1 John 1:7  “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.”

Conflict is a reality for all humans. Whilst some people tend to create or attract it more than others, we all have to feal with conflict. For Christians is all comes down to the ‘fight or fellowship’ choice. What is a fellowship?  Maybe you’ve heard the simple answer: “A fellowship is two people in the same ship.”  I like to look at a fellowship as two people on the same side of a struggle.  You already know what they call two people on the opposite side of a struggle: a fight!

When you are convinced that the other person is wrong and that you are right, it is simple to lose the joy that you have in the relationship as well as the fellowship that you share with them.

On the other hand, which do you place a higher importance on: your opinion or your relationship?  Instead of fighting against one another, you should become more adept at fighting for the partnership.  What are the steps involved in doing that?

You need to put yourself on the same side as the other people.  It is not your spouse or your colleague or your friend who is your true adversary.  We should already know who our true adversary is in this cosmic struggle that we are currently participating in. But how do you keep the fellowship going when you’re in the middle of a disagreement?

In verse above from the first letter of John, an elderly apostle provides some sound advice to the people to whom he wrote this letter. We, too, will gain from this advice. John states that if we wish to have good fellowship and joy with one another, we must live in the light of God’s presence, just as Christ does.

This is the only way that we can do this.  In your daily existence, do you make an effort to experience God’s presence?  Considering that you are a disciple of Christ, how conscious are you of the fact that Jesus Christ came to reside within you by the Holy Spirit at all times?  He made a solemn vow that He would never abandon or abandon us.

Matthew 28:20  “…I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

When we make an effort to cultivate the presence of God, His Spirit makes it possible for us to enjoy our fellowship with other people.  It is from a common denominator (Christ in us) that the joy of fellowship emerges and is maintained, in spite of our differences.  We are both sinners, saved by grace, and we stand on level ground before the cross of Christ. If we never forget that truth, then we will be able to have amazing fellowship and joy with one another.

If you find that you are not in fellowship with other people, you should determine whether or not you are walking in the light of God’s presence in the same way that Christ does.  Exactly what part of the conflict do you need to take responsibility for and admit to?  Following that, rejoice in the happiness that comes from forgiving others and join forces with them in the fight against our real enemy.