God's Grace Grants Fellowship

It is easy to take the body of Christ for granted, even when we have a good connection to a local body of believers. Sometimes those who go through the most intense pain appreciate the church most. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book Life Together wrote, "It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world... Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember, as the Psalmist did, how they went 'with a multitude…to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday' (Ps. 42:4)…Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living in common Christian life with other Christians praise God’s grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: it is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren.”