What Fellowship is to Faith

As disciples grow in knowledge of the Lord, faith also grows – because they are ever learning there is more to believe.

They do so in fellowship with the Lord… and other disciples.

Thomas certainly experienced this!

“Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’

“But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’

“A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’” (John 20:24-26).

When Jesus appeared in the Upper Room on Resurrection Sunday, Thomas was not counted among the disciples.

Many surmise why Thomas wasn’t there. Maybe he was off grieving. Or returned to work. Maybe he gave up. Or he needed time alone to process all that happened.

Who knows?

But… he did return.

When he did, the others who had seen Jesus had a powerfully exuberant testimony to share!

By the time that next Sunday rolled around, Thomas was with them.

Imagine what he would have missed if he wasn’t there!

(Imagine what we miss when we aren’t among other believers!)

Thomas hadn’t seen what the others had seen. He had not witnessed the Risen Jesus. So, still in mourning over what he had seen, he continued to believe in the permanence of death.

But Jesus didn’t leave him in that state of unbelief. Rather, He graciously returned and revealed truth. Truth that He was indeed alive. Truth to grow his faith into even more to believe.

Thomas surrounded himself with other believers until he could see for himself what others already knew. Until he had a testimony of his very own. Until his faith became what it needed to help build the foundation of the church.

This is what fellowship is to faith!

Thomas, when he struggled with hard questions, returned to the great company of believers when it mattered most. There, they encouraged and comforted one another. And grew in faith.

What Thomas received in fellowship kept him coming back. Because he remained, he was blessed by his brothers through their faith. For their faith fed him until he received what he hungered for. Until he found the answers he was seeking. And because he was in their fellowship when the Lord returned, he was also blessed by the Lord. And faith in the Resurrection.

Fellowship with other believers grows faith. It strengthens faith. It breathes into faith what it most needs… when it needs it most. And it helps faith see what the Lord is doing among us.