Immeasurably More
True fellowship is like a circle of light — each heart glowing with the same source of life.
Devotional Credit: Immeasurably More by Ray Stedman
Photo Credit: Unsplash
When the Holy Spirit first filled the believers at Pentecost, their devotion to fellowship was not just casual socializing — it was a spiritual necessity. This fellowship wasn’t built around shared hobbies or convenience; it was the Spirit-knit life of believers learning to live as one in Christ. Thousands of new believers from every corner of the known world were suddenly united into one body. They shared meals, shared prayers, and more importantly, shared hearts.
This kind of fellowship — a deep, Spirit-born commonality — is the lifeblood of a living church. It is not optional. According to Ray Stedman, when the body of Christ is fractured and fragmented, the life of Christ is no longer manifested through it. And where Christ’s life is not flowing, there is no real power, only religious rituals that feel hollow and strained.
The apostle Paul addresses this very issue in Ephesians 4, linking the grieving of the Holy Spirit to interpersonal sins like bitterness, unforgiveness, and slander. When these things are harbored among believers, the Spirit is stifled. But when kindness, compassion, and forgiveness take root — the kind that reflects Christ’s forgiveness — the life of Christ once again pulses through the church.
Fellowship, then, isn’t simply gathering in the same building or even sharing a meal. It’s the Spirit’s work of knitting believers together into a functioning, forgiving, grace-filled body through which Christ can express Himself freely and fully.
Personalized Journal Entry — Voice of the Holy Spirit
My child, I placed you in the body of Christ not to walk alone, but to walk in Me with others who also dwell in Me. Just as a body cannot function when its members are severed from one another, My life cannot be seen when My people cling to isolation, resentment, or pride. You were never meant to be a lone branch — you are part of My living vine.
Where My Spirit dwells, there is unity. And where unity thrives, My life flows. When you forgive as you’ve been forgiven, you make room for My peace to settle in. When you release bitterness and speak truth in love, you become a vessel of My presence. When you carry another’s burden as if it were your own, you fulfill the very law of Christ — the law of love.
Let Me speak through your kindness. Let Me reach through your embrace. Let Me reconcile through your humility. When you let go of malice, I move freely. When you release grudges, I build bridges. When you bear with others in love, I am glorified in your midst.
Never underestimate what I can do in a body yielded to Me. My life is immeasurable. My power is made visible when My people are made one.
Scripture references: Acts 2:42; Ephesians 4:30–32; Galatians 6:2; John 15:5; Colossians 3:13
Real-Life Analogy
It’s like setting up a circle of camp lanterns connected to a single power source. If one lantern disconnects or a wire frays, the light dims, and the circle breaks. But when each one is properly linked and restored, the glow returns — steady, warm, and unmistakably united in a single current.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, I thank You that Your life flows through the body of Christ, and I rejoice that I am already joined to that body through Your Spirit. You have placed me exactly where You want me — to share in Your life, not just personally, but corporately. I trust You to express Yourself through my words, my forgiveness, and my willingness to love others as You have loved me. I rest in the unity already secured in Christ, and I walk in it, knowing Your life moves freely through yielded hearts.