IN THE FELLOWSHIP OF LOVE by Lynn Downham

As I stated in my last article, “The Support System Gift,” people are for people. We are meant and designed by God to live in community with other people. The word “community” derived from the Latin, “communitas,” is defined by Webster’s 2nd definition as “a social group or class having common interests.” As Christians, this means to us the church or the body of Christ, but if you follow the word origination back further to “common” you will find over four inches of text giving differing shades of meaning to this word, many of them derogatory. However, the first explanation of common is noteworthy, “Belonging equally to two or more; shared by all alike.” Now that is exciting if you apply it to the Word of God and the Bible. It means the Word of God belongs to each of us, no matter how rich or poor, no matter our background, ethnicity, where we live, what job we hold, what gifts we possess–EQUALLY. What you do with it is your call. Read it, believe it, reject it, live by it, hide it in your heart, share it, teach it to your kids and/or others, treasure it, lean on its understanding, it is an equal opportunity for all. If you decide to treasure it and live by its words and reach the point where you believe with your heart and confess Jesus Christ your savior, then you become a part of, equally, the greatest community in the world, the community of saints, the children of God, and those who are called by His name.

Once in this community, you are a member of the body of Christ, the church, and not only learn what your own special gift or gifts are, but you learn to use them for the common good, for the saints, and others. It is not about being successful, but virtuous. It is about imitating Christ and learning to be as virtuous as He was and is. I heard recently that the best man, or any person, is the one whose good spreads and becomes the good of those around him. Therefore, use your gifts, for it is no good to simply possess them. The good from them cannot spread if you simply possess them. The Lord has a purpose for them, and our job is to work at their “increase” instead of “burying them” as the parable of the talents teaches us.

In 2005 I had a dream that I was one of 4, or so, artists collaborating on a church project that seemed to consist of multiple large vertical format windows and one panoramic window. Just before the dream, a young woman who reminded me of a minister I had met at a Full Gospel conference, came to get me and was walking me across a field or meadow and explaining that she had something for me to do and was explaining my role in this project. We ended up in this sunny building with lots of light and she laid out some colored partial drawings that she had done that had a wonderful abstract pattern to them and one of these was trifold. The colors were beautiful, and the drawings appeared to be done in bold black ink with connected thick lines. They would remind you of stained glass windows and just like in a good painting they had a beautifully connected dark shape, (what we would call “shadow linkage”). In the drawings appeared lots of people shapes standing in front of a church and all the way down the steps. Other artists showed up, and the dream continued. I sketched one of the images in my dream and recorded it as I do all dreams like this one.

Shortly after the dream, I was asked to do a poster for our church as we were hosting an event and this dream played a part in the poster I rendered. Although simply done, I have always liked it. My parents both did stained glass and I might one day, but I do already use stained glass paint which is loads of fun and I hope to do a similar design in this medium.

In our current world, there is a critical need for Christ and more saints. The fellowship of the saints gives great comfort and accomplishes much for the kingdom. Join the community, use your gifts, and be blessed as you do. Then you will grow a faith that blesses you and everyone around you. Soli Deo Gloria!

The last verse from the Parables of the Tares “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matthew 13:43 NKJV)

I sketched one of the images in my dream and recorded it as I do all dreams like this one. See Below

Lynn Story Downham is a fourth generation artist who returned to North Carolina in 2014 after twenty-six years on the Florida panhandle. Her seventh family tree commission was for a “family tree for Jesus.” Twenty years later she is a born-again believer with a best-selling print, a beautiful family and a passion for sharing Christ through her art. Find out more on Facebook by looking up “Lynn Story Downham’s Art” or “Lynn Downham Jesus Tree.”