Video link at the bottom of the lesson
1. Introduction to Series of Five Fellowships
Fellowship in the Gospel is the first of the five fellowships we encounter in our walk with God.
There is nothing I enjoy more than my relationship with God, and nothing the enemy will try to attack more fiercely than our intimacy with Him.
My fellowship with God has become more exciting over the last four years than at any other time in my 40-plus-year journey with Abba Father.
A. Lessons from the Apostle John
Interestingly, the apostle John, more than any other apostle, seemed most able to see into the spirit realm. The entire book of Revelation consists of a series of visions. Yet John was, after Paul, the leading theologian of his time. Jesus foretold that an apostasy would arise within a single generation. The primary false theology of the great Apostasy was Gnosticism, and John, above all the apostles, was the one who argued most strongly against it.
There is a valuable lesson here: John was the one who was closest to Jesus.
Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.
John 13:23
He was the one whom Jesus entrusted with the Revelations of Jesus Christ. Moreover, John wrote many of the epistles, was the senior leader of the Jerusalem church, and argued vehemently against Gnosticism. He was sound in his theology and had a great relationship with God that we should aspire to.
From John, we learn that seeing into the spiritual realm requires sound theology, but it is rooted primarily in intimacy with the Trinity. In this series, we will explore friendship with Jesus, fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and familiarity with the Father.
B. Trusting in the Father’s Voice
In 1994, while attending a conference, I experienced a vision of heaven and Hell.
After the vision, God said, “Neville, I want to give you some of My glory.” I had never heard or read about God giving His son’s glory, so I immediately rebuked Satan, thinking he was trying to deceive me.
But the Voice I knew as God continued and asked, “Neville, do you trust Me enough to receive what I want to give you, and then I will teach you the doctrine later?”
I replied, “Yes, Lord!”
The Holy Spirit filled me afresh with His glory and His presence that day. My effectiveness in ministry was catapulted to a new level of glory and power. God also taught me the doctrine of glory, which we will explore in a separate series.
C. Sound Doctrine – the Platform for Spiritual Revelation
In the example above, spiritual revelation came before sound doctrine. Usually, sound doctrine comes first and is then followed by spiritual revelation. At times, revelation may come first, but it must always align with sound theology. If our theology is wrong, our interpretation of spiritual revelation will also be wrong. Here are two examples of this:
When the COVID-19 pandemic started, several well-known prophets with worldwide ministries declared it would be over by Passover. When that date passed, others claimed it would end by the Feast of Tabernacles 2020. I knew those predictions were incorrect because they were based on the theology that the Feasts are still active today. However, sound theology teaches that Jesus fulfils the Feasts. In contrast to these prophets, I was already warning people in January 2020 that this would be a prolonged pandemic.
The second example involves recent prophecies claiming that the Antichrist would reveal himself in 2021. Of course, this did not happen because the Antichrist was revealed in 56 CE and was already known to the Thessalonians by 62–64 CE. Once again, sound doctrine must be the foundation for genuine spiritual revelation.
D. The Next Level
There are times in our lives when God speaks beyond our beliefs, but generally, He speaks only within what we currently believe. So it is with these five’ fellowships with God.’
For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.
Proverbs 23:7
May I encourage you to ask God the same question I asked Him:
“Abba Father, show me where I have stopped growing.”
And
“God, please take me to a deeper level in my relationship with You.”
2. Fellowship in the Gospel
Our fellowship in the gospel is the first fellowship people have with God—the good news of redemption found in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
A. Positionally, we see ourselves as children of God:
I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.
1 John 2:12
The Holy Spirit comforts us as children of God, assuring us that our sins are forgiven. It saddens me that some believe everyone must live in constant need of forgiveness, trapped in a cycle of sinning and asking for pardon. Although under the New Covenant, they will go to heaven, they often do not realise that they can also experience victory over sin and its consequences.
Sadly, we see this even in the lives of great leaders. Saint Augustine, for example, had been promiscuous in his youth. Yet, on his deathbed, he seemed caught in a cycle of repentance, rather than resting in the confidence that God had forgotten his youthful sins.
Jesus died not only for our sins but also for the consequences of those sins. We can, therefore, walk free from shame, guilt, self-pity, and condemnation.
B. The Holy Spirit brings us into the family of God.
You did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
Romans 8:15
God replaces the spirit of bondage and fear with the Spirit of adoption.
It is not God’s intention that we have fellowship only in the Gospel, because He wants us to mature in Christ. He wants us to maintain this fellowship while also developing four additional connections. Having all five will deepen our relationship with God and make us more effective. The next friendship we encounter is with the Holy Spirit.
3. Summary
- Fellowship in the Gospel is the first fellowship we enter.
- Fellowship in the Gospel teaches forgiveness and welcomes us into the Family of God.
- This introduces us to intimacy with God.
- Sound theology is the bedrock for growing into maturity and the freedom to see in the Spirit.
- There are five fellowships in the New Testament.
We will explore four additional fellowships in the lessons that follow. Next in the series is Fellowship with the Holy Spirit, followed by Fellowship with His Son, Fellowship in His Sufferings, and finally Fellowship with the Mystery of His Will, which God is now revealing to the Bride of Christ.
© Use by Permission Awakening Impact Ministries/ Dr Neville Westerbeek van Eerten D.Miss. BVSc. 2026
