We need not sow thistles and brambles; they come up naturally enough, because they are indigenous to earth: and so, we need not teach men to complain; they complain fast enough without any education. But the precious things of the earth must be cultivated.

– Charles Spurgeon

Weeds and thorns are natural part of soil just as some problems come up naturally in fellowships. This is because the students part of it are still being changed by God; therefore, fellowships can’t be left by themselves. We have to continuously cultivate them; however, more than the thorns we will prune, there are also creatures that we need to capture.

Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.

– Song of Solomon 2:15

The threat to the healthiness of our fellowships are these foxes, these little issues that we cannot easily see but may ruin the fruitfulness of our fellowships. That is why our fellowships need not only to be cultivated but also to be guarded.

Keep: Guarding Fellowship

Maintaining a healthy fellowship happens when we guard it, keeping it for the generations to come.

How do we exercise a guarding fellowship?

1. We clarify the vision.

Having a clear vision dilutes confusion. Students who get deeper in their relationship with God build up inside them a zeal for His honor. But without a direction to pour their zeal, they are like loose canons, throwing their lives to everything they see to their exhaustion. The clearer the vision is to them, the more they can channel their energy towards building God’s kingdom.

Having a clear vision dissolves division. Students also get understand who to work with, preventing them from being divisive as they pour out their energy for God. The clearer the vision the more they get synergetic with other believers.

Is our vision of honoring God and establishing Christ-centered, Spirit-empowered, socially responsible churches and campus ministries in Every Nation clear in our victory groups and manifested in our fellowships?

2. We establish the values.

Our values are like walls that keep us fulfilling our vision. Be sure to instill these values as we disciple students:

• The Lordship of Jesus protects the fellowship from liberalism and legalism. Keep them grounded not in the opinions of people or convictions of Christians but in the foundation of God’s word.
• Evangelism and discipleship keep the students’ passion for the lost burning. Fellowship is guarded from becoming a place of carnality or living only for worldly practices.
• Leadership guards our fellowships from mediocrity and complacency. Continue to encourage our students to pass on the baton to next generation.
• Family is the validation of our ministry. This keeps us from replacing our homes with fellowship, making sure our students go home to honor their parents.

Flourishing and fruitfulness was mandated to Adam that he may fill the earth, subdue it, and take dominion of it. The Church has received the same commission. Our fellowships are designed to fulfill what the Word has proclaimed:

“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.”

– Revelations 11:15