Should Christians be in cliques?

Nothing can surely be more clear, if scripture is to be our guide, than that breaking of bread expresses in the broadest possible way our fellowship as Christians. Moreover, there is only one Christian fellowship. It has been in existence over eighteen centuries. It goes on from age to age as successive generations of believers pass off the scene. No one can form another. Some seem as if they thought they could. They would like to gather into one company just those, and only those, who are in perfect agreement with them, and share all their predilections and preferences. They may do it. But they have left the ground of the church of God; and their fellowship has ceased to be true Christian fellowship. It is their own. There is a great danger in little communities of those who view truth from a certain standpoint being drawn together and forming a sort of inner circle which becomes of all importance to them. This is damaging to all, but most to those who participate in it. It contracts the affections and the outlook; and instead of the truth, it becomes only a question of our view of it. No meeting, nor any number of believers can make terms of communion for the rest. The terms are already laid down, and cannot be revised or altered without departure from Christian ground. It is not how narrow I can be, but how broad. "Him that is weak in the faith receive ye but not to judge his doubtful thoughts." If only we would leave what is doubtful alone, "judging nothing before the time until the Lord come," how well it would be for all.

The saddest feature of all, perhaps, is the necessity that devolves upon each circle to blacken and discredit every other circle. Only in this way can each separate circle of meetings be maintained. For if there is nothing to be said against another circle why is the ring kept up? Brethren in the Lord, this terrible disgrace ought to cease. And it might cease, yet with everything maintained that is worth maintaining. It would not mean loss, but gain everywhere. In casting reproach upon our brethren it recoils with redoubled force upon those who do so. The stigma we seek to place upon them becomes in a deeper way branded upon ourselves. The only way of deliverance is to cease to make fellowship dependent upon meetings, and to make it dependent upon the work of God, and consistency therewith. If the Apostle Paul returned to earth, would he limit his service and fellowship to one circle of meetings, or one sect? "No," he would say, "I am not going to limit the truth, or the work of God. I know only one Gospel, and it is for every creature. I know only one Church fellowship, and it embraces every saint" (Col. 1:23-29; Eph. 3:14-21). Think of the Apostle Paul not being received or allowed to preach until he had joined a particular circle of meetings. Yet, in principle, it is as bad to apply such tests to the least of Christ's servants as to the greatest. Nothing is clearer from Mark 10:36-42 than that to refuse the least of those that belong to the Saviour is to refuse Him. How anyone dare do it passes one's comprehension.

Consequently, separated believers can still enjoy a measure of fellowship according to the apostolic pattern. They can rejoice to look upon other believers simply as members of the body of Christ and can receive according to the Word all who desire to be received, providing they are not disqualified by evil practice, evil doctrine or evil associations. Every sect receives saints who are formally-prepared to "join" them, but to receive saints simply because they are members of Christ (and are not Scripturally-disqualified) is to receive people according to the truth.

On, the subject of Church fellowship his cherished and practiced principles, strangely so often misunderstood or misrepresented by some of a more legal turn of mind, found expression in the following, "We receive every Christian as such, without reference to their connection with Nationalism or Dissent; we rejoice to have communion with them, whether privately or publicly; They may join us in worship and the Supper of the Lord. They are as free as any of us to help in thanksgiving, prayer or a word of edification, if so led of God; and this without stipulation either to leave their old associations or to meet only with us. Where is this done save only with "Brethren"? With us on the contrary, if any godly Churchman or Dissenter thought fit to come when we remember the Lord together, he would be quite in order if he did any or all of these things spiritually; and this, not from any permission on our part, but as a matter of responsibility to God and His Word."

It ought to be pointed out also that in receiving anyone as a member of the body of Christ we are not having fellowship with them as a member of such and such a church group, for we can Scripturally recognise no membership but that of the body of Christ. While individuals can be received as such, it should be clear that an assembly gathered as members of the body of Christ, owning the authority of the Lord in their midst, could have no intercommunion with any gathering or group not so gathered. This would be giving tacit approval to sectarianism which the Word of God condemns (1 Cor. 1:10-13), and would encourage those who are in the sects to continue on such ground. This would not be faithfulness to the Lord nor love and honesty towards them.

Our fellowship is thus not merely “vertical”, i.e. heavenwards with our Lord, but also “horizontal”, i.e. with one another. We have been brought into complete fellowship. It is a great joy, and at the same time a great privilege to testify to this fellowship at the Lord’s Table, but it brings responsibility with it. If we wish to express this unity, we can do so only when we walk together in unity on one pathway in practice, and acknowledge this unity practically. If we seek to express this fellowship in the Breaking of Bread, we cannot simply and unhesitatingly break bread with all believers. We cannot “commute” between various Christian groups and companies that are not in full fellowship with each other and do not gather on the ground of the unity that the Bible teaches., i.e. those who do not understand their gathering together to be an expression of the unity of the entire Church on earth.

Christian fellowship is essentially the fellowship of the death of Christ. That distinguishes it from all material considerations. The one who participates therein recognises that he can have no peace or soul prosperity apart from the death of Christ as a basis. That fellowship is not defiled by the idolatrous associations of the world. That fellowship is also invested with the character of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. The apprehension of the excellencies of Christ on the part of one becomes the property of all. Hence prosperity of soul is shared by all in the fellowship. The fellowship of the Church of God is worldwide. It comprises all Christians. There are people who restrict the thought of fellowship to a local company of Christians. There are undoubtedly phases of the matter which relate to local responsibility. But the essential aspect is relative to the whole church of God.

Christians form a fellowship the like of which can be seen nowhere else. It is a Divine fellowship. All human fellowships cease with time. This fellowship alone goes on into glory. It knows no frontiers. It knows no special language. It knows no social distinctions. It transcends everything of earth, and in the glorious light of this, fellowship, earthly distinctions vanish, and believers of every clime, of every colour, of all ages and stages, form one Christian fellowship. There is only one Divine fellowship seen in the New Testament, only one ransomed church of God, and it is by the Holy Spirit this comes about.

Well, then, in spite of such differences as may exist, we are to receive one another in the happy enjoyment of Christian fellowship, so that the lovely picture may be realized, to the glory of God.

But it is surely still open for Christians to take the ground, which is in character that of the church of God, and which is open scripturally to all Christians and thus to give expression to the only fellowship to which Christians are called, and to do this without presumption of any kind.