Called Into Fellowship

Called together to share His life, fellowship with the Son in everyday places

Devotional Credit, Immeasurably More by Ray Stedman
Photo Credit, Unsplash

Paul writes that God is faithful, and that He has called us into fellowship with His Son. Ray Stedman reminds us that this is not a slogan, it is the center of the Christian life. The church in Corinth had many gifts and much activity, yet they were missing the simple wonder of living each day in shared life with Jesus. When that awareness fades, trouble grows. When it returns, hearts are steadied and love begins to move.

This fellowship is not a club that we join by effort. It is the Holy Spirit making the presence of Jesus real in ordinary moments. He does not only show us what to do, He supplies what we need to do it. He does not only point the way, He is the life within the way. Stedman’s insight is pastoral and practical, thank you Ray, because it turns our attention from managing outcomes to trusting the One who lives within us.

Paul’s words also correct a common drift. We can confess Jesus on Sunday and then operate as if He were absent the rest of the week. Fellowship restores the truth. The Lord is among His people and in His people. That reality gives courage, purity, and a quiet power that does not depend on personality or position. It is not about applause. It is about honoring His Name in the common places where we live and serve.

This calling is corporate as well as personal. God forms a people who share the life of His Son together. We belong to Jesus and to one another. Together we bear His fragrance in a city that needs Him. Together we remember, God is faithful, and He has called us into fellowship with His Son.

Journal Entry, Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture

I have called you into the fellowship of My Son, and I am faithful. I joined you to His life by My Spirit, and I keep you there. I open your eyes to see that Christ in you is the hope of glory. I renew your mind so that you set your heart on things above where the Messiah is seated. I work in you to will and to do what pleases Me, so that your doing flows from being, and your obedience grows out of union.

I remind you that you died with Jesus and you live with Him. Reckon yourself alive to Me, and present yourself to Me, because you are My workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that I prepared beforehand. I supply everything that pertains to life and godliness. I strengthen your inner person so that the life of Jesus is expressed in your mortal body. I knit you into one body by one Spirit, for I form a people who share one life and one Lord.

I dwell with you and in you. I make My home with those who keep My word. I lead you in paths of righteousness for My Name’s sake. I equip you with every good thing, working in you what is pleasing in My sight through Jesus. Fix your gaze on Him. Remain in Him. As you abide, you will bear fruit that honors Me, because apart from Him you can do nothing, and in Him you are complete.

Real-Life Analogy

Think of tuning an old radio. At first all you hear is static. With a slow turn of the dial the signal locks in, and the music comes through clear. Fellowship with Jesus is like that. The Holy Spirit, who lives in you, brings your attention into alignment with the Son, and what was noise becomes clarity. You do not force the song by effort. You yield to the signal that is already present, and the sound fills the room.

A simple, specific moment, before a tough staff conversation, instead of rehearsing arguments, turn inward to the Lord who is present within and say, Lord, I place this conversation in Your hands, speak through me with Your truth and kindness, and love through me as I listen. Then step in. Watch how honesty couples with gentleness, and how peace holds under pressure. That is not self-management. That is Jesus expressing His life in you.

Prayer of Confidence

Father, thank You that You are faithful and that You have called me into the fellowship of Your Son. Thank You that in Jesus I have every spiritual blessing, and that Your Spirit lives in me to make His presence real in my ordinary minutes. Today I gladly reckon myself alive to You. I entrust my words, my choices, and my work to Your indwelling life. I receive what You have already provided, and I walk forward resting in Your unfailing faithfulness.

Scripture References for the Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture Section

1 Corinthians 1:9, Colossians 1:27-29, Colossians 3:1-4, Philippians 2:13, Romans 6:11-13, Ephesians 2:10, 2 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Corinthians 4:10-11, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, John 14:23, Psalm 23:3, Hebrews 13:20-21, John 15:4-5, Ephesians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 3:16-18, Romans 8:9-11