Jesus makes fellowship with God a reality for believers. The worst of sinners lives in fellowship with the Holy God because of Jesus (John 14:18–20). This is the root of fellowship with one another. Our fellowship with each other is as unchangeable as our fellowship with God is unbreakable. Your local church family is a gift from God to help your faith burn brightly. In light of that, I plead with you, walk the Christian life together.

But what would happen to my faith if that was my entire life? A life of intentional isolation throws a bucket of water on the flame of faith. Proverbs 18:1 says, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” There is no disputing that people are healthier with consistent fellowship. Increasing mental health-related struggles during Covid lockdowns have highlighted our need—as image-bearers of the triune God—for fellowship (Gen. 2:18).

The race of the Christian life is a team effort. To run well we need other Christians. However, in Toronto, Canada, where I live, most churches went 476 days unable to meet in person for worship and fellowship. There were times where small groups could gather but were not able to sing together or chat long after the service. It was not the same. We longed for more than content on our screens. We longed for people by our side. I am grateful for Zoom and live stream technology, but they can never be a substitute for standing next to my brothers and sisters as we worship Jesus.

This is just one reason why the church is so precious. As the word of the gospel goes out and gathers believers to Jesus (John 10:16), these new believers form gatherings called churches. In the book Word-Centered Church, Jonathan Leeman says, “A Christian’s new DNA, which he’s received from the Word and Spirit, knows that it now belongs to something larger . . . his new being longs to be gathered to other believers now—on earth” (87). Jesus sets your story in a local church because faith flourishes in fellowship. It would be tragic for us to write ourselves out of the story, watching the flame of our faith slowly fade because we distanced ourselves from fellowship.

Two passages in Hebrews show four reasons fellowship helps us run the race of the Christian life.

Protection Against Hardened Hearts

Soldiers stand guard not only for themselves, but also for their fellow soldiers. Fellow believers likewise guard each other through a word of exhortation. “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Heb. 3:13–14).

The Saturday night before in-person Sunday services were shut down for us, our youth group was away for our annual retreat. I asked our students to gather in small circles around each youth leader and pray for them. We may assume teenagers today are indifferent towards God and so self-absorbed they don’t think about others. However, these teenagers went without hesitation and covered their leaders in prayer. Seeing a fifteen-year-old put their hand on the shoulder of their fifty-year-old leader, with tears in their eyes, and pray for them is a moment Zoom cannot re-create. I missed moments like this.

Like an army locking shields to protect everyone from enemy arrows, we surround each other with shields of exhortation and prayer. We guard our hearts for Christ in the fellowship of believers.

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