Wednesday: The Fellowship of the Holy Spirit
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 23rd of September 2026
The grace of Jesus not only reveals the love of God for us but also brings the fellowship of the Spirit as a further effect of that love. At the same time, fellowship has its source in the love of God. And that is because without love, there is no fellowship. As Paul writes: “Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind” (Philippians 2:1-2, NKJV).
Image © Erik Stenbakken at Goodsalt.com
Some people say that the Holy Spirit is only a force or influence, but that cannot be true. After all, why would Paul mention two persons—the Father and the Son—along with a mere “force” in a trinitarian formula? That would make no sense. Just as the Father and the Son are presented in a personal relationship (2 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 11:31), the relationship of the Spirit with persons leads us to the conclusion that He is also a person (Romans 8:15-16; see also John 14:16-17,26; John 15:26).
The phrase “fellowship of the Spirit” (Philippians 2:1) can be understood in two ways. It can mean fellowship with one another granted by the Spirit, or fellowship with the Spirit Himself. Several Bible interpreters argue that these senses are not mutually exclusive. After all, fellowship with one another is the consequence of fellowship with the Spirit.
Read 1 Corinthians 2:10-11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:11; and 2 Corinthians 3:6,17. What did Paul teach the Corinthians about the Spirit?
Paul has much to say about the work of the Spirit. In 1 and 2 Corinthians, there are more than forty references to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit promotes the edification of the church (1 Corinthians 14:12), enables people for mission (1 Corinthians 2:4-5), reveals the deep things of God to us (1 Corinthians 2:10-11), and teaches them to us (1 Corinthians 2:13), dwells in us (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 Corinthians 6:19), works with Christ for our justification (1 Corinthians 6:11), bestows spiritual gifts to the church (1 Corinthians 12:1-31; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13; 1 Corinthians 14:1-40), seals us for salvation (2 Corinthians 1:22), imprints the law in human hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3), and gives new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:6), and freedom from sin (2 Corinthians 3:17). For sure, we cannot live without the Holy Spirit.
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Why, too, is an understanding of the divinity of the Holy Spirit important for fully grasping God’s love for us? |
I like the association of “fellowship” with the “Holy Spirit” because it probably says more about how the Holy Spirit works than a lot of other descriptions I hear today. There is a branch on the modern Christian church that focuses almost exclusively on the “supernatural”, such as speaking in tongues and healing, as evidence that the Holy Spirit is at work in their congregations.
I am not denying the supernatural but perhaps the most important work of the Holy Spirit is to contribute to our unity. Here are a couple of references you may like to consider:
A church bonded in peace should be considered as evidence of the Holy Spirit. Further, When there was a conflict in the early church, its resolution is recorded thus:
Unity on an issue was resolved together – evidence of the working of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus described the work of the Holy Spirit thus:
In the context of the Fellowship of the Holy Spirit, I am often reminded of the role we play as the Holy Spirit’s agents when we interact with one another. We must listen to one another in our fellowship, and pray that when we speak to one another the Holy Spirit will use us. I like to think of the Psalmist’s prayer:
…as preparation for the Holy Spirit to be at work in my fellowship with my fellow believers.
Christian fellowship is not simply believers socialising together, but Christians celebrating the life of Christ together. We are saved as individuals who become a family of believers in Christ. Christianity is not simply an individual relationship with God, but a spiritual family under one Saviour. This is the reason why Paul beautifully describes the church as, “You are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27). In essence, Christians are not a group of individuals who happen to have one Lord, but inevitably members of one body. Therefore, fellowship is an essential opportunity for Christians to strengthen each other.
Christians meet to express the love of God. “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34). It must be said that fellowship is a practical way of saying that we have a common destination and the journey has already started. It is also important to say that Christian fellowship is a platform for sharing joys and burdens. Sharing a meal and a conversation opens people’s hearts and reveals what is deep inside. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2). A community of believers should offer a shoulder for someone to cry on. How else can believers empathise with one another, other than to mourn with those who are mourning, and rejoice with those who are rejoicing?
