresses in the child’s development within the womb, the mother becomes “great with child” (Luke 2:5) until she is “ready to be delivered” (Revelation 12:4; see also 1 Samuel 4:19; Isaiah 26:17).
A yoke was an instrument used to help two animals work together when plowing. The Lord Jesus said that believers should take His yoke upon them (Matthew 11:29). In other words, the Lord was saying that we should serve with Him in our service to Him. In 1 Corinthians 3:9, we learn that “we are labourers together with God.” Fellowshipping with the Lord means walking with Him (1 John 1:6-7), and walking with Him means being in agreement with Him (Amos 3:3). Just as God desired to fellowship with Adam (Genesis 3:8) and Enoch (Genesis 5:22), He desires to have fellowship with us today. It is very important that we have fellowship with other like-minded believers, but even more important that we fellowship with the Lord.
The importance of fellowship cannot be underestimated, but neither can the importance of refusing to fellowship. It is important to fellowship with the right people, but also equally important that we “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness.” The people of God have no business yoking together with the world in any work of God no matter how beneficial the help might seem. Fellowship suggests an agreement amongst the involved parties. Yet, 2 Corinthians 6:14 drives home the point when it says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” When we fellowship with carnal believers or the unsaved, we accept their motives and objectives as our own.
Most churchgoers are familiar with what it means to extend the “the right hand of fellowship”; however, the actual biblical meaning is not so well known. Our passage shows James, Cephas (Peter), and John offering the “the right hands of fellowship” to Paul and Barnabas. What was the significance of this act? By giving the right hands of fellowship, these believers were agreeing to serve God together. James, Cephas, and John would focus on reaching the Jewish people (the circumcision), while Paul and Barnabas would focus on reaching the Gentiles (the uncircumcision). When we offer someone the right hand of fellowship, we are agreeing to serve God with that believer.
It is much easier to serve God together with others rather than alone. There is great wisdom attained through the right kind of fellowship with other like-minded believers. When one believer wavers during times of temptation, his “fellow” believers will encourage him to stay faithful to the Lord’s work. When one of the saints struggles in times of uncertainty, his fellow believers can remind him of God’s faithfulness. The Bible shows us that the early church thrived in the Lord’s work. Those early Christians served the Lord with a great zeal. The secret to their success most definitely included their continuation in fellowship and incorporating some basic principles. For instance, the Lord Jesus sent out His disciples by twos (Mark 6:7) and the early church followed suit (Acts 13:2). God has given us a great insight into the importance of fellowship by emphasizing it so frequently.
The modern description of fellowship has been weakened extensively from its original intent. Earlier usage of fellowship always inferred a partnership. The word fellow was used to signify a coworker in Exodus 2:13 and each of the various combinations designated something that people did together (i.e., fellowservants, fellowhelpers, fellowlabours, etc.). Therefore, it is important to realize that fellowship is not merely two people or a group of people coming together in the name of fun. Fellowship involves two or more people uniting together to accomplish a task. Fellowship always suggests a foundational unity of purpose and motive (Amos 3:3). This is why, as we will learn, it is so important that we have the proper biblical fellowship with like-minded believers.
