by Eddie Lyons
When we talk about the Baptist Bible Fellowship we sometimes get this idea that “it” exists, and we decide if we like it or not. We don’t just need to attend a Fellowship meeting; we need to “be the Fellowship” to one another at the meeting.
There have been times in my ministry when I was going through a season of difficulty and discouragement. I remember one of those times in particular. The thought of going to a Fellowship meeting with other pastors was not something I was enthusiastic about. I did not want to put on my “pastor face” and smile and act like everything was great. I decided to attend the meeting anyway, perhaps out of commitment and duty.
That day a fellow pastor rose to speak. He seemed to be looking right at me, and he said something like, “Keep going, keep believing, and don’t quit.” He reminded us of how important our work was and how people still need the church, and how people still need the Bible preached to them. This was all stuff I had heard before and had even preached myself. But somehow it was as if the Holy Spirit used him to speak to me that day. While it was not new information, it did bring new resolve to keep going and increased faith to believe again. It was just what was needed.
Afterwards I thanked my friend for what he said. I even admitted I was in a season of discouragement. He shared from his personal experience that he had been there. He looked me in the eye and said, “Keep going.” He was “the Fellowship” to me that day, and through the experience I felt understood and supported and not alone. God used him to help me.
In 1950, a group of pastors, missionaries, and leaders assembled together because they believed together they could plant more churches across this country and around the world than they could alone. United in doctrine, and with a heart for the Gospel, there was a mission to accomplish. There is an amazing byproduct of getting things done together. We are together. We are not alone. One of the great things about the Baptist Bible Fellowship is that “no one stands alone.”
We can and should make a difference in one another’s lives. Give a pastor, missionary, or church planter a call and just check on them. Invite them to go with you to a meeting. Sit with someone sitting alone.
Be the Fellowship. Jesus said it was this kind of love for each other that would make the difference. John 13:34-35, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”