I also need to mention that a believer who has NOTHING to do with other believers in terms of worshipping, praying, sharing or studying is more likely to disconnect and finally fall out of faith. “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, NLT). Christian fellowship encourages believers to do so many things for one another (love one another, forgive one another, be kind to one another, care for one another, pray for one another and serve one another).
Christian fellowship is a call to believers to love each other as brothers and sisters, even though our personalities are different. This is only possible because the Holy Spirit soften human hearts to love one another. In our fallen state, human hearts are too stony to accommodate one another. True fellowship will only be experienced when the Spirit of God dwells in human hearts. The Spirit breaks down barriers.
One of the most beautiful things about the Holy Spirit is that He opens our spiritual eyes to see and appreciate the glory of God. By nature, we are spiritually blind to the beauty and greatness of God; but when the Holy Spirit comes, He awakens our hearts to see what we could not see before. Paul says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God… and he is not able to understand them” (1 Corinthians 2:14), but “we all… beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (2 Corinthians 3:18). Fellowship with the Holy Spirit therefore changes our perception: what once seemed ordinary becomes glorious, worship becomes meaningful, Scripture becomes alive, and the presence of God becomes precious. Just as a physically blind person cannot appreciate even the most spectacular sunset or the grandeur of the Grand Canyon, we too can sit in church, hear about God’s glory, and remain unmoved if our spiritual eyes are closed. But the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, draws us into deeper fellowship with God, and enables us to say with the psalmist, “One thing I ask from the LORD… that I may dwell in the house of the LORD… to gaze on the beauty of the LORD” (Psalm 27:4).
Years ago when I was still part of the workforce, I had a meeting at our head office about 30kms away from my office. I always had hymns on cd’s and that morning I forgot them at home. So as I left the office, running late, I had a battle going on in my mind, ‘go fetch the cd’s’ – ‘no you going to be late’ and this carried on even past my turnoff to my place.
About 5mins onto the highway I was involved in an accident, I still believe today that ‘go fetch the cd’s’ was the Holy Spirit, knowing what was about to happen and trying to save me from being part of it.
However, even when we choose to ignore the Holy Spirit as we so often do, our Saviour still has a hand in our ignorant decisions. Ignoring the Holy Spirit that day still gives me pause today.
It highlights how the gentle prompts we experience—whether we call them intuition, a gut feeling, or the voice of the Holy Spirit—often carry weight far beyond what we can understand in the moment.
John 16:13 (KJV): “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
God’s grace is not limited by our human distractions or poor timing. The Holy Spirit’s promptings are there to guide and protect us, God’s sovereign care doesn’t suddenly shut off when we miss a cue or make a rushed decision.
The verse from John 16:13 is a powerful anchor for this. The Spirit truly tries to “shew you things to come,” acting as that internal compass. But even when we don’t listen, we are still held securely in the palm of His hand. I wasn’t spared from it, but absolutely sustained through it.
The presence of the Third Person of the Godhead on Planet Earth is fascinating and intriguing to me.
I have often wished that I was alive when Jesus was on Earth, in Nazareth, where He grew up as a boy; and to have been part of that small group of disciples who walked the dusty roads with Him.
Nevertheless One equal with Him is presently on planet Earth. Not only present on the planet but with us and in us. The Comforter has come! In fact the New Testament is so replete about the presence and activities of this Being, that some theologians refer to this period, which is our period, the Dispensation of the Spirit.
This mysterious Personage who places Himself in the background of the Father and Son works relentlessly wooing us to Christ, guiding us in the study of the Word, join our prayers with groanings that cannot be uttered and grieves when we are disobedient and wayward.
Apart from the fact,; that He can be everywhere at the same time; what also fascinates me is that He actually lives inside of me. My brothers and sisters in Jesus you couldn’t get closer. Therefore how profound is that statement that I declare to you, when I say – ” I am not alone in this world.”
