Do you ever feel anything missing in your spiritual life? Are you unhappy with your Christian walk? Do you long for a closer walk with God, yet it seems you're too busy to find time to meet your commitments, much less the time to squeeze in additional activities? The Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee are both bodies of water fed by rivers. One has an outlet while the other stagnates. The Sea of Galilee is a source of food and recreation for thousands. The Dead Sea is a curiosity but of limited recreational value due to the high concentration of salt. It's a good illustration of the importance of having a balanced spiritual life. If we are constantly taking from others but never giving anything we become spiritually poisoned. We all need to give as well as receive. What spiritual outlets do you exercise?

Relationships: We all naturally hunger for lasting and intimate friendships. One problem is that the world is confused about what makes for intimacy and permanence in human relationships. Marriage is a bond based on a lifelong and unconditional commitment. Our modern culture promotes a flawed concept of marriage based not on commitment, but on feelings and convenience. Many young people marrying today have changed their vows from "Until death do us part" to "As long as we shall love one another." This is not just a cheapening of the marriage relationship, but reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of the very nature of love and marriage. 

In reality, the marriage commitment is not just a product of the shared love of the married couple, but the vital framework which provides the necessary support and bonding force to build true love! Many married couples are unhappy because they have a false understanding of love. Marriages handicapped in this way usually fail due to insufficient commitment. It takes a certain persistence to keep the relationship together long enough for true love to bud and grow. In the same way, in the Body of Christ our relationships also fail to grow because they also lack the required Biblical foundation of Christian commitment.

Building close relationships is one of the best uses of our time, certainly one of the most important to our spiritual growth and maturity. Many of us, in the military, or other professions, move frequently. This interferes with the formation of life-long friendships . It takes effort to get to know others on a personal level. Are you making the necessary effort or have you deferred building your personal relationships to some later time, which may never get here? It is a common temptation to put off getting to know others as we approach our next move, but it is harmful to our spiritual growth and development.

Fellowship and Accountability: To benefit from fellowship we must be willing to open our own lives and deal honestly with the flaws and spiritual issues revealed as we interact with others. This requires time, a suitable place, and the right motive for being together. It takes time spent in fellowship with others to maintain our accountability. We struggle against many competing activities. Even then, it is not enough just to spend time with others. To get to know someone requires the right setting. Intimate surroundings promote closeness. There is no better place to get to know someone than in the setting of someone's home. Finally, to promote and maintain fellowship you need a focus for the meeting. When we center our time together around God's Word, in His presence we can take off our masks and reveal ourselves without fear of embarrassment. Meeting once a week during the Sunday service alone won't do it because we show so little of ourselves in large groups. Fellowship is promoted by the closeness of the home Bible study. Acts 2:42-47 gives a concise summary of the growth of the early church.

" And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

This growth was based first on the apostles' doctrine (Biblical teaching) and then fellowship (applying the teachings to daily life). Fellowship revolved around both the public meetings and small gatherings in individual houses. Home fellowship was a much larger part of the early church because there was no rapid transportation. We would benefit from more house to house fellowship today. It takes time spent together on an intimate level to build close and supportive relationships.

What is body ministry? God did not design the church to operate on a one to many scale. This is precisely the flaw with many television ministries. They attempt to reach out on a large scale but are limited because there is no house to house fellowship. Our Lord was never satisfied with preaching to large crowds. He worked with a relative small number of disciples who in turn worked with others. He never intended Christianity to be impersonal. Ministers have limited time and resources. They can only reach out to a relative small number of people. We ourselves can, and should perform much of the ministry to the church community. This is the meaning of the Body ministry which the Apostle Paul wrote about in Romans !2:5-9. This is why the home Bible study is so important to the spiritual life of the community. The small group setting allows people to open their lives and be real with others. Being real means dropping our 'go to church' facade where we nod our head and smile and tell others "fine, fine" when asked how we're doing, even when we're not "fine."

How to change the Status Quo: If you hunger for fellowship you might consider who you can befriend (be a friend to). Christ did not come to be served, but to give his life for others. Too often we are looking for someone to be our friend when God is looking for us to be a friend to others. Consider who might want to be your friend, but may not feel comfortable about intruding on your life without an invitation. Make opportunities to spend time with other Christians and share your life with others. Be real with others - don't hide yourself!

Attend a Bible Study and make yourself accountable. Out of your own adversities God leads and teaches to build a testimony of grace in your life. He desires that you share with others, that they might benefit from His grace in your life. One of the best ways to share His grace and to learn from the experiences of others is to regularly attend a weekly Bible study in someone’s home.