When we think about love, we usually picture two people—a couple, two best friends, or a parent and child. That kind of love can be beautiful and deeply selfless. Yet a relationship involving only two people can sometimes become inward-looking. It can become possessive or even transactional: “I love you because you love me.” Even with the best intentions, two people can become so focused on protecting their relationship that there is little room for anyone else.
This is where the Christian understanding of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gives us a profound picture of divine love.
A triune God reveals love as something that naturally flows outward.
First, their love is shared, not possessed. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not competing for love, attention, or recognition. Their relationship is characterized by self-giving, mutual delight, and perfect unity.
Second, their love is not about ownership or exclusivity. Within the Trinity, each Person glorifies and honors the others. The Son glorifies the Father, the Father glorifies the Son, and the Holy Spirit glorifies Christ. Love finds joy not only in being loved but also in seeing another loved and honored.
Third, their love creates space for others. The biblical story of creation and redemption reveals that God’s love is not confined to the Godhead. God creates human beings capable of receiving and responding to His love. We are invited into fellowship with the Father, through the Son, and by the Spirit!
Real love is about giving, receiving, rejoicing in another, and opening the circle wide enough to welcome others in.
And perhaps that is one reason the gospel is so relational and attractive: the God who eternally shares love invites us to become participants in that love and to share that love with one another!
To reduce the Holy Spirit to an impersonal force is to utterly destroy the concept of the Holy Spirit. An impersonal force is not referred to in a personal pronoun, He. An impersonal force cannot be grieved or have personality. An impersonal force cannot love or be loved. Having said all that I must add that in our limited finite mental capacities we lack the ability to fully comprehend and appreciate the third Person of the Godhead.
One thing is for certain, we need the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives to empower us to live the Christian life, It is impossible otherwise. We need the presence of the Holy Spirit to live in unity, harmony, and fellowship with both God and man. If we live our lives empowered by the Holy Spirit we will not satisfy the lusts of the flesh but will desire and He will produce the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.
I want and need more of the presence, power, and fellowship of the Holy Spirit in my life. How about you?
One thing we must come to term with is that the Holy Spirit, is not just the Spirit of God, but is God the Spirit.
I was unsure how to understand today’s lesson title – “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit” -, so I typed this into the search engine and the answer came back: “The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is a Christian concept describing an intimate, active, and shared relationship between a believer and God through the Holy Spirit.” [Google] This helped me focus my comment.
2Cor.13:14 –
”The Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God, and the followship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
Eph.2:18 –
”For through Him [Jesus] we both have access by the one Spirit [Holy Spirit] unto the Father.”
John 16:25-27 –
”I [Jesus] have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way, but will tell you plainly about the Father. In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf. For the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came from God.”
The Holy Spirit has one essential purpose – to reveal God the Father’s and His Son’s, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ’s Truth. Their Truth will set us free from bondage to error and deception caused by the spirit of this world. When we love God with all our heart, the Holy Spirit within us establishes fellowship with our God to enable us to worship Him in Spirit and Truth – John 4:23-24. Living within the Spirit of Christ, our life becomes our worship of God.
Thank you, Bridgette. That was easy to understand that important truth about the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit is another wonderful and special gift to humans. The whole sense of love involves the character of a God Who freely gives without expectation. God is the Source of our existence (Acts 17:25); the Sustainer of joy (Acts 14:17); the Giver of the indescribable gift of Christ (2 Cor. 9:15); the Giver of righteousness (Rom. 6:23); the Giver of abundant blessings (Eph. 1:3); and the limitless Provider (Phil. 4:19, 2 Cor. 9:8)
Some of the verses referenced in today’s lesson really emphasize the personhood of the Holy Spirit. It would be contradictory, for example, for the Holy Spirit to reveal the things of God if it is just God’s force. Why not just say God reveals Himself to us?
In many ways, the Holy Spirit and the Trinity are a mystery, but there is too much evidence to support the idea that Jesus and the Holy Spirit are God.
Being fellowship with the Holy Spirit is the greatest thing we can emulate. This took place when the wise men from the east were directed by the Holy Spirit not to return to the way of the king. This is benefit of being fellowship with God. You are rescued from evil.